Model Context Protocol (MCP) for Software Engineers
Published by O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Understand how to use Model Context Protocol to transform your interactions with AI
Course outcomes
- Understand how to use MCP to connect AI models to different data sources and tools
Course description
Model Context Protocol is taking the tech world by storm. This open protocol standardizes how applications provide context to LLMs. Think of MCP as a USB-C port for AI applications. Just as USB-C provides a standardized way to connect your devices to various peripherals and accessories, MCP provides a standardized way to connect AI models to different data sources and tools.
Join expert Sergio Pereira to understand how to use MCP effectively and incorporate it into your workflow today.
What you’ll learn and how you can apply it
- Understand how to use MCP to trigger actions on code, websites, APIs, documentation and more, and transform the way you work with AI in software development
This live event is for you because...
- You’re a software engineer
- You work with AI agents and AI tools
- You want to become an AI-first software engineer
Prerequisites
- An understanding of LLMs, AI agents, and AI-assisted software engineering workflows
Recommended follow-up:
- Read Generative AI for Software Development (book)
- Take Reading and Maintaining Code with Generative AI (live online course with Venkat Subramaniam)
- Take Building AI Agents with Model Context Protocol (MCP) (live online course with Lucas Soares)
Schedule
The time frames are only estimates and may vary according to how the class is progressing.
Course introduction (15 minutes)
- Presentation: How Model Context Protocol works; building a custom MCP
Software architecture impact (15 minutes)
- Presentation: Pros and cons of using MCPs
MCP use cases (105 minutes)
- Presentation: 8+ off-the-shelf MCPs; when and how to use them
- Hands-on exercises: Explore Figma MCP for frontend development; Firecrawl MCP for web scraping; Puppeteer MCP for browser automation; Postgres MCP for data extraction and transformation; GitHub MCP for CI/CD pipeline automation; Elastic MCP for server observability and monitoring; JIRA MCP for bug triage and resolution; Slack MCP for team communication integration
- Break
Workflow ideas unlocked by MCP (15 minutes)
- Presentation: Workflow ideas and how to implement them with the MCPs presented
Wrap-up and Q&A (30 minutes)
Your Instructor
Sergio Pereira
Sergio Pereira has been a software engineer and CTO for 14 years, building products for several fast-growing startups such as Bulk MRO, StudentFinance, and Candidly. For the past eight years, he’s built software products for the fintech industry under strict compliance requirements. He’s responsible for creating processes to help software development teams deliver high-quality software in a timely manner for clients. Sergio was an early adopter of Cursor and has been a thought leader on the topic of AI tools for software development, sharing his knowledge for the benefit of the community.