Model Context Protocol: Advanced Topics
Anthropic
Last updated June 20, 2026
Model Context Protocol: Advanced Topics is a free, roughly one-hour video course from Anthropic that picks up where the introductory course leaves off and covers the technical implementation of Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers and clients — from message passing to production deployment. It works through the features that make a server genuinely capable: sampling, which lets a server ask the client's model to run a request (and so shifts that cost to the client); progress notifications for long-running work; and the roots permission model for handling file access safely. From there it digs into how messages actually flow — the JSON-RPC message types, the stdio transport for local development, and the streamable HTTP transport for remote and scalable deployments, including when you trade features for scale. It closes on the move most tutorials skip: getting from a server that works on your machine to one that runs reliably in production, with stateless HTTP configurations and troubleshooting for the problems that surface along the way.
What you'll learn
- Implementing MCP servers with tool functions, logging, and progress notifications
- Handling bidirectional communication between MCP clients and servers
- Configuring file-system access safely with the roots permission model
- Using sampling callbacks so a server can initiate model requests through the client
- Working with both stdio and HTTP transports for local and remote deployments
- Debugging message flows using JSON-RPC message types
- Deploying scalable servers with stateless HTTP configurations
- Troubleshooting common issues when moving from development to production
Frequently asked questions about Model Context Protocol
Who is Model Context Protocol for?
Engineers building production MCP servers who need to understand the protocol's advanced capabilities.
Is Model Context Protocol free?
Yes — Model Context Protocol is completely free to take.
What are the prerequisites for Model Context Protocol?
A basic understanding of MCP servers and clients, and familiarity with async programming patterns — the introductory MCP course, or equivalent experience, is the natural lead-in.
Do you need to code for Model Context Protocol?
Yes — Model Context Protocol involves hands-on coding.
Does Model Context Protocol offer a certificate?
Yes. Free certificate of completion.
Why we suggest this course
The course for developers past the basics of MCP who need to ship a server that holds up in production. It concentrates on exactly the things the introduction leaves out — sampling, notifications, the roots permission model, the difference between stdio and streamable HTTP transports, and the deployment and debugging realities of going from a local prototype to a scalable service. Two things worth knowing: it assumes you already understand MCP servers, clients, and async patterns — Introduction to Model Context Protocol is the lead-in if the basics are new; and it's taught in Python with Anthropic's MCP tooling and Claude as the client, though the servers you build run independently of any one vendor.