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Agent Frameworks and MCP Basics

Understand the agent loop, tool calling, framework trade-offs and the Model Context Protocol, then build and secure your first MCP server.

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Syllabus

The Agent Loop

  1. What an Agent Is
  2. Tool Calling Step by Step
  3. Build the Loop from Scratch
  4. State and Memory

The Framework Landscape

  1. What Frameworks Give You
  2. Kinds of Frameworks
  3. Choosing: Raw API or Framework

MCP Fundamentals

  1. Why MCP Exists
  2. Host, Client and Server
  3. Tools, Resources and Prompts

Building an MCP Server

  1. Your First Server and Tool
  2. Adding Resources and Prompts
  3. Transports: stdio and HTTP
  4. Testing with the MCP Inspector

Connecting Clients and Hosts

  1. Registering a Server in a Host
  2. Using MCP Tools in Your Own Agent
  3. Remote Servers and Authorization

Security and Trust

  1. Trusting Servers
  2. Prompt Injection Through Tool Results
  3. Least Privilege and Approvals

Quality and Operations

  1. Descriptions and Errors That Help the Model
  2. Testing Servers and Agents
  3. Logging and Observability

Putting It Together

  1. Case Study: A Support Assistant
  2. Revision: Cheat Sheet and Self-Check