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What is MCP (Model Context Protocol)?

MCP is an emerging pattern for agent-to-tool interactions that standardizes how agents discover, describe, and call tools with schemas.

Why it matters​

  • Safer agent/tool execution via schema-based contracts
  • Enables policy enforcement and audit at the agent boundary

How it works (high-level)​

  • Agents discover tools and their schemas
  • Requests/Responses conform to the declared schema
  • Gateways can enforce schema pins and policy per tool call

Key terms​

  • Tool schema, schema pins, plan contracts

Common pitfalls​

  • Schema drift across versions; insufficient validation at the boundary

Next steps​

  • ARIA MCP Gateway product: website_copy/product_gateway.md
  • ARIA Shield: services/bff/explanation/bff_gateway.md