When Is MCP Actually Worth It?

Model Context Protocol (MCP) has emerged as an open standard for connecting AI agents with external data and services. Since being introduced by Anthropic in November, it’s taken off: One directory lists more than 16,000 MCP servers.

“MCP is a powerful standard, but its value is most apparent in complex, high-stakes environments,” Adel Zaalouk, AI product manager at Red Hat, told The New Stack. “A key benefit of MCP is its ability to enable scalable, multitenant platforms.”

While MCP enhances agents in many situations, it’s not…