MCP vs API: How they work together and when to use each
SMRTR summary
APIs and MCP solve different parts of the AI integration problem. APIs work well when software already knows which operation to call. MCP standardizes how AI agents discover and select capabilities at runtime, based on the task at hand. In practice, most agent-powered systems use both: the API handles underlying operations while the MCP layer exposes a curated, task-oriented interface agents can navigate.
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