MCP

Learn Model Context Protocol

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Introduction to Model Context Protocol

⏱️ 15 minutes 🟢 Beginner

🚀 What is MCP?

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is like a USB-C port for AI applications. Just as USB-C provides a standardized way to connect devices to peripherals, MCP provides a standardized way to connect AI models to different data sources and tools.

🔌

Standardized Connections

Connect any AI model to any data source using a common protocol

🔄

Flexible Integration

Switch between LLM providers and vendors without changing your integrations

🔒

Secure by Design

Keep your data secure within your infrastructure with best practices built-in

Why Use MCP?

  • Pre-built Integrations: Access a growing library of ready-to-use MCP servers
  • Vendor Independence: Avoid lock-in with any specific AI provider
  • Security First: Control exactly what data your AI can access
  • Rapid Development: Build complex AI workflows quickly
  • Community Driven: Benefit from open-source development and contributions

Common Use Cases

💻 Development Tools

Connect AI to your IDE, GitHub, Docker, and deployment tools

📊 Data Analysis

Let AI query databases, analyze files, and generate reports

🌐 Web Integration

Enable AI to search the web, scrape content, and call APIs

🤖 Automation

Build AI agents that can perform actions across multiple systems

Ready to Get Started?

In the next section, we'll explore MCP's architecture to understand how all the pieces fit together.

Understanding MCP Architecture

⏱️ 20 minutes 🟢 Beginner

🏗️ MCP Components

MCP Host

Claude Desktop, IDEs, AI Tools

↔️

MCP Client

Protocol Handler

↔️

MCP Server

Exposes capabilities

↔️

Data Sources

Files, APIs, Databases

🖥️ MCP Hosts

Applications that want to access data through MCP:

  • Claude Desktop
  • IDEs and code editors
  • Custom AI applications
  • Workflow automation tools

🔌 MCP Clients

Protocol clients that maintain connections with servers:

  • Handle the MCP protocol communication
  • Maintain 1:1 connections with servers
  • Translate between host requests and server responses
  • Manage authentication and security

⚙️ MCP Servers

Lightweight programs that expose specific capabilities:

  • Resources: Expose data and content
  • Tools: Enable actions and operations
  • Prompts: Provide reusable templates
  • Sampling: Request completions from LLMs

💾 Data Sources

The actual systems that MCP servers connect to:

  • Local: Files, databases, system services
  • Remote: APIs, web services, cloud platforms
  • Hybrid: Combinations of local and remote sources

📡 How They Communicate

1

Host Request

AI application needs to access data or perform an action

2

Client Processing

MCP client translates the request into MCP protocol

3

Server Execution

MCP server processes the request and accesses data sources

4

Response Flow

Data flows back through the same chain to the AI application

🚀 Transport Methods

Standard I/O (stdio)

Most common for local development

✅ Simple, Direct, Fast
❌ Local only

HTTP/HTTPS

Best for web-based integrations

✅ Web standard, Secure
❌ More overhead

WebSockets

Great for real-time applications

✅ Real-time, Bidirectional
❌ Complex setup

Next Steps

Now that you understand the architecture, let's get MCP installed on your system!

Installation & Setup

⏱️ 30 minutes 🟢 Beginner

Choose Your Operating System

🍎 macOS Installation Guide

1

Install Prerequisites

First, make sure you have the required tools installed:

📦 Homebrew (Package Manager)
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
🟢 Node.js (for TypeScript/JavaScript servers)
brew install node

This installs Node.js and npm package manager

🐍 Python (for Python servers)
brew install python

Python 3.8+ is required for MCP servers

✅ Verify Installation
node --version && python3 --version

Expected output: Node v18+ and Python 3.8+

2

Install Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop is the easiest way to get started with MCP:

📥 Direct Download

Download from the official website:

Download Claude Desktop for macOS
🍺 Homebrew Cask
brew install --cask claude
⚙️ First Launch Setup
  1. Open Claude Desktop from Applications
  2. Sign in with your Anthropic account
  3. Grant necessary permissions when prompted
  4. Check that MCP is available in settings
3

Set Up MCP Development Environment

Create a dedicated directory for your MCP projects:

mkdir ~/mcp-projects && cd ~/mcp-projects
🛠️ Install MCP Development Tools
MCP Inspector (for testing)
npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/inspector
FastMCP (for quick development)
npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/fastmcp
4

Configure Claude Desktop for MCP

Set up the configuration file for MCP servers:

📁 Configuration File Location
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
📝 Create Configuration Directory
mkdir -p "~/Library/Application Support/Claude"
⚙️ Basic Configuration Template
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/path/to/allowed/directory"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Replace `/path/to/allowed/directory` with your actual directory path

🐧 Linux Installation Guide

1

Install Prerequisites

Install required packages based on your distribution:

📦 Ubuntu/Debian Commands
sudo apt update && sudo apt install curl git python3 python3-pip nodejs npm
📦 Fedora/RHEL Commands
sudo dnf install curl git python3 python3-pip nodejs npm
📦 Arch Linux Commands
sudo pacman -S curl git python python-pip nodejs npm
✅ Verify Installation
node --version && python3 --version && pip3 --version
2

Install MCP Client Options

Since Claude Desktop isn't natively available for Linux, here are alternative MCP clients:

🌐 Claude Web (Recommended for Beginners)

Use Claude in your web browser with MCP support:

Open Claude Web

Some MCP features may be limited in the web version

⌨️ MCP CLI Client
npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/cli

Command-line interface for advanced users

🖥️ Custom Client Setup

Build your own MCP client using the SDK:

npm install @modelcontextprotocol/sdk
3

Set Up Development Environment

Create your MCP development workspace:

mkdir ~/mcp-projects && cd ~/mcp-projects
🛠️ Install Development Tools
MCP Inspector
npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/inspector
MCP Development Server
pip3 install mcp-server-dev
4

Configure MCP Environment

Set up configuration for your MCP environment:

📁 Create Configuration Directory
mkdir -p ~/.config/mcp
⚙️ Basic MCP Configuration
cat > ~/.config/mcp/config.json << 'EOF'
{
  "servers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "mcp-server-filesystem",
      "args": ["--root", "/home/$USER/mcp-data"],
      "env": {
        "NODE_ENV": "development"
      }
    }
  },
  "logging": {
    "level": "info"
  }
}
EOF
📂 Create Data Directory
mkdir -p ~/mcp-data

🔧 Common Installation Issues

❌ Permission Denied

Solution: Use sudo for system installations or configure user permissions

sudo chown -R $USER:$USER ~/.npm

❌ Node.js Version Too Old

Solution: Install Node Version Manager (nvm)

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.0/install.sh | bash

❌ Python Path Issues

Solution: Create symbolic link or use python3 explicitly

alias python=python3

🎉 Installation Complete!

Great! You now have MCP installed and configured. Let's create your first MCP connection.

Your First MCP Connection

⏱️ 25 minutes 🟢 Beginner

🚀 Let's Connect Your First MCP Server!

We'll start with a simple filesystem server that lets Claude access and work with your local files safely.

🔧 Section Under Development

This section is being expanded with detailed step-by-step instructions. Please check back soon!