A Clear Intro To Mcp (model Context Protocol) With Code Examples

2 weeks ago

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to move AI agents from prototype to accumulation heats up, nan request for a standardized measurement for agents to telephone devices crossed different providers is pressing. This modulation to a standardized attack to supplier instrumentality calling is akin to what we saw pinch REST APIs. Before they existed, developers had to woody pinch a messiness of proprietary protocols conscionable to propulsion information from different services. REST brought bid to chaos, enabling systems to talk to each different successful a accordant way. MCP (Model Context Protocol) is aiming to, arsenic it sounds, supply discourse for AI models successful a modular way. Without it, we’re headed towards tool-calling mayhem wherever aggregate incompatible versions of “standardized” instrumentality calls harvest up simply because there’s nary shared measurement for agents to organize, share, and invoke tools. MCP gives america a shared connection and nan democratization of instrumentality calling.

One point I’m personally excited astir is really tool-calling standards for illustration MCP tin really make AI systems safer. With easier entree to well-tested devices much companies tin debar reinventing nan wheel, which reduces information risks and minimizes nan chance of malicious code. As Ai systems commencement scaling successful 2025, these are valid concerns.

As I dove into MCP, I realized a immense spread successful documentation. There’s plentifulness of high-level “what does it do” content, but erstwhile you really want to understand how it works, nan resources commencement to autumn short—especially for those who aren’t autochthonal developers. It’s either precocious level explainers aliases heavy successful nan root code.

In this piece, I’m going to break MCP down for a broader audience—making nan concepts and functionality clear and digestible. If you’re able, travel on successful nan coding section, if not it will beryllium good explained successful earthy connection supra nan codification snippets.

An Analogy to Understand MCP: The Restaurant

Let’s ideate nan conception of MCP arsenic a edifice wherever we have:

The Host = The edifice building (the situation wherever nan supplier runs)

The Server = The room (where devices live)

The Client = The waiter (who sends instrumentality requests)

The Agent = The customer (who decides what instrumentality to use)

The Tools = The recipes (the codification that gets executed)

The Components of MCP

Host
This is wherever nan supplier operates. In our analogy, it’s nan edifice building; successful MCP, it’s wherever your agents aliases LLMs really run. If you’re utilizing Ollama locally, you’re nan host. If you’re utilizing Claude aliases GPT, past Anthropic aliases OpenAI are nan hosts.

Client

This is nan situation that sends instrumentality telephone requests from nan agent. Think of it arsenic nan waiter who takes your bid and delivers it to nan kitchen. In applicable terms, it’s nan exertion aliases interface wherever your supplier runs. The customer passes instrumentality telephone requests to nan Server utilizing MCP.

Server

This is nan room wherever recipes, aliases tools, are housed. It centralizes devices truthful agents tin entree them easily. Servers tin beryllium section (spun up by users) aliases distant (hosted by companies offering tools). Tools connected a server are typically either grouped by usability aliases integration. For instance, each Slack-related devices tin beryllium connected a “Slack server,” aliases each messaging devices tin beryllium grouped together connected a “messaging server”. That determination is based connected architectural and developer preferences.

Agent

The “brains” of nan operation. Powered by an LLM, it decides which devices to telephone to complete a task. When it determines a instrumentality is needed, it initiates a petition to nan server. The supplier doesn’t request to natively understand MCP because it learns really to usage it done nan metadata associated pinch each of nan tools. This metadata associated pinch each instrumentality tells nan supplier nan protocol for calling nan instrumentality and nan execution method. But it is important to statement that nan level aliases supplier needs to support MCP truthful that it handles instrumentality calls automatically. Otherwise it is up to nan developer to constitute nan analyzable translator logic of really to parse nan metadata from nan schema, shape instrumentality telephone requests successful MCP format, representation nan requests to nan correct function, execute nan code, and return nan consequence successful MCP title format backmost to nan agent.

Tools

These are nan functions, specified arsenic calling APIs aliases civilization code, that “does nan work”. Tools unrecorded connected servers and tin be:

Custom devices you create and big connected a section server.
Premade devices hosted by others connected a distant server.
Premade codification created by others but hosted by you connected a section server.

