MCP Workshop

Build your first MCP server in 30 minutes.

What's inside

A tiny MCP server that serves synthetic embedded-flavored data — fake components (like CM101A) and fake NTC fault codes — plus a .vscode/mcp.json that hands it to GitHub Copilot Chat's Agent mode as a tool source. You'll add tools during the workshop and ask Copilot to use them.

Related MCP server: mcp-server

Quick start (in Codespaces)

1. Click Open in Codespaces above.

2. Wait ~90 seconds for the environment to build (pip install runs automatically).

3. Open the Chat panel on the right, set mode to Agent, click the tools icon — you should see two tools from component-workshop.

4. Ask Copilot:

   who owns component CM101A?

   Copilot picks lookup_component, calls it, and answers.

That's the whole loop. The workshop tasks are edits to it — see HANDS_ON.md.

What's here

• server.py — the MCP server, two working tools

• .vscode/mcp.json — registers the server with Copilot Chat's Agent mode

• data/ — synthetic components and NTCs

• client.py — optional stdio client, prints raw wire messages (no AI)

• HANDS_ON.md — the two workshop tasks

• CHEAT_SHEET.md — restarts, common errors, troubleshooting

• SOLUTION.md — peek only if Copilot stalls

The mental model

An MCP server is a toolbox with labeled drawers. Each tool is a drawer. The tool's description string is the label taped on it. The AI reads the labels to decide which drawer to open.

Your job as a tool author: write labels the AI can act on.

What you will build

See HANDS_ON.md.