Lesson 1
Why tools matter
LLMs become more useful when they can access explicit capabilities instead of guessing or relying entirely on prompt context.
All learning tracks
Agents, MCP & Future-ready EngineeringIntermediate 90 min
MCP for Engineers
Understand Model Context Protocol concepts, tool boundaries, schemas, permissions and testing considerations.
MCPToolsAI Architecture
Learning outcomes
Explain MCP tools and resources
Design tool schemas
Test permission boundaries
Guided lessons
Learn the engineering thinking
Lesson 2
Tool contracts
Inputs and outputs should be strongly typed, bounded and understandable so agents cannot improvise unsafe parameters.
Lesson 3
Permissions and least privilege
Expose only the capabilities necessary for a workflow and distinguish read actions from high-impact writes.
Lesson 4
Human approval around tools
Sensitive actions may require confirmation even when the agent selected the correct tool.
Lesson 5
Testing MCP tools
Validate schema errors, authorization, duplicate execution, unsafe arguments and audit evidence.
Hands-on practice
Do something with what you learned
Do not just tick these mentally. Write the query, create the test matrix, refactor the code, or document the decision. Practical evidence is the point.