Glossary
Model Context Protocol (MCP)
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is the open standard — originally from Anthropic, now under the Linux Foundation — for connecting AI agents to tools and data: search a catalog, read inventory, create a cart. It's the lowest-level plumbing the commerce protocols ride on.
Shopify exposes an MCP server on every store (no authentication required) for product search, cart operations, and store policies. UCP and ACP sit a layer above MCP, defining the commerce-specific lifecycle.