MCP: The AI Upgrade That Turns Claude from Advisor into Employee
MCP gives AI "hands" to actually do things in your business—not just talk about them.
WORD OF THE DAY: MCP (Model Context Protocol)
What It Is: A system that lets AI models (like Claude) connect to your business tools—Google Drive, Slack, your customer database, email, calendars—and actually DO things, not just give advice.
Important Note: MCP stands for “Model Context Protocol,” NOT “Master Control Program” from Tron. (Though I think the Tron reference would have been better.)
The Simple Analogy:
Imagine hiring someone to help run your business. Without MCP, they can only sit at a desk and give you verbal advice. You have to manually do everything they suggest.
With MCP, they can actually:
Check your Google Drive for files
Send Slack messages to your team
Pull data from your database
Create calendar appointments
Search through your emails
Update spreadsheets
They don’t just TELL you what to do—they DO it for you.
Real Example:
Without MCP:
You: “Claude, I need to analyze our Q4 sales data”
Claude: “Great! Upload your sales spreadsheet and I’ll help analyze it.”
You: access Google Drive, download file, upload to Claude
Claude: analyzes it
You: “Now create a summary and share it with my team”
Claude: “Here’s the summary. You can copy this and send it to your team via Slack.”
You: copy text, open Slack, paste, send
With MCP:
You: “Claude, analyze our Q4 sales data from Google Drive and share a summary with the team on Slack”
Claude: pulls the file from Google Drive, analyzes it, creates summary, posts directly to your Slack channel
Done. You didn’t touch anything.
WHY THIS MATTERS: AI That Actually Works FOR You
Here’s the brutal truth about most AI usage right now: it’s a lot of copy-pasting.
You ask ChatGPT or Claude for help. They give you great answers. Then YOU have to:
Copy the text
Open another app
Paste it somewhere
Repeat for the next task
You’re still the middleman doing all the manual work. AI is just a fancy advisor.
MCP changes that completely.
With MCP, Claude can:
Access your files directly from Google Drive, Dropbox, or your computer
Read and send emails through your email system
Post messages to Slack or Teams
Query your databases
Create and update spreadsheets
Schedule calendar events
Manage GitHub code repositories
Update your CRM (like HubSpot or Salesforce)
Search the web for real-time information
And hundreds more connections...
Translation: AI stops being a chatbot and becomes a digital employee who can actually execute tasks across all your business systems.
HOW MCP WORKS (The Non-Technical Explanation)
Think of MCP as a “universal adapter” for AI.
The Old Problem: Every business tool (Gmail, Slack, Google Drive, your database) speaks a different language. Getting AI to work with each one required custom programming for each connection. It was expensive, complicated, and fragile.
The MCP Solution: Created in 2024, MCP is a standardized “language” that all these tools can use to speak to AI. Instead of building 100 custom connections, you connect once using MCP and AI can talk to everything.
The Technical Terms (Simplified):
MCP Server: A small program that connects a specific tool (like Google Drive) to AI. Think of it as a translator.
MCP Client: The part inside Claude that knows how to request things from MCP servers.
Host: The application running everything—usually Claude Desktop on your computer.
How It Works in Practice:
You install MCP servers for the tools you use (Google Drive, Slack, etc.)
You tell Claude Desktop about these servers in a simple config file
When you ask Claude to do something, it automatically figures out which tool it needs
It asks your permission the first time
Then it just... does it
Example Flow:
You: “Pull the latest sales report from Google Drive and send a summary to the #sales channel in Slack”
Behind the scenes:
Claude thinks: “I need the Google Drive MCP server and the Slack MCP server”
Claude asks Google Drive server: “Get me the sales report file”
Claude analyzes the file
Claude asks Slack server: “Post this summary to #sales”
Done
You see none of this. It just happens.
THE COST: What You Need to Use MCP
Good News: MCP itself is free and open-source.
