Create AI Agents with Model Context Protocol (MCP)
Published by Pearson
Hands-on intro to AI Agents using the MCP standard
- Learn about the benefits and practical applications of AI Agents that leverage the Model Context Protocol (MCP).
- Learn how to configure MCP clients and build your own MCP servers
- Get hands-on experience with creating AI Agents using the HTTP REST APIs in addition to the official MCP SDKs for Python, Java 21, and Node.js
- Learn how to use MCP with your PostgreSQL database
Just as HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) is the universal standard to connect web clients and servers, and FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is the universal standard to connect file client and servers, MCP (Model Context Protocol) is the emerging standard to connect AI Agent clients to AI Agent servers.
In this live course, you will learn how to get started with creating AI agents that leverage the Model Context Protocol in order to allow your agents to be accessed from MCP AI Agent client tools.
The Model Context Protocol is an open standard that enables developers to build secure, two-way connections between their data sources and AI-powered tools. The architecture is supported by both OpenAI and Anthropic for a globally interoperable standard for AI Agent clients and servers.
What you’ll learn and how you can apply it
- You’ll learn how to create AI Agents that utilize the Model Context Protocol standard for AI Agents
- You’ll learn how to create and send the requests and responses for HTTP REST APIs for MCP client/server interactions
- You’ll learn how to utilize the official SDKs for MCP AI Agents with Python, Java 21, and Node.js
- You’ll learn how to interact with your PostgreSQL database using a MCP Client
This live event is for you because...
- You’re a software developer who needs to create AI-based applications and services that need to connect to corporate, confidential, or personal data sources
- You’re familiar with ChatGPT, but you want to learn what are the best practices on creating AI Agents that conform to the MCP standard
- You’re a technical manager who wants to understand the capabilities and benefits of AI Agents and the MCP standard
Prerequisites
- A basic understanding of programming in any major programming language, such as how to interact with HTTP REST APIs
- A basic understanding of how to make HTTP calls, since this course will focus on how to create AI agents
- A basic experience of using ChatGPT or Anthropic Claude. You should be familiar with sending prompts to ChatGPT and reading the responses via the ChatGPT website
Course Set-up
- An API key for OpenAI or Anthropic Claude
- An IDE configured with your preferred programming language to execute HTTP REST calls
Recommended Preparation
- Attend: Create ChatGPT AI Agents in 4 Hours by Bruce Hopkins
Recommended Follow-up
- Attend: Optimizing LLMs with Fine-Tuning and Prompt Engineering by Sinan Ozdemir
Schedule
The time frames are only estimates and may vary according to how the class is progressing.
1. Introducing the Model Context Protocol (MCP) for AI Agents (30 minutes)
- MCP Architecture and Core Concepts
- Why is MCP Important now?
- Q&A (5 minutes)
2. Getting Started with the Anthropic Claude API and MCP App Development (60 minutes)
- Leveraging MCP for local file access
- DEMO: Accessing Your Local Files with MCP
- Q&A (5 minutes)
- Break (5 minutes)
3. Getting Started with the OpenAI Agents and Responses APIs for MCP App Development (60 mins)
- Create a multimodal AI agent for AI expense reports
- DEMO: Expense Reports done in 60 secs!
- Q&A (5 minutes)
- Break (5 minutes)
4. Using the PostgresSQL Database with MCP (60 minutes)
- How to setup and configure the official PostgresSQL MCP Server
- DEMO: Talking to your database in Natural Language without SQL
- Q&A (5 minutes)
- Break (5 minutes)
Course Wrap-up and Next steps (10 minutes)
Your Instructor
Bruce Hopkins
Bruce Hopkins is a technical writer and AI expert. He is an Intel Software Innovator for AI, as well as an Oracle Java Champion. Bruce is also the author of the books, "ChatGPT for Java" and the co-author of "Beginning ChatGPT for Python".