PROBLEM

When to use RAG vs MCP for agent context and tool access?

Builders need guidance on whether to retrieve external data (RAG) or call tools via protocol (MCP), and how these patterns interact in agent architectures.

Updated: 5/15/2026

RAG is for grounding generation in retrieved documents/data; MCP is for reliable tool-calling and service integration. Use RAG when you need semantic search over knowledge bases; use MCP when you need deterministic tool access. Many production agents use both: MCP for tool orchestration, RAG for context injection.

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