Guide · Model Context Protocol What is MCP, and how to connect your AI to your apps
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets an AI assistant — like Claude — use the tools of other applications: open a file, create a layer, dimension a drawing or move a task. Instead of copying and pasting between the AI and your programs, the AI works inside them and you review the result.
MCP in plain words
A widely used analogy: MCP is like the USB-C port of artificial intelligence. Before, every combination of assistant and application needed its own custom integration; with MCP, the app exposes its tools once, in a standard format, and any compatible assistant can use them.
For you it means something concrete: you ask your AI for what you need in your own words, and it uses the app the way you would, step by step. It doesn't guess or “imagine” the result: the app does the work with its own calculations, and everything stays editable.
How it works, step by step
- You ask your AI for something in your own words: “make me an Instagram post with my logo.”
- Your AI checks which tools the app offers — for example open_file, add_text or export_image — and decides which to use and in what order.
- The app does the real work and returns the result to your AI, which explains it to you.
- You review: everything stays in the app, editable, and you can undo any step.
For the technical crowd: messages travel as JSON-RPC 2.0; an MCP server exposes tools, resources and prompts, and can run locally or remotely. The assistant creates one client per connected server.
Whether or not you know these apps, you create from day one.
MCP is an open standard that connects your AI to the app's real tools, like a universal plug. You talk normally; your assistant picks the tool, uses it and leaves you a result ready to edit.
Make me a Black Friday post with my logo, a purple background and “30% off”.
Foto·Uses the app's tools
Waiting for instructions from your AI…
- new_document
- place_image
- add_shape
- add_text
- export_image
1080 × 1080 post ready, in 4 layers.
You don't need to know where every button is. Say what you want in your own words, watch it come together step by step and learn by looking at the result.
Chain twenty steps into one instruction and hand off the repetitive work. Your judgment decides; the AI executes and you refine the detail.
The connection is free and you set it up once. You pay for your AI with your own account; everything it does stays editable in the app.
What you can do with MCP in Meier Suite
Every Meier Suite app ships with its MCP connector and real tools. Here are examples of what you can ask your AI:
- Foto Meier StudioFree online photo editor
Make me a Black Friday post with my logo, a purple background and “30% off”.
24 tools 
Video Meier StudioVideo editor for MacMake me a short video with the event photos and upbeat music, for Instagram.
35 tools
Tune Meier StudioMusic production appI want a cheerful 30-second cumbia for my video.
53 tools
CAD Meier StudioFree 2D CAD softwareDraw a 4 × 3 m room with a 90 cm door and dimension it.
27 tools
PDF Meier StudioPDF editor for MacMerge these 3 PDFs, sign the last page and make it light enough to email.
138 tools
QR Meier StudioDynamic QR code generatorMake me a QR for my restaurant menu, nice-looking and with my logo.
30 tools
Escuela MeierAI robot simulatorTeach it to get up when it falls.
27 tools
Civil Meier StudioSurveying softwareHow much earth do we need to move to level this lot?
37 tools
Hito Meier StudioFree project managementPlan my sister's wedding: tasks, dates and who does what.
39 tools
Eco Meier StudioFree forms and surveysMake me a survey to find out what my customers think of the new coffee, and publish it.
19 tools
Where it comes from
- November 2024Anthropic introduces MCP as an open, open-source standard.
- March 2025OpenAI adopts it across its products.
- April 2025Google announces it will support it too.
- December 2025Anthropic donates it to the Agentic AI Foundation, a Linux Foundation fund it co-founded with Block and OpenAI.
How to connect your AI to Meier Suite
- Create your free Meier Suite account. Thirty seconds, no card.
- In “My account”, create a connection key: you get the address of your personal connector.
- In your assistant's connectors section (for example, Claude), add a custom connector and paste that address.
- Ask it for something: “Open Foto and make me an Instagram post with my logo.” Usually, the first time it asks permission to use the tools.
Is it safe?
- Your AI can only use the tools the app exposes; it doesn't see the rest of your computer or your other accounts.
- Your connection key is personal: you see it only once and can revoke it from your account anytime.
- Only connect MCP servers from trusted sources: the descriptions of a malicious server can mislead an assistant.
- You're in charge: what the AI does stays in the app, editable, and you can undo it.
Frequently asked questions about MCP
Is MCP only for Claude?
No. It's an open standard: it was born at Anthropic, OpenAI and Google announced support, and today it's stewarded by a foundation under the Linux Foundation. More and more assistants and editors use it.
Do I need to know how to code?
No. Connecting an MCP server means pasting an address into your assistant; then you talk to it like a colleague.
How much does it cost?
MCP is free and open. Meier Suite apps are free to edit; your AI assistant has its own plan.
What's the difference between MCP and an API?
An API is an app's door for programmers. MCP is a common format so any assistant can discover and use those doors without a custom integration for each one.
Does it work with the Mac apps?
Yes: every Meier Suite app ships with its connector. Foto works today in the browser; the Mac apps include it from launch.