The Event
No-Code Week 2025 in Milan brought together builders, founders, and no-code enthusiasts from across Europe. I led a technical workshop on a critical emerging topic: “How to Build Agent-Ready Backends with the Model Context Protocol (MCP) on Xano.”
The Problem Builders Face
Developers and no-code builders are excited about AI agents, but most lack the mental models and infrastructure patterns to build backends that agents can actually use safely and at scale. Traditional backend design assumes human users making deliberate requests—but agents behave differently, with higher request volumes, different error patterns, and unique security considerations.
Workshop Content
Designing Backends for Agents, Not Just Humans
I walked attendees through the fundamental mindset shift: agents aren’t just another API client. They need:
- Clear contracts through standardized protocols like MCP
- Rate limiting and quotas designed for agent workloads
- Error handling that agents can interpret and recover from
- Data models that support agent reasoning and memory
MCP as the Contract Layer
Model Context Protocol provides a standardized way for AI agents to interact with backend services. I demonstrated:
- Setting up MCP servers on Xano
- Defining resources, tools, and prompts that agents can discover
- Security patterns for agent-to-backend authentication
- Testing and debugging MCP integrations
Live Demos & Hands-On Exercises
Participants built real MCP-powered backends during the session, working through practical examples like:
- Memory persistence for agent conversations
- Tool calling with proper error boundaries
- Multi-agent coordination patterns
Community Impact
The workshop positioned MCP and agent-ready backend design as concrete, achievable goals within the no-code/low-code ecosystem. Post-event conversations and LinkedIn testimonials highlighted the value of bridging AI theory with practical Xano implementation.
Attendees and organizers recognized the session as thought leadership in the intersection of AI, MCP, and visual development—helping establish these patterns as best practices within the growing no-code AI community.
Key Takeaways for Builders
- Agents need different backend patterns than traditional user-facing applications
- MCP provides the standardization that makes agent-backend communication reliable
- Visual development platforms like Xano can absolutely handle agent-ready architectures
- The future of AI development will be built on protocols, not proprietary APIs
This workshop is part of my ongoing mission to make AI infrastructure accessible to builders at all levels—bringing Staff-level architectural thinking to the no-code community.