Module
Module 4 of 7Lesson 1 of 2~16 min

Find a server and evaluate it before installing

Lesson 1 of the module "Find, evaluate and connect a server" in the course "Connect AI to your tools and data with MCP".

Take this lesson: your first course is freeSee the full syllabus

Lesson objective

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to find candidate MCP servers for a need, fill in their evaluation card (provenance, maintenance, transport, authentication, tools, rights, data) and keep or reject each one with a written reason.

Where it fits

Find, evaluate and connect a server

How do you pick an existing server, and connect it without giving it more than it needs?

Lessons in this module

  1. Find a server and evaluate it before installing (this lesson)
  2. Connect a server read-only and verify what it exposes

What you will learn in the course

This lesson is part of the course Connect AI to your tools and data with MCP

  • Explain what MCP standardizes (host, client, server; tools, resources, prompts; transports; authorization) and what each element implies for a product.
  • Choose between an MCP server, a direct API integration, an in-house tool and a skill for a given need, and justify the choice.
  • Find, evaluate and connect an existing MCP server in a free client, with limited rights, and verify what it actually exposes.
  • Identify the risks specific to MCP (tool poisoning, rug pulls, injection through results, over-broad permissions, confused deputy, supply chain) and specify the matching guardrails.
  • Decide whether to expose your product as an MCP server and, if so, specify its scope (users, tools, rights, authentication, measurement).

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