# Installing and Setting Up MCP

In this lesson, we'll learn how to enhance your Mastra agent with MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers. MCP allows your agent to access a wide range of external tools and services without having to write custom tool functions for each one.

## What is MCP?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a standard that allows AI models to access external tools and services through a consistent interface. By integrating MCP servers with your Mastra agent, you can give it access to:

- Email services like Gmail
- Code repositories like GitHub
- Social media platforms
- Weather information
- News sources
- File systems
- And many more services