What is MCP?
MCP, short for Model Context Protocol, is an open standard introduced by Anthropic that lets AI assistants connect to outside tools and data in one consistent way. An app exposes an MCP server offering a set of tools; an AI client like Claude connects to that server and can then read data and take actions through it. Think of it as a universal port: instead of a custom integration for every app, any MCP client can talk to any MCP server. For sales work, it means your AI assistant can finally see your CRM.
How MCP works
MCP has two sides. The server side belongs to the app with the data: it publishes a list of tools, each with a name, a description, and the inputs it accepts, things like "search contacts" or "create task". The client side is the AI assistant: Claude on the web, desktop, or mobile, or a coding tool like Claude Code. When the client connects, it reads the server's tool list and can call those tools during a conversation.
The flow during use is simple. You ask the assistant something in plain language, like "which of my deals have been quiet for two weeks?". The assistant decides a tool can answer that, calls it with the right inputs, gets structured data back, and weaves it into its reply. Writes work the same way: "log a call with Dana" becomes a tool call that creates the record.
Access is controlled by keys. You generate a key in the app, paste it into your AI client once, and the connection works until you revoke the key. Because the protocol is open, the same mechanism works across many apps and many clients, which is the point: one standard instead of a thousand one-off integrations.
What MCP looks like in practice
Real things people do once their CRM speaks MCP:
- Ask Claude "who have I not followed up with this week?" and get a real answer pulled live from your contact and deal data, not a guess.
- Say "log that call with Dana: she wants the proposal split into two phases" and have the note land on the right contact without opening the CRM.
- Before a trip, ask for a one-paragraph dossier on each of the four people you are meeting, built from their timelines.
- Draft an email in Claude, then send it through your connected Gmail account, with the thread tracked back in the CRM.
- In Claude Code, script a weekly review that pulls pipeline numbers into a document you actually read.
Why MCP matters
Before MCP, your AI assistant was brilliant and blind. It could write anything but see nothing, so you spent your time copy-pasting context in and results out. Every app that wanted AI features had to build its own integration with every model vendor, which mostly meant integrations never got built.
With a standard, the work collapses: an app builds one MCP server and every compatible assistant can use it; you grant access once with a key and revoke it whenever you want. For a solo founder, the practical effect is that the assistant you already think in becomes a working surface for your actual business data, with no engineering on your side.
How Orbit handles MCP
Orbit ships with a built-in MCP server, no plugin or middleware. You generate a key in settings, paste it into Claude (web, desktop, mobile, or Claude Code), and your CRM becomes something Claude can operate. Claude can search contacts, read full timeline dossiers (every call, email, note, and invoice on a contact), log calls, create tasks and deals, and send email from your connected Gmail.
Keys are scoped per workspace and revocable at any time, so a client workspace can get its own key and lose it the day the engagement ends. Each workspace stays fully isolated. MCP access is part of Orbit's upcoming Pro plan, and it remains one of the cheapest ways to give Claude real hands on your sales data.
MCP turns your AI assistant from an advisor into a coworker with hands.
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Frequently asked questions
What does MCP stand for?+
Model Context Protocol. It is an open standard, introduced by Anthropic, for connecting AI assistants to external tools and data. Apps run MCP servers that expose tools; AI clients such as Claude connect to those servers and can read data and take actions through them.
Is MCP only for Claude?+
No. MCP is an open standard, and a growing set of AI clients and developer tools support it. Claude is the most prominent client and the one most apps document first. Orbit's MCP server, for example, is designed to work with Claude on web, desktop, mobile, and Claude Code.
Is it safe to connect an AI to my CRM via MCP?+
The standard practice is key-based access you control: you generate a key, the AI client uses it, and you revoke it whenever you want. In Orbit, keys are scoped to a single workspace and revocable any time, so you can grant narrow access and cut it off instantly without touching anything else.
Do I need to be a developer to use MCP?+
No. Using MCP is copy-paste: generate a key in the app, add it to Claude's connector settings once, and start asking questions in plain language. Building an MCP server requires programming, but that is the app vendor's job. Orbit ships its server built in.
What can Claude actually do in a CRM through MCP?+
With Orbit's MCP server, Claude can search contacts, read a contact's full dossier (calls, emails, notes, invoices), log new calls, create tasks and deals, and send email through your connected Gmail. Each capability is a tool the server exposes, and access runs on per-workspace keys you can revoke.
Connect Claude to your CRM in minutes
Orbit ships a built-in MCP server with revocable per-workspace keys, part of the upcoming Pro plan.
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