How nan components fresh together

Server Registers Tools
Each instrumentality is defined pinch a name, description, input/output schemas, a usability handler (the codification that runs) and registered to nan server. This usually involves calling a method aliases API to show nan server “hey, here’s a caller instrumentality and this is really you usage it”.
Server Exposes Metadata
When nan server starts aliases an supplier connects, it exposes nan instrumentality metadata (schemas, descriptions) via MCP.
Agent Discovers Tools
The supplier queries nan server (using MCP) to spot what devices are available. It understands really to usage each instrumentality from nan instrumentality metadata. This typically happens connected startup aliases erstwhile devices are added.
Agent Plans Tool Use
When nan supplier determines a instrumentality is needed (based connected personification input aliases task context), it forms a instrumentality telephone petition successful a standardized MCP JSON format which includes instrumentality name, input parameters that lucifer nan tool’s input schema, and immoderate different metadata. The customer acts arsenic nan carrier furniture and sends nan MCP formatted petition to nan server complete HTTP.
Translation Layer Executes
The translator furniture takes nan agent’s standardized instrumentality telephone (via MCP), maps nan petition to nan corresponding usability connected nan server, executes nan function, formats nan consequence backmost to MCP, and sends it backmost to nan agent. A model that abstracts MCP for you deos each of this without nan developer needing to constitute nan translator furniture logic (which sounds for illustration a headache).

Image by Sandi Besen

Code Example of A Re-Act Agent Using MCP Brave Search Server

In bid to understand what MCP looks for illustration erstwhile applied, let’s usage nan beeAI model from IBM, which natively supports MCP and handles nan translator logic for us.

If you scheme connected moving this codification you will request to:

Clone nan beeai model repo to summation entree to nan helper classes utilized successful this code
Create a free Brave developer account and get your API key. There are free subscriptions disposable (credit paper required).
Create an OpenAI developer relationship and create an API Key
Add your Brave API cardinal and OpenAI cardinal to nan .env record astatine nan python files level of nan repo.
Ensure you person npm installed and person group your way correctly.

Sample .env file

BRAVE_API_KEY= "<Your API Key Here>" BEEAI_LOG_LEVEL=INFO OPENAI_API_KEY= "<Your API Key Here>"

Sample mcp_agent.ipynb

1. Import nan basal libraries

import asyncio import logging import os import sys import traceback from typing import Any from beeai_framework.agents.react.runners.default.prompts import SystemPromptTemplate from mcp import ClientSession, StdioServerParameters from mcp.client.stdio import stdio_client from beeai_framework import Tool from beeai_framework.agents.react.agent import ReActAgent from beeai_framework.agents.types import AgentExecutionConfig from beeai_framework.backend.chat import ChatModel, ChatModelParameters from beeai_framework.emitter.emitter import Emitter, EventMeta from beeai_framework.errors import FrameworkError from beeai_framework.logger import Logger from beeai_framework.memory.token_memory import TokenMemory from beeai_framework.tools.mcp_tools import MCPTool from pathlib import Path from beeai_framework.adapters.openai.backend.chat import OpenAIChatModel from beeai_framework.backend.message import SystemMessa

2. Load nan situation variables and group nan strategy way (if needed)

import os from dotenv import load_dotenv # Absolute way to your .env file # sometimes nan strategy tin person problem locating nan .env file env_path = <Your way to your .env file> # Load it load_dotenv(dotenv_path=env_path) # Get existent moving directory path = <Your way to your existent python directory> #...beeai-framework/python' # Append to sys.path sys.path.append(path)

3. Configure nan logger

# Configure logging - utilizing DEBUG alternatively of trace logger = Logger("app", level=logging.DEBUG)

4. Load helper functions for illustration process_agent_events,observer, and create an lawsuit of ConsoleReader

process_agent_events: Handles supplier events and logs messages to nan console based connected nan arena type (e.g., error, retry, update). It ensures meaningful output for each arena to thief way supplier activity.
observer: Listens for each events from an emitter and routes them to process_agent_events for processing and display.
ConsoleReader: Manages console input/output, allowing personification relationship and formatted connection show pinch color-coded roles.

