glossary

what is mcp (model context protocol)?

TL;DR

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a shared standard that lets AI agents connect to outside tools like GitHub, Linear, Slack, databases and docs. A tool implements MCP once and every agent that speaks MCP can use it, instead of everyone building one-off integrations. You list servers in a .mcp.json file and the agent connects when it starts. Your agents use their MCP servers in Pane as usual, and Pane ships its own MCP server so agents can drive Pane too.

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MCP is a standard that lets AI agents connect to external tools. GitHub, Linear, Jira, Slack, databases, docs servers, anything. Instead of each agent building its own integration for each tool, MCP gives them one shared way to do it.

the problem mcp solves

One standard instead of a custom integration for every agent and tool pair.

Without MCP, if you want Claude Code to read your Linear tickets, you'd need someone to build a Claude-specific Linear integration. Want Codex to do the same thing? Someone builds a Codex-specific integration. Every agent, every tool, every combination needs its own glue code.

MCP fixes this by creating one standard. A tool implements MCP once, and every agent that speaks MCP can use it. An agent implements MCP once, and it can use every MCP-compatible tool.

how it works in practice

List servers in .mcp.json; the agent connects when it starts.

You create a .mcp.json file in your project:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "context7": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@upstash/context7-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

When your agent starts, it reads this file and connects to Context7 automatically. Now it can look up library documentation on the fly. Add more entries to connect to more tools.

mcp in pane

Your MCP servers work in every pane, and Pane is an MCP server too.

Pane works with MCP in two ways. First, a Pane terminal is a real terminal. When Claude Code runs inside it, it reads .mcp.json the same way it would anywhere else. Second, Pane is an MCP server itself. It registers with Claude Code, Codex and Cursor on its own, so your agents can start other agents, check on them and manage panes.

The nice part: since each pane runs in its own folder, each pane can have its own MCP config. One pane connects to your company's internal tools, another connects to public docs. No conflicts.

pane's mcp server and cli

The same Pane controls work as MCP tools or as runpane commands.

Pane's MCP server is built on the runpane CLI. Agents that prefer tools get MCP. Agents that prefer a terminal can run the same commands as runpane. Either way, there's nothing to install. Pane sets it up when it launches.

further reading

Sources

Corrections
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frequently asked questions

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Download*
Windows SmartScreen warningDirect downloads can show a SmartScreen warning while Pane is unsigned. Pane is fully open source, so you can audit the code and build from source yourself.1. Click More info2. Click Run anyway3. Continue the installerThe PowerShell install downloads the official release directly and avoids most browser download friction.npm global install
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By Parsa Khazaeepoul, co-founder of Pane. .