🔌 Model Context Protocol (MCP) Path¶
L100 L200 L300
Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard created by Anthropic that gives AI agents a unified, consistent way to connect to external tools, APIs, and data sources.
Think of it as "USB-C for AI agents" — one standard interface so any agent can plug in to any tool.
What You'll Build¶
By the end of this path you will have:
- ✅ Deep understanding of how MCP works (protocol, transports, tools vs. resources vs. prompts)
- ✅ Experience consuming existing MCP servers from Claude Desktop and VS Code
- ✅ Built your own MCP server in Python and/or C#
- ✅ Connected an MCP server to a Microsoft Foundry Agent
- ✅ Exposed a PostgreSQL database securely through an MCP server
Path Labs (4 labs, ~170 min total)¶
| Lab | Title | Level | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lab 012 | What is MCP? Anatomy of the Protocol | L100 | ✅ Free |
| Lab 020 | Build an MCP Server in Python | L200 | ✅ Free |
| Lab 021 | Build an MCP Server in C# | L200 | ✅ Free |
| Lab 028 | Deploy MCP Server to Azure Container Apps | L300 | Free |
Key Concepts¶
MCP Architecture¶
Three primitives in MCP¶
| Primitive | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Tools | Functions the LLM can call | search_products(query) |
| Resources | Data the LLM can read | file://data/products.csv |
| Prompts | Reusable prompt templates | summarize_sales_report |