#load console reader from examples.helpers.io import ConsoleReader #this is simply a helper usability that makes nan assitant chat easier to read reader = ConsoleReader() def process_agent_events(data: dict[str, Any], event: EventMeta) -> None: """Process supplier events and log appropriately""" if event.name == "error": reader.write("Agent 🤖 : ", FrameworkError.ensure(data["error"]).explain()) elif event.name == "retry": reader.write("Agent 🤖 : ", "retrying nan action...") elif event.name == "update": reader.write(f"Agent({data['update']['key']}) 🤖 : ", data["update"]["parsedValue"]) elif event.name == "start": reader.write("Agent 🤖 : ", "starting caller iteration") elif event.name == "success": reader.write("Agent 🤖 : ", "success") else: print(event.path) def observer(emitter: Emitter) -> None: emitter.on("*.*", process_agent_events)

5. Set nan Brave API Key and server parameters.

Anthropic has a database of MCP servers here.

brave_api_key = os.environ["BRAVE_API_KEY"] brave_server_params = StdioServerParameters( command="/opt/homebrew/bin/npx", # Full way to beryllium safe args=[ "-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search" ], env={ "BRAVE_API_KEY": brave_api_key, "x-subscription-token": brave_api_key }, )

6. Create nan brave instrumentality that initiates nan relationship to nan MCP server, discovers tools, and returns nan discovered devices to nan Agents truthful it tin determine what instrumentality is due to telephone for a fixed task.

In this lawsuit 2 devices are discoverable connected nan Brave MCP Server:

brave_web_search: Execute web searches pinch pagination and filtering
brave_local_search: Search for section businesses and services

async def brave_tool() -> MCPTool: brave_env = os.environ.copy() brave_server_params = StdioServerParameters( command="/opt/homebrew/bin/npx", args=["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search"], env=brave_env ) print("Starting MCP client...") try: async pinch stdio_client(brave_server_params) arsenic (read, write), ClientSession(read, write) arsenic session: print("Client connected, initializing...") await asyncio.wait_for(session.initialize(), timeout=10) print("Initialized! Discovering tools...") bravetools = await asyncio.wait_for( MCPTool.from_client(session, brave_server_params), timeout=10 ) print("Tools discovered!") return bravetools isolated from asyncio.TimeoutError arsenic e: print("❌ Timeout occurred during convention initialization aliases instrumentality discovery.") isolated from Exception arsenic e: print("❌ Exception occurred:", e) traceback.print_exc()

(Optional) Check nan relationship to nan MCP server and guarantee it returns each nan disposable devices earlier providing it to nan agent.

tool = await brave_tool() print("Discovered tools:", tool) for instrumentality successful tool: print(f"Tool Name: {tool.name}") print(f"Description: {getattr(tool, 'description', 'No explanation available')}") print("-" * 30)

OUTPUT:

Starting MCP client... Client connected, initializing... Initialized! Discovering tools... Tools discovered! Discovered tools: [<beeai_framework.tools.mcp_tools.MCPTool entity astatine 0x119aa6c00>, <beeai_framework.tools.mcp_tools.MCPTool entity astatine 0x10fee3e60>] Tool Name: brave_web_search Description: Performs a web hunt utilizing nan Brave Search API, perfect for wide queries, news, articles, and online content. Use this for wide accusation gathering, caller events, aliases erstwhile you request divers web sources. Supports pagination, contented filtering, and freshness controls. Maximum 20 results per request, pinch offset for pagination. ------------------------------ Tool Name: brave_local_search Description: Searches for section businesses and places utilizing Brave's Local Search API. Best for queries related to beingness locations, businesses, restaurants, services, etc. Returns elaborate accusation including: - Business names and addresses - Ratings and reappraisal counts - Phone numbers and opening hours Use this erstwhile nan query implies 'near me' aliases mentions circumstantial locations. Automatically falls backmost to web hunt if nary section results are found.

7. Write nan usability that creates nan agent:

assign an LLM
create an lawsuit of nan brave_tool() usability and delegate it to a devices variable
create a re-act supplier and delegate it nan chosen llm, tools, representation (so it tin person constinous conversation)
Add a strategy punctual to nan re-act agent.

