Interactive Model Context Protocol (MCP) Tutorial

1. Resources

Resources are data exposed by the server. They can be text or binary, and are identified by URIs.

• resources/list: Discover available resources.
• resources/list_templates: Discover dynamic resources generated from URI templates.
• resources/read: Read resource content.
• notifications/resources/list_changed: Real-time updates on available resources.
• resources/subscribe: Subscribe to changes in resource content.

2. Prompts

Prompts are reusable templates exposed by servers. They allow for dynamic arguments and context inclusion.

• prompts/list: Discover available prompts.
• prompts/get: Retrieve a prompt with arguments.

3. Tools

Tools are executable functions on the server, allowing LLMs to interact with external systems.

• tools/list: Discover available tools.
• tools/call: Execute a tool with specified arguments.

4. Sampling (Optional)

Sampling allows servers to request LLM completions. Note: not all clients support sampling.

• sampling/createMessage: Send conversation history and parameters to the LLM for completion.

5. Transports

Transports handle communication between clients and servers.

• stdio: Standard input/output for local connections.
• SSE: Server-Sent Events over HTTP.
• Custom Transports: Implement custom transports using the Transport interface.

All transports use JSON-RPC 2.0 for message exchange.

6. Clients

Various clients implement the MCP, including:

• Claude Desktop
• Zed
• Sourcegraph Cody

Each client's MCP support varies. Consult their documentation for specifics.