Understanding MCP

Model Context Protocol, usually shortened to MCP, is an open standard that lets an AI assistant connect to an outside system and use it. SiteTrax.io implements it so that assistants can work with your operational data without anyone exporting it first.

Why it exists

Before MCP, getting an assistant to answer a question about your yard meant copying data into a prompt or building a bespoke integration for each assistant. Both approaches age badly. A copied extract is stale the moment it is pasted, and a bespoke integration has to be rebuilt for the next tool.

MCP replaces that with one connection the assistant understands. SiteTrax.io publishes what it can do once, and any compatible assistant can use it.

What it means in practice

Without MCP	With MCP
Export a report, paste it into a chat	The assistant reads the live record at the moment you ask
The extract reflects one moment and one filter	Every question is answered against current data
The assistant cannot check its own answer	The assistant can retrieve the supporting record and its image
Sharing the extract shares everything in it	Access follows the signed-in SiteTrax.io account

How SiteTrax.io implements it

It is a remote server. The endpoint is https://mcp.sitetrax.io/mcp. An assistant that only supports servers running on your own machine cannot reach it.
Authorization is OAuth-based. You sign in to SiteTrax.io through its own authorization screen. No SiteTrax.io password is entered into the assistant.
Permissions are scoped. Read access covers operational queries. Notification and digest actions need a separate write scope that is approved separately.
Analysis happens on the server. SiteTrax.io calculates totals, groupings and durations itself, so the assistant does not pull down raw records to do arithmetic.
SiteTrax.io stays the system of record. The assistant reads; it does not become the source of truth.

What it does not do

It does not widen your SiteTrax.io permissions. A project not shared with you stays out of reach.
It does not hand your data to the assistant vendor as a bulk export.
It does not make an unverified answer verified. Interpretation rules still apply.

For the full technical contract, including transport, scopes and response semantics, see the SiteTrax.io MCP Server reference.