What You Need:
Claude Pro: $20/month (same as before)
MCP is available to all Claude Pro, Team, and Max users
Claude Desktop App: Free
Download for Mac or Windows from claude.ai
Technical Setup: Moderate complexity
Installing MCP servers requires some comfort with:
Editing text configuration files (JSON)
Using command line/terminal (basic commands)
OR hiring someone to set it up for you (just reply to this email and we can set it up for your business as part of our paid services)
Reality Check:
If you’re comfortable installing software and following step-by-step guides, you can do it. If not, you’ll want someone tech-savvy to help.
The good news: once set up, it just works. You don’t need to touch the technical stuff again.
BUSINESS USE CASES: How Every Department Uses MCP
MARKETING DEPARTMENT
What MCP Does:
Connect Claude to:
Google Drive (brand assets, campaign documents)
Google Analytics (traffic data)
Social media platforms
Email marketing tools
Real Tasks:
“Pull last month’s blog performance from Google Analytics, identify the top 5 posts, and create a social media content calendar promoting them. Save it to our Marketing folder in Google Drive.”
Claude:
Accesses Google Analytics data
Analyzes which posts performed best
Creates a content calendar
Saves it directly to Google Drive
Time Saved: 2 hours → 2 minutes
SALES DEPARTMENT
What MCP Does:
Connect Claude to:
CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce)
Email
Calendar
Google Drive (proposals, pricing sheets)
Real Tasks:
“Check my CRM for all leads that haven’t been contacted in 2 weeks, draft personalized follow-up emails for each, and schedule them to send tomorrow morning.”
Claude:
Queries your CRM for inactive leads
Pulls relevant context about each lead
Writes personalized emails
Schedules them in your email system
Time Saved: 3 hours → 5 minutes
CUSTOMER SERVICE
What MCP Does:
Connect Claude to:
Help desk software (Zendesk, Intercom)
Knowledge base
Customer database
Slack (internal team communication)
Real Tasks:
“Review today’s support tickets, identify any urgent issues, draft responses to the top 10, and flag anything that needs human attention in our #support Slack channel.”
Claude:
Accesses your support ticket system
Prioritizes by urgency
Drafts responses based on your knowledge base
Posts alerts to Slack for edge cases
Time Saved: 4 hours → 10 minutes
OPERATIONS/ADMIN
What MCP Does:
Connect Claude to:
Email
Calendar
Google Drive
Slack
Database systems
Real Tasks:
“Scan my inbox for meeting requests this week, add confirmed meetings to my calendar, create a weekly schedule document, and share it with my assistant on Slack.”
Claude:
Reads your emails
Identifies meeting requests
Adds to calendar
Creates schedule doc
Shares via Slack
Time Saved: 1 hour daily → 2 minutes
FINANCE/ACCOUNTING
What MCP Does:
Connect Claude to:
Accounting software (QuickBooks, Xero)
Banking APIs
Google Sheets/Excel
Email (for sending reports)
Real Tasks:
“Pull this month’s expenses from QuickBooks, categorize them, create a variance report comparing to budget, and email it to the finance team.”
Claude:
Accesses QuickBooks data
Categorizes and analyzes expenses
Creates comparison report
Emails directly to team
Time Saved: 3 hours → 10 minutes
HR/RECRUITING
What MCP Does:
Connect Claude to:
ATS (Applicant Tracking System)
Calendar
Email
Google Drive (job descriptions, offer templates)
Real Tasks:
“Review applications for the Marketing Manager role, identify the top 5 candidates based on our criteria, draft personalized interview invitation emails, and add interview slots to my calendar.”
Claude:
Accesses ATS
Analyzes candidates against criteria
Writes personalized emails
Schedules interviews
Time Saved: 4 hours → 15 minutes
PRODUCT/DEVELOPMENT
What MCP Does:
Connect Claude to:
GitHub (code repositories)
Project management (Jira, Linear)
Documentation systems
Slack
Real Tasks:
“Review the bug reports from this week, prioritize them by severity, create tasks in Jira for the top 5, and notify the dev team in Slack.”