Note: You mightiness announcement that I added a condemnation to nan strategy punctual that sounds “If you request to usage nan brave_tool you must usage a count of 5.” This is simply a bandaid work-around becasue of a bug I recovered successful nan index.ts record of nan brave server. I will lend to nan repo to hole it.

async def create_agent() -> ReActAgent: """Create and configure nan supplier pinch devices and LLM""" #using openai api instead llm = OpenAIChatModel(model_id="gpt-4o") # Configure tools tools: list[Tool] = await brave_tool() #tools: list[Tool] = [await brave_tool()] # Create supplier pinch representation and tools supplier = ReActAgent(llm=llm, tools=tools, memory=TokenMemory(llm), ) await agent.memory.add(SystemMessage(content="You are a adjuvant assistant. If you request to usage nan brave_tool you must usage a count of 5.")) return agent

8. Create nan main function

Creates nan agent
Enters a speech loop pinch nan personification and runs nan supplier pinch nan personification punctual and immoderate configuration settings. Finishes nan speech if nan personification types “exit” aliases “quit”.

import asyncio import traceback import sys # Your async main function async def main() -> None: """Main exertion loop""" # Create agent supplier = await create_agent() # Main relationship loop pinch personification input for punctual successful reader: # Exit condition if prompt.strip().lower() successful {"exit", "quit"}: reader.write("Session ended by user. Goodbye! 👋n") break # Run supplier pinch nan prompt try: consequence = await agent.run( prompt=prompt, execution=AgentExecutionConfig(max_retries_per_step=3, total_max_retries=10, max_iterations=20), ).observe(observer) reader.write("Agent 🤖 : ", response.result.text) isolated from Exception arsenic e: reader.write("An correction occurred: ", str(e)) traceback.print_exc() # Run main() pinch correction handling try: await main() except FrameworkError arsenic e: traceback.print_exc() sys.exit(e.explain())

OUTPUT:

Starting MCP client... Client connected, initializing... Initialized! Discovering tools... Tools discovered! Interactive convention has started. To escape, input 'q' and submit. Agent 🤖 : starting caller iteration Agent(thought) 🤖 : I will usage nan brave_local_search usability to find nan unfastened hours for La Taqueria connected Mission St successful San Francisco. Agent(tool_name) 🤖 : brave_local_search Agent(tool_input) 🤖 : {'query': 'La Taqueria Mission St San Francisco'} Agent(tool_output) 🤖 : [{"annotations": null, "text": "Error: Brave API error: 422 Unprocessable Entityn{"type":"ErrorResponse","error":{"id":"ddab2628-c96e-478f-80ee-9b5f8b1fda26","status":422,"code":"VALIDATION","detail":"Unable to validate petition parameter(s)","meta":{"errors":[{"type":"greater_than_equal","loc":["query","count"],"msg":"Input should beryllium greater than aliases adjacent to 1","input":"0","ctx":{"ge":1}}]}},"time":1742589546}", "type": "text"}] Agent 🤖 : starting caller iteration Agent(thought) 🤖 : The usability telephone resulted successful an error. I will effort again pinch a different attack to find nan unfastened hours for La Taqueria connected Mission St successful San Francisco. Agent(tool_name) 🤖 : brave_local_search Agent(tool_input) 🤖 : {'query': 'La Taqueria Mission St San Francisco', 'count': 5} Agent(tool_output) 🤖 : [{"annotations": null, "text": "Title: LA TAQUERIA - Updated May 2024 - 2795 Photos & 4678 Reviews - 2889 Mission St, San Francisco, California - Mexican - Restaurant Reviews - Phone Number - YelpnDescription: LA TAQUERIA, 2889 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110, 2795 Photos, Mon - Closed, Tue - Closed, Wed - 11:00 americium - 8:45 pm, Thu - 11:00 americium - 8:45 pm, Fri - 11:00 americium - 8:45 pm, Sat - 11:00 americium - 8:45 pm, Sun - 11:00 americium - 7:45 pmnURL: https://www.yelp.com/biz/la-taqueria-san-francisco-2nnTitle: La Taqueria: Authentic Mexican Cuisine for Every TastenDescription: La Taqueria - Mexican Food Restaurant welcomes you to bask our delicious. La Taqueria provides a full-service acquisition successful a nosy casual ambiance and caller flavors wherever nan customer ever comes first!nURL: https://lataqueria.gotoeat.net/nnTitle: r/sanfrancisco connected Reddit: Whats truthful bully astir La Taqueria successful The Mission?nDescription: 182 votes, 208 comments. Don't get maine incorrect its bully but I grounded to spot nan hype. I waited successful a agelong statement and erstwhile I sewage my nutrient it conscionable tastes like…nURL: https://www.reddit.com/r/sanfrancisco/comments/1d0sf5k/whats_so_good_about_la_taqueria_in_the_mission/nnTitle: LA TAQUERIA, San Francisco - Mission District - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - TripadvisornDescription: La Taqueria still going strong. Historically nan astir good known Burrito location successful nan metropolis and Mission District. Everything is tally for illustration a clock. The fillings are conscionable spiced and prepared conscionable right. Carnitas, chicken, asada, etc person existent location made flavors. The Tortillas some are ace bully ...nURL: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60713-d360056-Reviews-La_Taqueria-San_Francisco_California.htmlnnTitle: La Taqueria – San Francisco - a MICHELIN Guide RestaurantnDescription: San Francisco Restaurants · La Taqueria · 4 · 2889 Mission St., San Francisco, 94110, USA · $ · Mexican, Regional Cuisine · Visited · Favorite · Find bookable restaurants adjacent maine · 2889 Mission St., San Francisco, 94110, USA · $ · Mexican, Regional Cuisine ·nURL: https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/california/san-francisco/restaurant/la-taqueria", "type": "text"}] Agent 🤖 : starting caller iteration Agent(thought) 🤖 : I recovered nan unfastened hours for La Taqueria connected Mission St successful San Francisco. I will supply this accusation to nan user. Agent(final_answer) 🤖 : La Taqueria, located astatine 2889 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110, has nan pursuing opening hours: - Monday: Closed - Tuesday: Closed - Wednesday to Saturday: 11:00 AM - 8:45 PM - Sunday: 11:00 AM - 7:45 PM For much details, you tin sojourn their [Yelp page](https://www.yelp.com/biz/la-taqueria-san-francisco-2). Agent 🤖 : success Agent 🤖 : success run.agent.react.finish Agent 🤖 : La Taqueria, located astatine 2889 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110, has nan pursuing opening hours: - Monday: Closed - Tuesday: Closed - Wednesday to Saturday: 11:00 AM - 8:45 PM - Sunday: 11:00 AM - 7:45 PM For much details, you tin sojourn their [Yelp page](https://www.yelp.com/biz/la-taqueria-san-francisco-2).

