MCP client
Definition
An MCP client is the application that connects to MCP servers and makes their tools available to an AI model. Typical clients are ChatGPT, Claude (desktop and Code), VS Code, Gemini CLI or custom agent frameworks. The client discovers tools and forwards the model's invocations to the server.
For the operator of an MCP server one thing is decisive: you do not control which client connects or which model sits behind it. Customers connect with the client of their choice - so the control questions must be answered server-side, identically for every client.
Related terms
tokyn.trail puts tracking, rules and human approvals in front of your MCP server - in 10 minutes, no code changes.
Learn more