Day 18

MCP Overview

Understand the Model Context Protocol and how it extends what Claude can do.

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What is MCP?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets Claude connect to external tools and data sources. Instead of pasting data into the chat, MCP lets Claude query a database, read files from a server, search the web, or call an API — all during a conversation.

MCP architecture

An MCP server is a small process that exposes **Tools** (functions Claude can call), **Resources** (data Claude can read), and **Prompts** (reusable prompt templates). Claude discovers these capabilities automatically when you register a server.

MCP config location

bash

# Global config (applies to all projects)
~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json

# Or project-level
./.claude/settings.json

# List connected MCP servers
claude mcp list

Practice Tasks

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Understand MCP components easy

Research and summarize: what are Tools, Resources, and Prompts in MCP? Give one example of each.

Find available servers easy

Browse the MCP server registry (modelcontextprotocol.io/servers) and list 5 servers relevant to your work.

Plan your MCP stack easy

Decide which 3 MCP servers would have the biggest impact on your daily workflow. Write why.

Inspect Claude's built-in tools easy

In a Claude session, ask 'What tools do you have access to?' and review the list.

Read the MCP spec medium

Skim the MCP specification at modelcontextprotocol.io. Note the JSON-RPC message format.

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