> Documentation index: https://rift.sh/llms.txt

# Rift vs MCP

MCP is how an agent calls a tool. Rift is where an agent's files live.

### What MCP is

The Model Context Protocol is the open standard for connecting an AI client to tools. Dropbox, Box, Google Drive and many others ship MCP servers. The protocol defines authorization, and an official extension lets a company's login provider decide which servers its agents use. A reference server exposes file operations on the machine it runs on.

### How they differ

MCP carries requests and results. It stores nothing and syncs nothing. A grant is a scope on one server, and the operator of that server sees every request. Rift stores files and keeps them in sync, encrypted so that whoever carries them cannot read them.

- Identity
  - MCP: An OAuth client identity.
  - Rift: A key that each machine and agent makes for itself. No account.

- Smallest share
  - MCP: A scope on one MCP server. The specification's examples are read and write scopes with no path in them. The reference filesystem server is limited to the directories named when it starts.
  - Rift: A folder, a subfolder or one file, as read or write.

- Who checks access
  - MCP: The MCP server and its authorization server.
  - Rift: Each machine that receives a file checks the grant itself.

- Who can read your files
  - MCP: The operator of the server sees every request and every result.
  - Rift: Only the machines you shared with. Rift Cloud holds ciphertext.

- When your machines are off
  - MCP: Nothing is reachable while the server is off.
  - Rift: Files stored in Rift Cloud stay available.

### Which to choose

Choose MCP when

- An agent needs to call a tool or a service.
- You want one integration that works in every agent client.
- Access should go through your company's login provider.

Choose Rift when

- Agents need the same files on their own disks.
- Files should move between machines and between owners.
- Whoever carries the files must be unable to read them.

### Using them together

An agent can call tools through MCP and keep its files in Rift.

[Use Rift with MCP](https://rift.sh/docs/use-with/mcp.md)

Based on the MCP specification, revision 2026-07-28, read in October 2026. Sources: [authorization](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/specification/2026-07-28/basic/authorization) , [roots](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/specification/2026-07-28/client/roots) , [filesystem server](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers/blob/main/src/filesystem/README.md) , [enterprise authorization](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/extensions/auth/enterprise-managed-authorization).