One Year of Model Context Protocol: From Experiment to Industry Standard

Source: Dev.to

The Birth of a Standard

On November 25 2024, Anthropic introduced something that would fundamentally reshape how AI systems connect with the world: the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

Created by Anthropic developers David Soria Parra and Justin Spahr‑Summers, MCP addressed what engineers called the “M×N problem”—the combinatorial explosion of connecting M different AI models with N different tools or data sources.

The Problem MCP Solved

Before MCP, connecting ten AI applications to 100 tools meant potentially 1,000 different custom integrations. MCP reduced this to a simple equation:

1. Implement the client protocol once.
2. Implement the server protocol once.
3. Everything works together.

The Timeline: A Year of Unprecedented Growth

Q1 2025 – Foundation Phase (Nov 2024 – Feb 2025)

November 25 2024 – Launch

• Anthropic open‑sources MCP with SDKs in Python and TypeScript.
• Reference servers released: Google Drive, Slack, GitHub, Git, Postgres, and Puppeteer.
• Early adopters: Block and Apollo integrate MCP.
• Development‑tools companies (Zed, Replit, Codeium, Sourcegraph) begin integrations.

December 2024 – January 2025

• Claude Desktop app gets native MCP support.
• First community‑built servers emerge.

February 2025

• Over 1,000 community‑built MCP servers available.

Q2 2025 – The Inflection Point (March – May)

March 26 2025 – The Game Changer

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced on X (TechCrunch):

  “People love MCP and we are excited to add support across our products. Available today in the Agents SDK and support for ChatGPT Desktop app + Responses API coming soon!”

• The same day MCP launched its second major specification (2025‑03‑26) introducing:

  • Streamable HTTP transport for cloud deployments.
  • Comprehensive OAuth 2.1 authorization framework.
  • Enhanced remote‑deployment capabilities.

April 2025

• Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis confirms MCP support for Gemini models.
• Security researchers identify critical issues (prompt injection, tool permissions, look‑alike tools).
• Ecosystem reaches 5,800+ MCP servers.

April 22 2025 – Docker Enters the MCP Arena

Docker announced Docker MCP Catalog and Docker MCP Toolkit, bringing container‑grade security to the MCP ecosystem:

• Docker MCP Catalog

  • Centralized discovery platform integrated with Docker Hub.
  • 100+ verified MCP servers at launch.
  • Partnerships with Stripe, Elastic, Neo4j, Heroku, Pulumi, Grafana Labs, Kong Inc., New Relic, Continue.dev, and more.
  • Publisher verification and versioned releases.
  • Built on Docker Hub’s infrastructure (20+ billion pulls monthly).

• Docker MCP Toolkit

  • One‑click MCP server deployment from Docker Desktop.
  • Built‑in OAuth support and secure credential storage.
  • Seamless integration with Gordon (Docker AI Agent), Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, Continue.dev, and Goose.
  • Enterprise controls: Registry Access Management (RAM) and Image Access Management (IAM).
  • Containerized MCP servers for isolation and security.

Docker President & COO Mark Cavage:
“Building functional AI applications shouldn’t feel radically different from building any other app.”

May 2025

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• Microsoft announces Windows 11 as “agentic OS” with native MCP support.
• Microsoft Copilot Studio reaches General Availability with MCP integration.
• May 5, 2025: Docker MCP Catalog and Toolkit enter Beta.

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