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On demandRecorded by an instructor, graded by Nova

MCP and Tool-Using Apps

Servers, clients and the apps that use them.

MCP and Tool-Using Apps is a self-paced online course: 7.5 hours of recorded sessions across 5 modules, with 4 graded by Nova, Square 1's AI tutor. The founding price is A$45, down from A$90. Start any time and keep your own pace.

Taught with
ClaudePythonTypeScriptGitHub
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Module by module
  1. Module 1What MCP is for60 min
  2. Module 2Your first server90 min · graded
  3. Module 3Clients and hosts90 min · graded
  4. Module 4Permissions, safety, testing90 min · graded
  5. Module 5Project: an app on MCP120 min · graded
recorded hours
7.5
modules, in order
5
deployed projects
3
graded checkpoints
4

Who it is for, and what you receive.

Developers in Python or TypeScript who have made one LLM API call and want to expose and consume tools the standard way.

Before you start

Python or TypeScript; one LLM API call before.

Skills
MCPtool designTypeScript or Python
  1. 1

    The recorded sessions

    Taught by an instructor, taken in order at your own pace, yours for twelve months.

  2. 2

    Graded work after every module

    Exercises and projects marked by Nova against a rubric you can read, with what you did well and what to fix.

  3. 3

    The projects

    Deployed and graded, each one on your record with its repository.

  4. 4

    Your hiring plan

    The same six-part plan the bootcamps use, run with the career agent.

  5. 5

    The record and the certificate

    Every grade at square1ai.com/u/{handle}; a credential ID that resolves at square1ai.com/verify.

  6. 6

    Nova as your tutor

    Help that is about your actual work, because it has read all of it.

The content plan, module by module.

7.5 recorded hours from an instructor, taken in order at your own pace. Nova grades the work at the end of each module.

  1. The protocol

    Servers, clients, hosts

    When not to use it

The projects.

Each is deployed and graded by Nova against a rubric you can read before you start.

  1. Project 1

    An MCP server

    A fictional community library keeps its catalogue and loans in a small database. Write an MCP server exposing two tools, search the catalogue and check a loan, plus the opening hours as a resource.

    You hand in
    • Server repository
    • Tool and resource tests
    • Run instructions
    The rubric requires

    Both tools are callable from a standard MCP client.

  2. Project 2

    A client

    Write your own client for the library server that discovers its tools, calls one with arguments a librarian would type, and handles the errors the server returns. Then connect the server to an existing host.

    You hand in
    • Client code
    • Tool call transcript
    • Host connection notes
    The rubric requires

    The client round-trips a tool call to the server.

  3. Project 3

    An app on MCP

    Build a small app for library volunteers and staff on your server and client, adding a tool that renews loans. Only staff may renew, so the permission model must hold even when the model asks for a forbidden call.

    You hand in
    • Deployed app URL
    • Permission model
    • Permission tests
    • Short failure-mode write-up
    The rubric requires

    Every tool call is permission-checked before it runs.

What you can do at the end.

You can expose and consume tools the standard way, with three graded projects on your record.

  1. 1

    Explain what MCP is for and when to use it.

  2. 2

    Build a server with tools and resources.

  3. 3

    Build a client and connect a host.

  4. 4

    Design permissions, test tools and keep them safe.

  5. 5

    Build an application on MCP.

Roles this prepares you for
AI engineerIntegration engineer

No placement rate is shown, because there are no graduates to count yet. The roles above are what the projects are built for.

Your record at the end.

Every exercise and project is graded by Nova against a rubric you can read, and every grade is kept on one page an employer can open and run. This is what the programme writes to it.

Graded, line by line
Nova reads every submission against the brief and the rubric and returns a score, what you did well and what to fix.
Module by module
Each module ends in graded work; the next opens when you are ready, on your own schedule.
Nova remembers
Help is about your actual work, because the tutor has every submission and every failed exercise of yours.
One page an employer can run
Every grade and project at /verify. An employer opens it and runs the code.
Record, MCP and Tool-Using AppsExample
  1. Project

    An MCP server

    Both tools are callable from a standard MCP client.

    Graded
  2. Project

    A client

    The client round-trips a tool call to the server.

    Graded
  3. Project

    An app on MCP

    Every tool call is permission-checked before it runs.

    Graded
  4. Every module

    4 graded checkpoints

    Each module ends in work Nova grades line by line against a rubric you can read.

    Graded

The entries, not the grades: those are yours to earn. The page lives at /verify and an employer needs no account to open it.

5 entries, at your own pace. Reserving a spot holds the founding price.

Pre-order

How we help you find a job.

Proof, not a certificate: the projects you deployed are the thing you show, and the tools below are yours to use.

The course booklet

The whole plan on a few pages: the parts, the projects, the gates and the price. We email it to you.

Get the booklet
  1. 1

    Your hiring plan

    The same six-part plan the bootcamps use: target roles, the gap map, the proof to send, weekly actions, an interview log, the outcome. You run it with the career agent.

  2. 2

    A record an employer can run

    Your graded projects on /verify. An employer opens it and runs the code.

  3. 3

    The career agent

    Paste a real job posting at /career and it maps the role to your graded work and what to do next.

  4. 4

    The roles directory

    Every role we prepare people for, what it pays and what it asks, at /roles.

  5. 5

    A path to the live cohort

    If you want the instructor, the gates and the hiring sprint, the bootcamp on the same subject is one waitlist away.

Questions people ask.

About MCP and Tool-Using Apps, answered from the plan on this page.

Further reading
Related programmes

Founding spots are open. Hold yours.

Recorded by an instructor who does this work, graded by Nova. Spot holders hear the opening date first, and nothing is charged before you confirm.

  • You can expose and consume tools the standard way
  • Three graded projects on your record
A$45A$90
Pre-order

About a minute. No account, no card, and nothing is charged until you confirm.

Pre-order · A$45Skill check