MCP servers in Claude Code and agents
Where to configure an MCP server (local, project .mcp.json or user scope), how ${VAR} expansion keeps tokens out of git, why every configured server's tools are usable together, when to expose data as MCP resources instead of tools, and how Agent SDK agents get permission to call MCP tools.
Integrate MCP servers into Claude Code and agent workflows
~8 min read · 10 practice questions ·
What the exam expects
- Choose project scope (
.mcp.json, committed) for shared team servers and user scope (~/.claude.json) for personal or experimental ones; know local is the default. - Keep credentials out of git with
${VAR}and${VAR:-default}in.mcp.json, and predict the unset-variable behaviour. - Configure several servers in one Claude Code or Agent SDK session, knowing all their tools are available together.
- Expose content catalogs (docs hierarchies, schemas, issue summaries) as MCP resources to avoid exploratory tool calls.
- Write MCP tool descriptions that beat built-in Grep, and reuse existing servers for standard integrations.
Key terms: MCP server (a program exposing tools, resources and prompts); scope (where a server definition lives and who it loads for); .mcp.json (the project-scope file at the repository root); resource (read-only data addressed by URI); resource template (a parameterized URI such as docs://{product}/{version}).
Key facts
- Detail
- Local: current project only, private, stored in
~/.claude.json
- Detail
- Project scope writes
.mcp.jsonat the project root; commit it
- Detail
- User scope,
~/.claude.json, private to your account
- Detail
${VAR},${VAR:-default}incommand,args,env,url,headers
- Detail
- Config loads, warning in
claude mcp list, literal${VAR}text used
- Detail
- On by default; names load at start, definitions on demand
- Detail
mcp__<server-name>__<tool-name>, server name = the config key
- Detail
- Explicit permission required;
acceptEditsdoes not cover MCP tools
- Detail
- Application-controlled, read-only context, each with a unique URI
- Why should a team commit
.mcp.jsonwith${JIRA_TOKEN}rather than a shared token? - When does
${WH_REGION:-eu-west-1}inargsproduceeu-west-1? - Why should a runbook catalog be a resource and alert acknowledgement a tool?
- Which SDK setting lets an agent call every tool on a server registered as
crm?
The questions are free to read. Answers with their sources and self-grading are included with the pack.
Keep reading with the Claude Certified Architect - Foundations pack
- Core concepts
- Exam traps
- Worked scenario
The pack includes:
- All 30 lessons of the Claude Certified Architect - Foundations guide, with reading progress
- Interactive decision walks and step-by-step sequence steppers
- Inline practice questions and one-click topic practice (10 questions for this lesson)
- An official source cited for every claim
- An AI tutor that answers from the guide
- Unlimited timed practice exams
Practice for the Claude Certified Architect - Foundations exam
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