Claude:
Accesses GitHub issues
Analyzes and prioritizes
Creates Jira tickets
Posts update to Slack
Time Saved: 2 hours → 5 minutes
POPULAR MCP SERVERS (What You Can Connect)
Here are the most useful MCP servers for businesses:
Communication:
Gmail (read and send emails)
Slack (read and post messages)
Microsoft Teams (team communication)
File Storage:
Google Drive (access and create files)
Dropbox (file management)
OneDrive (Microsoft files)
Productivity:
Google Calendar (schedule management)
Google Sheets (spreadsheet access)
Notion (workspace access)
Development:
GitHub (code repositories)
GitLab (code management)
Postgres (database queries)
Business Tools:
HubSpot (CRM access)
Salesforce (CRM management)
Stripe (payment data)
QuickBooks (accounting)
Research & Data:
Web Search (real-time internet access)
Weather data (Stormglass API)
Financial data (stock prices, market data)
Specialized:
Puppeteer (web scraping and automation)
Docker (container management)
Supabase (database operations)
And hundreds more in the community...
WAIT, ISN’T THIS JUST ZAPIER? (Important Distinction)
You might be thinking: “I already use Zapier/n8n/Make to connect my tools. Isn’t MCP the same thing?”
Short answer: No. They’re different, and here’s why it matters.
Zapier/n8n/Make (Automation Platforms)
What they do: Pre-program automatic workflows that run without you.
Example: “When someone fills out my contact form, automatically add them to my CRM, send them a welcome email, and notify me in Slack.”
How it works:
You set up the workflow once
It runs automatically based on triggers (form submitted, email received, etc.)
No AI involved—just “if this happens, do that”
You’re not in the conversation
Best for: Repetitive, predictable workflows that happen the same way every time.
MCP (Model Context Protocol)
What it does: Lets AI access your tools on-demand based on what you ask.
Example: “Claude, check my CRM for anyone who hasn’t responded in 2 weeks and draft follow-up emails for them.”
How it works:
You ask Claude in natural language
Claude figures out what needs to happen
Claude accesses the right tools in real-time
The workflow is created on-the-fly based on your request
You’re directing the AI in conversation
Best for: Dynamic tasks that change based on context and require intelligence to execute.
The Key Difference
Zapier: Pre-programmed robots. “Every time X happens, always do Y.”
MCP: AI assistant with access to your tools. “Figure out what needs to be done and do it.”
Can You Use Both?
Absolutely! But they run completely separately - they don’t connect to each other.
Important: MCP servers connect directly to Claude, NOT to Zapier. They’re separate systems.
Example of Using Both (Separately):
Zapier automation (runs automatically): “Every time someone fills out the contact form → automatically add to HubSpot CRM → send welcome email”
This uses Zapier’s connection to Gmail (not MCP)
Runs automatically without you
MCP with Claude (you direct it): “Claude, check my Gmail for any customer complaints this week and draft apology emails”
This uses MCP’s connection to Gmail (not Zapier)
You ask Claude to do it when you need it
Both systems access Gmail, but:
Zapier’s Gmail connection is for Zapier automations
MCP’s Gmail connection is for Claude to access on your command
They’re two separate connections to the same tool
You CANNOT:
Use MCP servers inside Zapier workflows
Tell Zapier to “use Claude’s MCP connection”
Mix MCP and Zapier in the same automation
When to Use What:
Use Zapier for:
“Every new customer should automatically get added to my email list”
“When someone books a meeting, send them a confirmation and add it to my calendar”
“Every Monday at 9 AM, send me a summary of last week’s sales”
Use MCP for:
“Analyze this client’s purchase history and suggest upsell products”
“Find all the outdated content on our website and create a refresh plan”
“Review today’s support tickets and draft responses to the urgent ones”
Real-World Setup:
If you use both, you’ll have:
Zapier connected to your tools (for automation)
MCP servers connected to your tools (for Claude access)
Two separate connections to the same apps
Each doing their own job independently
Step 1: Start Small
Don’t try to connect everything at once. Pick ONE use case:
“I want Claude to access my Google Drive files”
“I want Claude to post to Slack for me”
“I want Claude to check my calendar”
Step 2: Install Claude Desktop
Download from claude.ai (it’s free)
Step 3: Install Your First MCP Server
Follow the official guides at modelcontextprotocol.io
Most popular first choice: Google Drive MCP
Lets Claude read and create files in your Drive
Immediately useful for most businesses
Step 4: Test It
Try simple commands:
“What files are in my Marketing folder?”
