MCP Resource
intermediateDefinition
The read side of an MCP server — the data it exposes (messages, files, events, records) as opposed to the tools that take action. Pulling a resource is how the agent gets real context before it does anything; it's the safe, no-side-effect half of an MCP connection.
In the wild
Reading next week's calendar events is a resource fetch; creating a new event is a tool call. The first only looks, the second changes your calendar.
More from MCP for Productivity
Cross-Tool Workflow
A task that spans several MCP servers in sequence, where each tool's output feeds the next — read mail, propose a calendar hold, draft a reply, log a ticket. The skill is sequencing the steps and passing the right context across each hand-off.
Draft vs. Send
The distinction between preparing an outbound artifact for review (a draft) and actually dispatching it (send). Keeping the agent on the draft side means a human reads and approves before anything reaches a real recipient.
Free/Busy
Calendar availability data that says when you're booked without revealing the details of each event. It's what an agent reads to find an open slot while respecting privacy — busy blocks, not meeting titles.
Human in the Loop
A workflow where the agent pauses for a person to review or approve before a consequential step runs. It trades a little speed for control, and is the standard safeguard around anything irreversible or outbound.
Inbox Triage
Sorting incoming messages by what needs action, what can wait, and what can be ignored, so the important few surface above the noise. With a mail server connected over MCP, you can ask the agent to triage by query — flagging, labeling, or summarizing — instead of reading every message yourself.
Knowledge Base
A searchable store of documents and notes — a Drive folder, a Notion workspace, a wiki — that an agent can read from and write to as durable team memory. Putting results there, instead of in a throwaway chat reply, makes them findable later.