LESSON 06 / 18·2 min readFoundation

Resources, Resource Templates, Prompts, and Completions

Must knowConcept lesson
01 Understand02 Recall03 Prepare

Resources

Resources are application-controlled, readable context. A URI identifies a resource, for example, docs://architecture/overview. Clients can list and read resources; templates expose parameterized URI patterns.

Prompts

Prompts are user-controlled, reusable message templates. For example, a “Review this incident” prompt can accept a required incident ID and a review style as arguments.

Choosing the capability

NeedChoose
An action or live queryTool
Readable reference material or contextResource
A reusable conversation starterPrompt

Pagination, subscriptions, and changes

  • Return large lists in cursor-based pages.
  • Use resource update subscriptions when both sides support the capability.
  • When tool, resource, or prompt catalogs change, negotiated list-changed notifications can be used.
  • Completion suggestions for prompt and resource arguments can improve the client user experience.

Security note

Access to a resource URI also requires an authorization check. A guessable URI does not grant permission to access the resource.

PAUSE & RECALL

Can you explain it without the notes?

Resources, Resource Templates, Prompts, and Completions

Use your own words. Explain an example and one limitation before checking the explanation.

Check your explanation

Resources

CONNECT IT TO YOUR INTERVIEW

Turn this concept into a clear answer.

Practice this concept
YOUR NEXT STEP

Keep connecting the ideas.

Next lesson: Transport Choice: stdio and Streamable HTTP

Adapted from 20_MCP_SERVER.md · “6. Resources, Resource Templates, Prompts, and Completions”. Examples are study fragments; framework behavior can depend on your version.