What is MCP client?

An MCP client is the consumer side of the Model Context Protocol. It is the host application the user actually interacts with, an editor, a desktop chat app, or a coding agent, and it is responsible for launching or connecting to MCP servers, negotiating the protocol version, discovering each server's tools and resources, and surfacing those to the model. When the model decides to call a tool, the client routes the call to the right server, handles any auth, and returns the result back into the conversation. Clients differ in how they are configured (a JSON file, a TOML file, or an in-app connector UI), where that config lives, and whether they support remote servers natively or only through a local bridge. Choosing where to register a server, and in which client, is the first practical step in any MCP setup.