AI Governance Engineer
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MCP

By Updated

Model Context Protocol: an open protocol for connecting AI applications to tools and data sources; its 2026 specification adds OAuth 2.1 resource-server patterns and issuer-bound credentials for agent authorisation 1. It secures the hop between one client and one server; which agent sits behind the client is for a workload identity to say.

Developed in
ch. 23, MCP authorization as of 2026-07-28
ch. 04, Layer 04: Runtime Controls & Observability
Chapters
ch. 04, The Stack · ch. 05, Patterns · ch. 23, AI Agents
Contrast with
A2A (Agent2Agent protocol)
Source
1 numbered reference, listed below

Where it is used

4 chapters of the Body of Knowledge use the term. Each link opens the first section that does.

MCP: mentions per chapter23 mentions of the term across 4 of the 23 chapters of the Body of Knowledge; the chapters the glossary cross-references are drawn solid.Cross-referenced chapterOther chapterCross-referenced, not named04 The Stack: 4 mentions04 The Stack405 Patterns006 The Role: 1 mention06 The Role110 Reading List: 1 mention10 Reading List123 AI Agents: 17 mentions23 AI Agents17No mentions in the other 18 chaptersSource: the Body of Knowledgev0.5.0
MCP: mentions per chapter23 mentions of the term across 4 of the 23 chapters of the Body of Knowledge; the chapters the glossary cross-references are drawn solid.Cross-referenced chapterOther chapterCross-referenced, not named0001020304 The Stack: 4 mentions4040506 The Role: 1 mention106070810 Reading List: 1 mention11011121314151617181920212223 AI Agents: 17 mentions1723Source: the Body of Knowledge v0.5.0
Mentions per chapter How often each chapter names the term, with the chapters the glossary cross-references drawn solid. The longest bar is where to read the term in use; bars spread across many chapters mark a term that runs through the discipline.
Mentions as a table
Mentions of MCP per chapter
ChapterMentionsCross-referenced
00 Preface0No
01 Definition0No
02 Why Now0No
03 Values & Principles0No
04 The Stack4Yes
05 Patterns0Yes
06 The Role1No
07 Maturity Model0No
08 Regulatory Map0No
10 Reading List1No
11 AI Defined0No
12 Governance Program0No
13 Risk Management0No
14 Development0No
15 Deployment0No
16 Fairness & XAI0No
17 Incidents0No
18 EU AI Act0No
19 Privacy & AI0No
20 Existing Law0No
21 AI Laws Worldwide0No
22 Principles & Standards0No
23 AI Agents17Yes

Patterns that use this term

2 pattern pages use the term, most mentions first.

MCP: related terms and patternsThe term at the centre; related terms on solid edges, the terms it is contrasted with on dashed edges, and the patterns that use it most in the colour of their layer.RelatedContrastColour: stack layer of the pattern04 Runtime ControlsMCPRelated terms (5)CIMD · RelatedCIMDGuardian agent · RelatedGuardian agentPrompt injection · RelatedPrompt injectionToken passthrough · RelatedToken passthroughWorkload identity · RelatedWorkload identityContrast with (1)A2A (Agent2Agent protocol) · ContrastA2A (Agent2Agent protocol)Patterns using it (2)Agent Identity & Scoped Credentials, 3 mentions · Uses the termAgent Identity &Sanctioned AI Gateway, 1 mention · Uses the termSanctioned AI Gateway
MCP: related terms and patternsThe term at the centre; related terms on solid edges, the terms it is contrasted with on dashed edges, and the patterns that use it most in the colour of their layer.RelatedContrastColour: stack layer of the pattern04 Runtime ControlsRelated terms (5)CIMD · RelatedCIMDGuardian agent · RelatedGuardian agentPrompt injection · RelatedPrompt injectionToken passthrough · RelatedToken passthroughWorkload identity · RelatedWorkload identityContrast with (1)A2A (Agent2Agent protocol) · ContrastA2A (Agent2Agent protocol)Patterns using it (2)Agent Identity & Scoped Credentials, 3 mentions · Uses the termAgent Identity &Sanctioned AI Gateway, 1 mention · Uses the termSanctioned AI GatewayMCP
The term's neighbourhood Terms related to this one on solid edges, terms it is often confused with on dashed edges, and the patterns that use it most in the colour of their layer. Follow a dashed edge to check the distinction before you use either term.
Neighbourhood as a table
Neighbourhood of MCP
FamilyItemRelation
Related termsCIMDRelated
Related termsGuardian agentRelated
Related termsPrompt injectionRelated
Related termsToken passthroughRelated
Related termsWorkload identityRelated
Contrast withA2A (Agent2Agent protocol)Contrast
Patterns using itAgent Identity & Scoped Credentials, 3 mentionsUses the term
Patterns using itSanctioned AI Gateway, 1 mentionUses the term
  • CIMD

    Client ID Metadata Document: the mechanism by which an OAuth client identifies itself with a URL, used as its client ID, that points to its metadata document.

  • Guardian agent

    An AI agent whose job is to supervise, check or constrain other agents at runtime; Gartner predicts guardian-agent technologies will account for at least 10…

  • Prompt injection

    An input that alters a model's behaviour or output in ways its designers did not intend.

  • Token passthrough

    The anti-pattern in which a server accepts a token that was not issued to it and forwards it, unmodified, to a downstream API, which may then trust it as if…

  • Workload identity

    The attributable identity a workload such as an agent carries across every hop, under which its actions are logged and its access is revoked, typically a…

Sources

  1. [1] Model Context Protocol specification 2026-07-28 (OAuth 2.1 resource servers; Client ID Metadata Documents; issuer-bound credentials). Anthropic / MCP. 2026-07-28. https://blog.modelcontextprotocol.io/posts/2026-07-28/ (verified: primary)

Definitions of legal terms paraphrase the cited text, which governs. Dated statements are as of .

Cite this term

García Aibar, J. (2026). MCP. In AI Governance Engineering: The Thesis & Body of Knowledge (v0.5.0), Glossary. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22956197. https://aigovernanceengineer.com/glossary/mcp. CC BY 4.0

BibTeX

@misc{aige2026mcp,
  author  = {Jorge García Aibar},
  title   = {{MCP}},
  note    = {Glossary, AI Governance Engineering: The Thesis \& Body of Knowledge, version 0.5.0},
  year    = {2026},
  doi     = {10.5281/zenodo.22956197},
  url     = {https://aigovernanceengineer.com/glossary/mcp}
}