Build Your First MCP Server for Claude Code in Python

I built my first MCP server in 30 minutes. It took me 3 days to figure out why I needed one. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is the open standard that lets AI coding tools like Claude Code connect to external data sources and tools. Instead of copying data into prompts, you give Claude direct access to your databases, APIs, and custom logic. Here's how to build one from scratch in Python. What MCP Actually Does MCP servers expose three types of capabilities to AI tools: Tools — Functions Claude can call (query a database, create a file, send a notification) Resources — Data Claude can read (files, database records, API responses) Prompts — Pre-built templates that guide Claude's reasoning Think of it like building an API, but your client is an AI model instead of a frontend app. The model decides when and how to call your endpoints based on their descriptions. Prerequisites You need Python 3.10+ and the MCP Python SDK: pip install mcp That's it. The SDK includes FastMCP , a high-level