Docs/MCP Integration/What is MCP?

What is MCP?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is how AI coding assistants communicate with external tools like Nexlayer.

Overview

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that allows AI models to interact with external systems in a structured way. Think of it as a universal plugin system for AI assistants.

When you install the Nexlayer MCP server, your AI coding assistant gains the ability to:

  • Deploy your applications to production
  • Check deployment status and health
  • View application logs
  • Manage environment variables
  • Scale applications and configure domains

How It Works

1. You Ask

You ask your AI assistant to deploy your app

2. AI Decides

The AI determines it needs to use Nexlayer tools

3. MCP Connects

MCP sends the request to the Nexlayer server

4. Action Taken

Nexlayer performs the deployment and returns results

All of this happens seamlessly. You just talk to your AI assistant naturally, and it handles the technical details of communicating with Nexlayer.

Supported AI Coding Tools

Nexlayer works with any AI coding assistant that supports MCP:

Security

MCP is designed with security in mind:

  • Local Execution — The MCP server runs locally on your machine
  • Scoped Permissions — Tools only have access to what they need
  • Authenticated Requests — All API calls use your personal API key
  • Transparent Actions — You can see exactly what the AI is doing

Get Started

Ready to connect your AI coding assistant to Nexlayer? Follow the setup guide for your tool: