Two of the fastest-growing standards in agentic AI anchor this intensive, hands-on course: Model Context Protocol (MCP) and Agent2Agent (A2A) Protocol. As agentic AI solutions move into production, interoperability with data and other agents becomes critical. This two-day course tackles both challenges, covering MCP and A2A in turn.
Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a new standard for connecting AI assistants to the systems where data lives, including content repositories, business tools, and development environments. MCP helps frontier models produce better, more relevant responses. Information silos and legacy systems isolate data from even the most sophisticated models, limiting what they can do. MCP replaces fragmented integrations with a single, universal, open standard for connecting AI systems to data sources.
Day one opens with the protocol’s architecture, and a first lab has attendees build a basic client and server pair from scratch. From there, the class exposes resources and works through resource discovery, standing up a resource server of their own. Attendees then define prompt templates, workflows, and tools, implementing tools that a model can call directly. The day closes with transports, session management, and security, where a hands-on lab builds client and server streaming services. By the end, attendees have what they need to begin working with MCP in production systems.
The Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol addresses a critical challenge in the AI landscape. Gen AI agents built on diverse frameworks, by different companies, running on separate servers, need to communicate and collaborate as agents, not just as tools. A2A provides a common language for agents, fostering a more interconnected, powerful, and innovative AI ecosystem.
Day two opens with a protocol overview and a lab building a simple working example, then moves into agent discovery, where attendees see how agents advertise their capabilities to one another. The class examines Server-Sent Events and asynchronous push as communication options for long-running tasks. A closing module on auth, observability, and security has attendees secure and observe an A2A deployment end to end through lecture, discussion, and hands-on labs.
Who Should Attend
Developers, AI/ML/Data Engineers, DevOps/IT/QA Staff, Technical Managers and Architects
What Attendees Will Learn
Upon completing the Model Context Protocol & Agent2Agent Protocol course, attendees will be able to:
- Explain the distinct purposes of Model Context Protocol (MCP) and Agent2Agent Protocol (A2A)
- Build MCP clients and servers
- Design agents for A2A compliant interaction
- Expose and make use of discovery services
- Effectively use MCP and A2A protocols through best practices
- Secure communications between involved parties
Prerequisites
Participants should have programming skills, preferably in Python, and at least basic AI experience.