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Build Your Own MCP Server
Give Claude access to your own data and tools. No framework required
1 phase. 6 lessons. 6 labs. Build a Model Context Protocol server from scratch with FastMCP: 5 real tools (database, filesystem, external API, data transform, notifications), a resource, and a prompt template — registered with Claude Desktop and packaged so someone else can install it.
6 lessons · 6 labs · 5 tools built · 1 real MCP server
Outcomes you will have by the end
- A real, installable MCP server — 5 working tools, a resource, and a prompt template, registered with Claude Desktop and packaged with a README a stranger could actually follow — not a demo only you can run.
- A working mental model of all 3 MCP primitives — Most tutorials stop at tools. You built a resource and a prompt template too, and can explain when each is the right design choice instead of defaulting to a tool for everything.
- A tool library you can keep extending — The 5-tool pattern (with input validation and error handling built in from Lesson 5) is designed to grow — the stretch challenge has you connect a 6th tool to something you actually use daily.
- Verified certificate of completion — Issued by DeVenture Academy, tied to your completion record. Lists the protocol, tool-design, and packaging skills you built.
What you will be able to do
MCP Protocol · FastMCP Tool Design · Resources & Prompts · Error Handling · Server Packaging
Every phase, every lesson, every project
- Build Your Own MCP Server (6 lessons) — MCP protocol architecture, FastMCP tool anatomy, building a 5-tool library, resources and prompts, error handling, packaging and sharing
The technologies you will use
MCP Python SDK · FastMCP · Claude Desktop · SQLite · MCP Inspector
Roles this course prepares you for
- Internal Tools Builder (Varies by employer) — Expose your company's internal APIs and databases to Claude or Cursor via MCP so any teammate's AI tool can use them, without custom integration code per app.
- Freelance MCP Builder ($50-150/hr project work) — Build custom MCP servers for clients who want their AI tools connected to their own systems — a CRM, a support desk, an internal wiki.
- Open-Source MCP Contributor (N/A — reputation and portfolio value) — Publish MCP servers to the growing public registry, connecting popular tools and services to the MCP ecosystem.
Common questions
Do I need MCP experience already?
No. You need Python and basic REST API/JSON familiarity. If you've used Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Claude Code and wondered how they connect to external tools, this course builds that mechanism from scratch.
Why FastMCP instead of the low-level MCP API?
FastMCP is the official high-level API shipped inside the same `mcp` SDK — it's what real MCP servers are built with in 2026, not a simplified teaching-only shortcut. You get the exact same protocol underneath, expressed with far less boilerplate.
Does this cover TypeScript too?
This course teaches the Python SDK as the canonical path. The same concepts (tools, resources, prompts, FastMCP-equivalent decorators) apply directly if you later pick up the TypeScript SDK.
What do I end up with?
A real MCP server on your machine with 5 tools (notes search, scoped filesystem access, a live weather API, data reformatting, webhook notifications), a resource, and a prompt template — registered with Claude Desktop and packaged well enough that someone else could install it from your README.
Key terms in this course
MCP (Model Context Protocol)
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