Module 2 of 7Lesson 1 of 2~18 min
What MCP standardizes, and what it does not
MCP is often pitched as a universal plug for AI, which says both too much and too little. This lesson describes the roles involved in a connection and who controls each kind of capability offered to the model. You also see what the protocol leaves entirely to your product decisions.
Lesson objective
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to describe an MCP connection by naming the host, the client and the server, to say who controls each primitive (tools, resources, prompts) and to explain what the protocol does not decide for you.
Topics covered
- Model Context Protocol
- MCP architecture
- tools, resources, prompts
- MCP specification
In the glossary
Where it fits
What MCP standardizes
Who talks to whom in MCP, what flows between them, and how is access controlled?
Lessons in this module
- What MCP standardizes, and what it does not (this lesson)
- Local or remote - transports and authorization
What you will learn in this module
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.
Related courses
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- AI & ProductAdvancedRegular practice: you already use the tools or work on this topic.
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- AI & ProductAdvancedRegular practice: you already use the tools or work on this topic.
Evaluate an AI feature: test sets, metrics and LLM judges
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