MCP servers no longer have anything to store in memory

The MCP standard removes session memory. What this structural change implies for the integration of AI assistants in the enterprise.

MCP is the standard that allows an AI assistant to connect to external tools and data, from a Figma workspace to an internal database. Its fifth revision changes its very principle. Until now, the server exposing a tool had to keep an open line with the assistant throughout the entire exchange and remember where things stood. Now, each request is self-contained: one question, one answer, with nothing to remember in between.

The benefit is felt first and foremost in hosting. A server that has nothing to memorize no longer needs to remain constantly powered on, and can run on infrastructure that wakes up on demand, known as serverless. This is less expensive, handles traffic spikes better, and eliminates the workarounds developers used to implement to keep those sessions open.

The revision also places protocol additions into a separate framework, complete with its own versioning. Two of them are officially entering it: MCP Apps, which allows a connected tool to display a small interface directly within the conversation rather than a simple written response, and Tasks, for processes that require time. What matters is less these two features than the method, since enriching the protocol no longer requires modifying its core.

Authentication is also changing. An MCP server can now rely on the login system a company already has in place, such as Entra or Okta, instead of requiring a custom setup. These three changes apply to the entire ecosystem, as the protocol serves as a common connection well beyond its publisher's products, from Codex plugins to Epic's game engine.

On the Claude side, support is rolling out progressively. The connector directory lists over nine hundred and fifty servers, up from just over three hundred a few months ago. Added to this is a research preview, MCP tunnels, which give Claude access to tools installed on a company's internal network without having to make them visible from the internet. Anthropic also claims four hundred million monthly downloads of its SDKs, a volume it says has quadrupled over the year.