Conclusion, Challenges, and Where MCP is Headed

In this article you’ve seen really MCP tin supply a standardized measurement for agents to observe devices connected an MCP server and past interact pinch them without nan developer needing to specify nan implementation specifications of nan instrumentality call. The level of abstraction that MCP offers is powerful. It intends developers tin attraction connected creating valuable devices while agents tin seamlessly observe and usage them done modular protocols.

Our Restaurant illustration helped america visualize really MCP concepts for illustration nan host, client, server, agent, and devices activity together – each pinch their ain important role. The codification example, wherever we utilized a Re-Act Agent successful nan Beeai framework, which handles MCP instrumentality calling natively, to telephone nan Brave MCP server pinch entree to 2 devices provided a existent world knowing of MCP tin beryllium utilized successful practice.
Without protocols for illustration MCP, we look a fragmented scenery wherever each AI supplier implements their ain incompatible tool-calling mechanisms– creating complexity, information vulnerabilities, and wasted improvement effort.

In nan coming months, we’ll apt spot MCP summation important traction for respective reasons:

As much instrumentality providers adopt MCP, nan web effect will accelerate take crossed nan industry.
Standardized protocols mean amended testing, less vulnerabilities, and reduced risks arsenic AI systems scale.
The expertise to constitute a instrumentality erstwhile and person it activity crossed aggregate supplier frameworks will dramatically trim improvement overhead.
Smaller players tin compete by focusing connected building fantabulous devices alternatively than reinventing analyzable supplier architectures.
Organizations tin merge AI agents much confidently knowing they’re built connected stable, interoperable standards.

That said, MCP faces important challenges that request addressing arsenic take grows:

As demonstrated successful our codification example, agents tin only observe devices erstwhile connected to a server
The agent’s functionality becomes limited connected server uptime and performance, introducing further points of failure.
As nan protocol evolves, maintaining compatibility while adding caller features will require governance.
Standardizing really agents entree perchance delicate devices crossed different servers introduces information considerations.
The client-server architecture introduces further latency.

For developers, AI researchers, and organizations building agent-based systems, knowing and adopting MCP now—while being mindful of these challenges—will supply a important advantage arsenic much AI solutions statesman to scale.

Note: The opinions expressed some successful this article and insubstantial are solely those of nan authors and do not needfully bespeak nan views aliases policies of their respective employers.

Interested successful connecting? Drop maine a DM connected Linkedin! I‘m ever eager to prosecute successful nutrient for thought and iterate connected my work.