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Model Context Protocol (MCP)

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that enables AI applications to securely connect with external data sources and tools. Developed by Anthropic, MCP provides a unified way to integrate AI models with various services, databases, and APIs through a standardized interface.

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What is MCP?

MCP defines a standard protocol for AI applications to access external resources through dedicated servers. These MCP servers act as bridges between AI models and external systems, providing:
  • Tools: Functions that AI models can call to perform actions
  • Resources: Data sources that AI models can read from
  • Prompts: Reusable prompt templates for common tasks

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Why MCP Matters

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Standardization

Before MCP, each AI application had to implement custom integrations with external services. MCP provides a standard protocol that works across different AI platforms and tools.

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Security

MCP servers can implement authentication, authorization, and data filtering to ensure AI models only access appropriate data and functions.

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Composability

Multiple MCP servers can be combined to provide comprehensive capabilities, allowing developers to build modular AI systems.

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Ecosystem Growth

As more services implement MCP servers, the ecosystem of available AI integrations grows rapidly.

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MCP Architecture

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MCP Servers

MCP servers implement the protocol and provide specific capabilities:
  • Database servers: Query databases, execute SQL
  • File system servers: Read/write files, search directories
  • API servers: Integrate with REST APIs, web services
  • Tool servers: Provide specialized functions and utilities

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MCP Clients

MCP clients (like Claude Desktop, custom AI applications) connect to servers to access their capabilities.

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Key MCP Concepts

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Tools

Tools are functions that MCP servers expose for AI models to call: 
// Example tool definition
server.tool("search_files", {
  description: "Search for files matching a pattern",
  inputSchema: {
    type: "object",
    properties: {
      pattern: { type: "string" },
      directory: { type: "string" }
    }
  }
}, async (args) => {
  // Tool implementation
  return { results: [...] }
})

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Resources

Resources are data sources that AI models can read: 
// Example resource
server.resource("file://project/readme.md", {
  description: "Project README file",
  mimeType: "text/markdown"
}, async () => {
  return { contents: [...] }
})

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Prompts

Reusable prompt templates with parameters: 
// Example prompt
server.prompt("code_review", {
  description: "Review code for best practices",
  arguments: [
    { name: "language", description: "Programming language" },
    { name: "code", description: "Code to review" }
  ]
}, async (args) => {
  return {
    messages: [
      {
        role: "user",
        content: `Review this ${args.language} code: ${args.code}`
      }
    ]
  }
})

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MCP Server Development Challenges

Building reliable MCP servers involves several challenges that Shinzo Platform addresses:

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Performance Monitoring

  • How long do tool calls take?
  • Which tools are called most frequently?
  • Are there performance bottlenecks?

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Error Tracking

  • Which tools are failing and why?
  • How often do errors occur?
  • What causes resource access failures?

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Usage Analytics

  • Which clients use which tools?
  • What are common usage patterns?
  • How can servers be optimized for real usage?

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Debugging Complex Flows

  • How do tool calls chain together?
  • What’s the full request flow through multiple servers?
  • Where do performance issues originate?

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How Shinzo Platform Helps

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MCP-Native Observability

Unlike generic observability tools, Shinzo Platform understands MCP concepts:
  • Tool Execution Tracking: Monitor individual tool calls with parameters and results
  • Resource Access Patterns: Track which resources are accessed and how often
  • Cross-Server Tracing: Follow requests across multiple MCP servers
  • Protocol-Level Metrics: Monitor MCP-specific performance characteristics

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Automatic Instrumentation

Our TypeScript SDK automatically instruments MCP servers built with the @modelcontextprotocol/sdk: 
import { McpServer } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/mcp.js"
import { instrumentServer } from "@shinzolabs/instrumentation-mcp"

const server = new McpServer({
  name: "my-mcp-server",
  version: "1.0.0"
})

// One line adds comprehensive telemetry
const telemetry = instrumentServer(server, {
  serverName: "my-mcp-server",
  serverVersion: "1.0.0",
  exporterEndpoint: "https://api.app.shinzo.ai/telemetry/ingest_http",
  exporterAuth: {
    type: "bearer",
    token: "your-token-here"
  }
})

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Privacy and Security

MCP servers often handle sensitive data. Shinzo Platform includes:
  • Built-in PII Sanitization: Automatically removes sensitive data from telemetry
  • Configurable Data Processing: Custom processors to filter or transform data
  • Argument Collection Control: Choose whether to collect tool arguments

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Rich Context

Track MCP-specific attributes:
  • Tool names and execution times
  • Resource types and access patterns
  • Server versions and capabilities
  • Client information and usage patterns

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MCP Ecosystem Examples

  • Database servers: PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite integrations
  • File system servers: Local file access, cloud storage
  • API servers: GitHub, Slack, email services
  • Development tools: Git operations, code analysis
  • Data processing: CSV, JSON, XML processors

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Use Cases

  • Code assistance: AI models accessing codebases, documentation, and development tools
  • Data analysis: AI models querying databases and processing files
  • Content creation: AI models accessing templates, resources, and publishing tools
  • Business automation: AI models integrating with CRM, email, and workflow tools

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Getting Started with MCP

Ready to build or instrument your MCP server? Check out:

TypeScript SDK

Add observability to your MCP server in minutes
The combination of OpenTelemetry’s standardization with MCP’s protocol creates powerful observability opportunities. Shinzo Platform bridges these technologies to provide comprehensive monitoring for the growing MCP ecosystem.