Google Home is adding support for the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an industry standard that lets AI chatbots and agents connect to external apps and devices. The move means users will soon be able to control smart home devices, review camera footage and monitor activity using natural-language commands via AI assistants such as Google Antigravity, Claude, Hermes and Open Claw, rather than relying solely on the standard Google Home app or voice commands.

An early access build is expected "in the coming weeks", but will initially be limited to subscribers of Google Home's Premium Advanced tier, which costs $20 a month or $200 a year. MCP was created by Anthropic in 2024 and has since been adopted in various forms by Google, OpenAI, Microsoft and SpaceXAI, though security experts have repeatedly flagged weaknesses in the protocol, including a lack of enforced authentication, which have already contributed to real-world data breaches.