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Explainer · Worked example

What is an MCP server?

MCP servers are how AI assistants talk to the tools you already use. To make that concrete, we'll use our own Procore MCP as the worked example: one person, one question — "What did the recent RFI say about the slab thickness?" — and two ways to get the answer. Notice the bottom half of the picture is identical.

Illustrated with Procore MCP by Knight Solutions

The same RFI, asked two ways

Top to bottom · paths converge
"What did the recent RFI sayabout the slab thicknesson the Albion project?"SITE ENGINEER · ONE QUESTION, TWO DOORSYOU · WITH A MOUSEclicks, scrolls, readsCLAUDE / CHATGPTasks in plain wordsHUMAN'S DOOR · THE WEBSITEAI'S DOOR · THE MCP SERVERSHARED · SAME PROCORE BEHIND BOTH DOORSprocore.com/rfis/142Project → RFIs → #142CLICKED THROUGH BY HANDmenus, pages, buttonsTHE NEW PARTKnight Procore MCP Servera "menu of tools" the AI can callTOOLS MENU▸ get_rfi(number)▸ list_projects()▸ get_submittal(id)▸ search_drawings(q)▸ list_rfis(project)▸ get_project(id)SAME ROLEdifferent audience{ }SAME FOR BOTH DOORSProcore's API (back-end)receives "give me RFI #142 on Albion"RFI #142Q: Slab thickness for L1?A: 200mm reinforcedper structural set rev C.PROCORE'S DATABASE · UNCHANGED← the onlynew pieceboth doors landin the same place →

Why this matters

One person. One question. Two doors into Procore, and the bottom half of the diagram is identical.

The website is the door for humans with a mouse. The MCP server is a second door, for AI assistants with a question. Same hallway behind both doors. Same RFI #142 at the end of it.

A few words worth knowing

API
The plumbing behind a website. When you click "RFI #142," the website asks Procore's API for the data. APIs talk to programs, not people.
MCP server
A small program that translates between an AI assistant and an existing API. Stands for Model Context Protocol.
Tool
One action the AI is allowed to perform, e.g. get_rfi(number). Each tool has a name and a clear description so the AI knows when to use it.
Tools menu
The full list of tools an MCP server offers. Think of it like a restaurant menu: the AI reads it, picks the right item for the question, and "orders" it.
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