Using MCP tools
Introduced 3.0
Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open protocol standard that provides a standardized way for AI models to connect to external data sources and tools. OpenSearch integrates with MCP, enabling agents to use external tools and data sources through MCP servers.
Connecting to external MCP servers expands agent capabilities to include the following functionality:
- Using the tools provided by MCP servers
- Filtering available tools based on your application needs
- Implementing secure authentication and authorization for tool access
- Interacting with various tools through a consistent, standardized interface
To start using MCP, see Connecting to an external MCP server.
This section describes the in-cluster MCP connector that lets OpenSearch agents call tools hosted on external MCP servers.
OpenSearch also provides an MCP server that exposes OpenSearch APIs to external AI assistants. In contrast to the in-cluster MCP connector, the OpenSearch MCP Server lets external clients query OpenSearch rather than letting OpenSearch agents call external tools. For more information, see OpenSearch MCP Server.