Lesson 3 · MCP Foundations · Last updated 2026-05-12 · By Dheeraj Sharma

How MCP Actually Works: Hosts, Clients, and Servers

MCP architecture and component interaction

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MCP architecture and component interaction

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Frequently Asked Questions

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets AI assistants like Claude connect to external tools and data sources. It's how you give AI access to your files, databases, APIs, and more.

Basic familiarity with JSON and command line is helpful. I walk through everything step-by-step, so you can follow along even if you're not a developer.

Claude Desktop (via Anthropic), Cursor, Windsurf, and other MCP-compatible clients. The protocol is open, so support is growing.

Dheeraj Sharma

AI Systems Builder

Creator of the n8n Zero to Hero course (42 lessons, 31+ hours). I help solopreneurs build AI systems that grow revenue without growing workload.

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