Claude, Anthropic’s AI assistant, now supports interactive MCP Apps that embed third‑party tools such as Slack, Canva, and Figma directly inside the chat window. Users can view and control UI widgets—forms, charts, dashboards—without leaving the conversation, enabling real‑time collaboration and streamlined workflows.
How MCP Apps Transform Claude
The new MCP Apps extension adds interactive UI components to Claude’s existing model‑to‑model bridge. Instead of a simple request‑response cycle, Claude can display an iframe with live widgets, let users watch actions unfold, and execute tasks such as posting a Slack message, generating a Canva design, or retrieving a file from Box—all within the chat.
Technical Overview of MCP Apps
Protocol Flow
When Claude sends a request to an MCP‑enabled service, the service returns a UI payload. Claude renders this payload inline, maintaining state through event‑logging hooks and follow‑up messages. The continuous dialogue keeps the model context up to date and enables seamless interaction with embedded apps.
Security Model
All interactions run inside sandboxed iframes with authenticated sessions managed by the MCP server. Credentials are never stored locally, and the protocol includes event logging and sandbox restrictions to mitigate risk.
Key Partners and Availability
- Amplitude
- Asana
- Box
- Canva
- Clay
- Figma
- Hex
- Monday.com
- Slack
- Salesforce (upcoming)
These early partners demonstrate the breadth of enterprise tools that can be embedded today, and the open nature of MCP invites additional software makers to join the ecosystem.
Impact on AI‑Driven Productivity
Embedding third‑party UIs inside a conversational AI reduces context switching, turning the chat window into an interactive workspace. Users can complete design, analytics, and collaboration tasks without opening separate web apps, accelerating adoption of AI‑powered automation in daily workflows.
Future Outlook for Interactive AI Assistants
As more developers publish MCP‑compatible services, Claude could become a universal front‑end for a wide array of productivity, design, and analytics applications. The open protocol encourages a growing ecosystem where a single conversational interface replaces multiple standalone tools, blurring the line between chat assistants and full‑featured applications.
