# Which MCP do I need? (/overview/which-mcp-do-i-need)



The [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) (MCP) lets an AI assistant use another product's tools. Toucan AI offers two MCP servers, for two different jobs. Both are available with the Grow plan.

|                                | **Maker MCP**                                                  | **Explorer MCP**                                                                                            |
| ------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **In one line**                | Build from your agent.                                         | Ask from your product.                                                                                      |
| **Who uses it**                | A maker or admin, in Claude, Cursor, VS Code or another agent. | The end users of your product, through a chat you already have.                                             |
| **What it does**               | Models your data, secures it and builds data apps.             | Answers a data question with text and charts.                                                               |
| **How it signs in**            | You approve a connection in your browser (OAuth).              | Your backend mints a one-hour embed token per user.                                                         |
| **What the data is scoped to** | Your permissions, and any user you preview as.                 | The attributes in the token, with row-level security applied.                                               |
| **Start here**                 | [Build with an AI agent](/core/build/build-with-an-agent)      | [Integrate Toucan into your own AI chat](/core/embed/embedding-overview/how-to/integrate-into-your-ai-chat) |

## Which one is for me? [#which-one-is-for-me]

* **I want to build an analytics experience, faster, from my AI agent.** Use the **Maker MCP**.
* **My product already has a chat, and I want it to answer data questions.** Use the **Explorer MCP**.
* **I want my users to ask questions from Claude or ChatGPT directly.** Not available yet: the Explorer MCP needs a token your backend creates, so it cannot be added to a generic client in one click. See [its limits](/core/embed/embedding-overview/how-to/integrate-into-your-ai-chat#current-scope-and-limits).
* **I want Toucan's team to build it for me.** See [Crew](/crew).

## Both share your governance [#both-share-your-governance]

Neither server opens a back door. Both read your data through the same definitions and the same access rules: what the Maker MCP builds and what the Explorer MCP answers are scoped by your [row-level and column-level security](/core/build/security-and-governance). For details, see [MCP access and security](/core/govern/security-model/mcp-access), and for every tool, the [MCP tools reference](/references/mcp-tools).