Series · 2 parts
MCP in practice
How MCP works, what I learned building and using MCP servers, and how local and remote servers connect, step by step.
Two posts from using MCP servers in Claude Code (Upwork's, Notion's and Todoist's) and building one for doceval, my open-source eval tool. Part 1 explains how MCP works and what I learned. Part 2 follows a connection step by step, from starting a local server to signing in to a remote one. Where I tested something, the post says how.
- Part 1 · Building and using MCP servers: 4 things I learnedHow MCP works, one tool call step by step, and four things I learned building and using MCP servers, from tool descriptions to where secrets live.
- Part 2 · Local vs remote MCP servers: how each connects, step by stepHow a local MCP server lives and dies with your session, and how remote MCP sign-in works: OAuth, PKCE and tokens, tested on Upwork, Notion and Todoist.