The Digital Press

Anthropic has launched a free short course teaching developers how to build AI applications using the Model Context Protocol (MCP), which standardizes how AI apps access external tools and data. The course covers building MCP servers and clients, integrating with applications like Claude Desktop, and deploying remote servers.

Why it matters: MCP simplifies AI app integration by creating a standard way for LLMs to access external systems, reducing fragmentation.

The big picture: Standardizing connections fosters a growing ecosystem of interoperable AI tools and richer contextual AI applications.

Quick takeaway: The 1 hour 38 minute course includes 11 lessons and 7 code examples, suitable for intermediate developers with Python knowledge.

Commenters say: Many appreciate the practical, hands-on approach and the potential for MCP to unify AI tool development, though some want more advanced use cases.