If you have been following the advancements in Artificial Intelligence, you might have heard about the increasing need for a standardized way for AI models, to interact with external data sources and tools. This is where the Model Context Protocol (MCP) comes into play.
MCP is an open protocol designed to standardize how applications provide context to LLMs. As the official website, modelcontextprotocol.io, puts it:
This protocol was introduced by Anthropic in November 2024. The goal was to address the challenge of integrating AI models with diverse systems, which previously often required custom, one-off solutions. Since its introduction, MCP has seen growing adoption and support from major players in the AI field, including OpenAI and Google DeepMind.
How MCP Works
At its core, MCP defines a client-server architecture. AI applications act as clients, requesting information or actions from MCP servers. These servers, in turn, expose data sources or tools in a standardized way. This interaction allows AI models to access and utilize context from various systems like databases, content repositories, or business applications.
The MCP specification outlines several transport methods for this communication. Three key methods are:
- stdio (Standard Input/Output): A local transfer method, for clients and servers running on the same machine.
- SSE (Server-Sent Events): An HTTP-based method for servers to stream updates to clients.
- Streamable-http: Another HTTP-based transport, allowing for efficient data streaming.
MCP in the Ruby Ecosystem
While the overall MCP landscape is evolving quickly, the scene within the Ruby community is also beginning to grow. Although there isn't an official Ruby SDK provided by the initial creators, the community has started to develop its own solutions.
Several gems are already available for developers looking to experiment with or implement MCP in their Ruby applications. Some examples include:
- https://github.com/yjacquin/fast-mcp
- https://github.com/seuros/action_mcp
- https://github.com/simonx1/ruby-mcp-client
- https://github.com/funwarioisii/mcp-rb
- https://github.com/tonksthebear/mcp-rails
- https://github.com/wilsonsilva/mcp-ruby
- https://github.com/nagstler/mcp_on_ruby
This growing collection of tools shows a great interest in bringing MCP's capabilities to Ruby on Rails and the broader Ruby ecosystem.
Resources and Community
For those interested in diving deeper into MCP, there are several valuable resources:
- The official MCP website: https://modelcontextprotocol.io
- The MCP Specification: https://modelcontextprotocol.io/specification/2025-03-26
- A curated list of MCP servers: https://github.com/punkpeye/awesome-mcp-servers
- A curated list of MCP clients: https://github.com/punkpeye/awesome-mcp-clients
If you have additional insight and understand MCP much deeper, I strongly recommend reading articles written by seuros, the author of action_mcp gem.
- https://dev.to/seuros/if-you-think-mcp-is-just-a-tool-registry-youre-missing-the-point-5982
- https://dev.to/seuros/prompts-in-mcp-preloaded-sanity-not-just-fancy-slash-commands-4b76
Furthermore, community discussions are taking place on Discord channels, which can be great places to ask questions, share knowledge, and connect with other developers:
- Model Context Protocol: https://discord.com/invite/TFE8FmjCdS
- Ruby AI Builders: https://discord.com/invite/ruby-ai-builders-1081742403460923484
- FastMCP ruby gem Discord: https://discord.gg/9HHfAtY3HF
As AI continues to integrate more deeply into various applications, protocols like MCP will likely play a crucial role in ensuring standardized communication. The Ruby community's early engagement suggests a promising future for MCP adoption within our ecosystem.
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