From Code to AI Agent: Deploying MCP Tools on Azure AI Foundry

Description

Build & Deploy an MCP Password Generator Tool (Azure, Postman & AI Agent Integration) In this step-by-step tutorial, we build a complete MCP (Model Context Protocol) server tool from scratch—a secure password generator—and take it all the way to production. Learn how to develop, test locally, deploy to Azure, and finally integrate it with an AI agent in Azure AI Foundry. What You'll Learn: ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction to building an MCP Password Generator Tool 00:36 - Tools for testing: MCP Inspector vs. the new Postman MCP support 01:20 - Project setup in Visual Studio & creating the tool branch 02:33 - Coding the GenerateRandomPassword method 03:43 - Registering and decorating the tool as an MCP server tool 04:56 - Local testing and debugging using MCP Inspector 05:27 - Setting up and testing with Postman's new MCP environment 07:40 - Adding parameters: password length, numbers, and special characters 09:46 - Implementing the password generation logic with character sets 11:56 - Building the random string generator 17:14 - Adding a password strength assessment feature 24:07 - Deploying the MCP server to Azure Web Apps 25:46 - Testing the live, deployed tool in Postman 28:04 - Creating a new AI Agent in Azure AI Foundry 28:58 - Connecting the deployed MCP tool to the agent 34:06 - Testing the AI Agent in the Playground with various prompts 38:26 - Analyzing agent execution logs and threads for debugging 39:50 - Teaser for the next video: Creating a user account tool Key Topics Covered: MCP Server Development: Create a functional tool with C# and .NET. Advanced Testing: Use both MCP Inspector and the new Postman MCP feature for robust testing. Azure Deployment: Publish your MCP server as an Azure Web App. AI Agent Integration: Connect your live MCP tool to an Azure AI Foundry agent. Prompt-Based Tool Usage: See how the AI agent intelligently maps user prompts to tool parameters. Resources & Code: MCP Inspector: [https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/inspector] Postman: [https://www.postman.com/] Azure AI Foundry: [https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/ai-foundry] This tutorial is perfect for developers and AI enthusiasts looking to bridge the gap between custom code and powerful AI agents. By the end, you'll have a fully operational, cloud-deployed MCP tool that can be invoked through natural language by an AI. Teaser for Next Video: We'll expand on this by creating a "Create User Account" tool that uses the generated password, stores data in Azure Table Storage, and triggers a Power Automate workflow to send a welcome email!