JavaOne 2026 Session

Summary

You’ve heard the buzz, now roll up your sleeves and build with it. In this session, you’ll learn exactly how the Model Context Protocol (MCP) works and write your own MCP server tool from scratch, then author an agent that uses it to deliver real-time, context-aware help right inside your dev flow. We’ll break down the raw MCP protocol step by step:

• How it streams context between your IDE and agents

• How messages are structured and exchanged

• How to wire up an MCP Client to talk to your new tool

By the end, you’ll not only understand the protocol, you’ll have built a working MCP server tool and your own agent that plugs into it to automate tasks, provide better suggestions, and boost your

productivity. Bring your curiosity because you’ll walk away with practical code, a working prototype, and the confidence to build and extend your own MCP-powered tools and agents.