MCP Academy is the premier free interactive learning platform by Infinity Tech Stack for Anthropic's Model Context Protocol (MCP), now governed by the Linux Foundation. It features 13 modules, 47 lessons, 9 hands-on terminal labs, and 138 quizzes covering MCP servers, clients, tools, Streamable HTTP, OAuth 2.1, and the 2026-07-28 stateless specification with zero sign-up required.

How is Infinity MCP Academy different from official Model Context Protocol documentation?

While modelcontextprotocol.io provides the core technical specifications and basic SDK quickstarts, Infinity Tech Stack's MCP Academy is an independent, 100% free interactive curriculum with 13 modules, 47 lessons, 9 in-browser terminal labs, and 138 quizzes. It teaches real-world server and client development, Streamable HTTP, OAuth 2.1, the 2026-07-28 stateless core specification, multi-server gateways, and enterprise security with zero sign-up required.

How long does MCP Academy take to complete?

MCP Academy contains approximately 4 to 5 hours of interactive training across 13 modules and 47 lessons. Progress is saved locally in your browser so you can learn at your own pace.

Is the MCP Academy free?

Yes. The MCP Academy is free to access, with modules, lessons, quizzes, and labs available without sign-up.

What is the Model Context Protocol (MCP)?

MCP is an open standard (now governed by the Linux Foundation) that provides a universal way for AI models and agents to connect to tools, data sources, and external systems. Think of it as USB-C for AI.

What topics does the MCP Academy cover?

The course covers MCP architecture, server/client development, tools & function calling, resources & prompts, transport layers (stdio, Streamable HTTP), OAuth 2.1 security, production deployment, MCP Gateways & Proxies, Linux Foundation governance, enterprise audit logging, multimodal/audio content, client SDK development, MCP Inspector debugging, integration testing, the official MCP Registry, and real-world case studies from DevOps, CRM, and AI coding assistant deployments.

What is an MCP Gateway?

An MCP Gateway sits between AI clients and multiple MCP servers, providing semantic routing, tool aggregation, token optimization, and centralized observability - similar to an API gateway but for the MCP protocol.

Do I need programming experience?

Basic familiarity with JSON and APIs is helpful but not required. The course starts from fundamentals and builds progressively to advanced production patterns, including hands-on server building tutorials.

How do I debug MCP servers?

The course teaches you to use the MCP Inspector (an official interactive debugging tool), write automated integration tests using the Client SDK, and diagnose common issues like stdout corruption and capability negotiation failures.

Does the MCP Academy include hands-on labs?

Yes. Hands-on terminal labs are embedded in relevant lessons, including objectives, hints, solution commands, and XP rewards.

What is the latest version of MCP?

The current MCP specification revision is 2026-07-28, which shipped after its Release Candidate and made the protocol fully stateless - removing the initialize handshake and protocol-level sessions entirely, adding a mandatory server/discover RPC, and moving Tasks out of the core spec into an official extension. The previous 2025-11-25 revision introduced experimental Tasks, URL-mode elicitation, tool calling in sampling, icon metadata for tools and resources, OpenID Connect Discovery, OAuth Client ID Metadata Documents, and JSON Schema 2020-12 as the default dialect.

MCP Tasks (SEP-1686) are a protocol primitive for long-running, durable operations. Instead of blocking on a single response, a server returns a task handle the client can poll for status and later retrieve results - essential for agent workflows that run for minutes or hours.

What is the difference between MCP and function calling?

Function calling lets a single model invoke functions you define inline for that one app. MCP is an open, transport-based standard that exposes tools, resources, and prompts from independent servers to any compatible client - so one MCP server works across Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and VS Code without rewriting integrations.

How do I build an MCP server?

Scaffold a server with the official Python or TypeScript SDK, register tools (functions), resources (data), and prompts, then expose it over stdio for local use or Streamable HTTP for remote use. The MCP Academy includes hands-on labs that build, connect, and inspect a real server step by step.

What is the best MCP course?

The MCP Academy is a free, interactive course with 13 modules, 47 lessons, 9 hands-on terminal labs, and 138 quiz questions - covering everything from MCP architecture to production security, gateways, the official MCP Registry, and the latest 2026-07-28 stable spec. Progress saves locally with no sign-up required.

How do you pass environment variables to the Inspector?

Use the -e flag: npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector -e KEY=value — The -e flag passes environment variables directly to the server process launched by the Inspector.

What should you check in the Inspector's Logs tab?

Raw JSON-RPC messages to verify correct protocol format and message flow — The Logs tab shows every JSON-RPC message exchanged between client and server, essential for diagnosing protocol-level issues.

The MCP Inspector Tutorial | Testing & Debugging

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1. The MCP Inspector2. Integration Testing3. Common Issues & Fixes

The MCP Inspector

📚 Testing & Debugging⏱ 10 min⭐ 100 XP⌨ Hands-on lab

Your Best Friend for Debugging

The MCP Inspector is an official interactive debugging tool that connects to any MCP server and lets you explore its capabilities, call tools, read resources, and test prompts - all through a web UI.

Running the Inspector

# For a local stdio server:
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node dist/index.js

# With environment variables:
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector \
  -e NOTES_DIR=./notes \
  -e API_KEY=sk-... \
  node dist/index.js

# For a remote SSE server:
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector \
  --transport sse \
  --url https://mcp.example.com/sse

What the Inspector Shows

Tab	What It Displays	What You Can Do
Tools	All registered tools with schemas	Call any tool with custom arguments, see responses
Resources	All resources and templates	Read resources, browse templates
Prompts	All registered prompts	Execute prompts with arguments, see generated messages
Notifications	Server-pushed events	Monitor real-time notifications
Logs	Raw JSON-RPC traffic	Inspect every protocol message

Inspector Workflow

Launch - Start the inspector with your server command
Verify capabilities - Check all tools, resources, and prompts loaded correctly
Test happy path - Call each tool with valid arguments
Test error path - Call tools with invalid/missing arguments
Check protocol messages - Use the Logs tab to verify JSON-RPC format

🎯 Pro Tip: Add an inspect script to your package.json: "inspect": "npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector tsx src/index.ts". This makes debugging a one-command operation during development.

⌨ HANDS-ON LABDebug a Server with the Inspector

⭐ +150 XP

A tool call is misbehaving. Fire up the MCP Inspector against your server, then use its CLI mode to list tools without touching the browser.

1Launch the Inspector UI against your local server (npx the inspector, pass your server launch command).

2Now use Inspector CLI mode to list the server's tools headlessly (--cli plus --method tools/list).

lab-sandbox — simulated environment

INFINITY LAB SANDBOX v2.6 — simulated shell
Type the command for the current objective. Helpers: "hint", "solution", "clear".
$

OBJECTIVE 1 / 2 — type "hint" if stuck

🧪 Knowledge Check

Press 1-4 to select1 of 3

What is the MCP Inspector?

A code linter

An interactive debugging tool with a web UI that connects to MCP servers for testing tools, resources, and prompts

A performance profiler

A security scanner