Evaluate an MCP server before you connect it
A practical method for deciding whether to connect an MCP server to a work tool: define the task, review the source, run a bounded pilot and question the vendor.
Start the courseAbout this course
- Level
- Practitioner
- Access
- Membership, $499.00 a year
- Time
- 1 h
- Lessons
- 4
- Pass mark
- 80%
- Exam attempts
- 3
- Certificate valid for
- 1 year
What you will learn
- Write a testable pilot task with a clear data boundary and failure condition.
- Review a server's publisher, repository, licence and release before you install it.
- Run a bounded pilot that tests a valid read, a denied read, a revoked credential and an upstream failure.
- Separate the cost lines of an MCP workflow and ask a vendor to price your own workload.
Lessons
- Define the task and the boundary 12 min
- Review the source 12 min
- Run a bounded pilot 15 min
- Cost and vendor questions 12 min
Questions
Do I need to write code to follow this course?
No. The method uses a test account, the vendor's documentation and an inspection tool. Some steps are easier with a technical colleague.
Does passing the exam mean a server is approved?
No. The certificate of completion records that you passed this site's exam. Approval is your organisation's decision, based on your own tests.
Which tool inspects a server outside an AI client?
The MCP documentation describes MCP Inspector for examining tool discovery and requests. It helps you inspect a server. It does not certify production controls.