“Create a new document called ‘Meeting Notes’ in my Projects folder”
“Find the latest sales report and summarize it”
Step 5: Expand Gradually
Once the first server works, add more:
Week 2: Add Slack
Week 3: Add Calendar
Week 4: Add your CRM
Step 6: Reply to this email if you need help, we offer paid AI set-ups for everything you need.
LIMITATIONS & GOTCHAS (The Honest Truth)
1. Setup Requires Technical Comfort
You’ll need to edit JSON configuration files and use terminal commands. Not impossible, but not “click and install” either.
Workaround: Hire us to set it up.
2. Security Requires Thought
Giving AI access to your Gmail, Slack, and Drive is powerful but requires trust and permission management.
Best Practice: Start with read-only access, expand permissions carefully.
3. Not All Tools Have MCP Servers Yet
While hundreds exist, your specific tool might not have one.
Workaround: Use popular tools that DO have servers, or hire us to build a custom one.
4. Claude Desktop Only (For Now)
MCP currently works best with Claude Desktop app, not the web interface.
Reality: You need to use the desktop app for full MCP functionality.
5. Permissions Get Asked Every Time (At First)
Claude will ask permission before accessing each tool until you approve it.
Good News: You can approve once and it remembers.
6. Rate Limits Still Apply
Your Claude Pro message limits still apply even with MCP.
Example: ~45 messages per 5-hour window on Claude Pro.
REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE: How a 5-Person Agency Uses MCP
Company: Marketing agency, 5 people, Claude Team plan ($125/month)
MCP Servers They Connected:
Google Drive (all shared files)
Google Sheets (client tracking)
Slack (team communication)
Gmail (client emails)
Google Calendar (scheduling)
Notion (project management)
Daily Workflow:
9 AM: Account manager says to Claude: “Check all client emails from yesterday, summarize them by client, and post to the #client-updates Slack channel”
10 AM: Designer says: “Find the latest brand guidelines for [Client] in Google Drive and create a new folder with the standard design files”
2 PM: Copywriter says: “Pull the content calendar from Google Sheets, identify which blog posts are due this week, and create draft outlines for each in Google Drive”
4 PM: CEO says: “Review this week’s project hours in Notion, compare to our capacity, and email me a summary with any overages”
Results:
Reduced admin time: 15 hours/week → 3 hours/week
Faster client turnaround: 24 hours → 4 hours
Less context switching: Instant access to everything
ROI: Saves ~$3,000/month in labor for $125/month investment
Their #1 Lesson: “Start with one server. Master it. Then add more. We tried to connect everything at once and it was overwhelming.”
THE BOTTOM LINE
MCP is the difference between AI that TALKS about doing work and AI that ACTUALLY DOES work.
Without MCP:
AI gives advice
You execute manually
Still lots of copy-pasting
AI is a consultant
With MCP:
AI takes action
It executes across your systems
No copy-pasting
AI is a digital employee
Your Decision:
Try MCP if: You’re ready to turn AI from advisor to employee
Stick with Claude Projects if: You just need AI to remember your business context
Use both if: You want the complete AI-powered business system
MCP isn’t just the future of AI—it’s available right now. The question is: will you be the business owner whose AI is still giving advice, or the one whose AI is already working?
Coming Next: AI Slop, what it is and how to prevent it…
Thanks for reading. Have a tool or news story we should cover or need help implementing AI at your business? Reply to this email.