7 ms·

Why would I do that if the MCP already handles it? The MCP exposes the API with those tools, it explains what the calendar app is and when to use it. Connected

by prohobo 5mo ago

Why would I do that if the MCP already handles it? The MCP exposes the API with those tools, it explains what the calendar app is and when to use it. Connected MCP tools are also always in the model's context, and it works for any AI agent that supports MCP, not just Claude Code.

noodletheworld 5mo ago
> The MCP exposes the API with those tools, it explains what the calendar app is So does an API and a text file (or hell, a self describing api). Which is more complex and harder to maintain, update and use? This is a solved problem. The world doesnt need MCP to reinvent a solution to it. If we’re gonna play the ELI5 game, why does MCP define a UI as part of its spec? Why does it define a bunch of different resource types of which only tools are used by most servers? Why did not have an auth spec at launch? Why are there so many MCP security concerns? These are not idle questions. They are indicative of the “more featurrrrrres” and “lack of competence” that went into designing MCP. Agents, running a sandbox, with normal standard rbac based access control or, for complex operations standard stateful cli tooling like the azure cli are fundamentally better.
- prohobo 5mo ago
  How would the AI know about the calendar app unless you make the text file and attach it to the session? Self-describing APIs require probing through calls, they don't tell you what you need to know before you interact with them. MCP servers are very simple to implement, and the developers of the app/service maintain the server so you don't have to create or update skills with incomplete understanding of the system. Your skill file is going to drift from the actual API as the app updates. You're going to have to manage it, instead of the developers of the app. I don't understand what you're even talking about.
  - noodletheworld 5mo ago
    [flagged]
    - prohobo 5mo ago
      You do understand that what it sounds like you're talking about is essentially a proto-MCP implementation right? Except more manual work involved.
      - throwanem 5mo ago
        This has devolved into "MCP is web scale." https://youtu.be/b2F-DItXtZs https://youtu.be/b2F-DItXtZs
        prohobo 5mo ago
        You're clearly very intelligent and a real software engineer, maybe you can explain where I'm wrong?
        throwanem 5mo ago
        Sure thing! That probably won't take more than a couple years at 10-20 hours a week of tutelage, and although my usual rate for consulting of any stripe is $150 an hour, for you I'm willing to knock that all the way down to just $150 an hour.
        prohobo 5mo ago
        Just give us a taste of what we'd be paying for? I'm sure you're an expert but before I commit to 2+ years of consultation I'd like to see your approach.
        throwanem 5mo ago
        I've already pointed this out as the silly, purposeless argument it's become. (Or more become.) Even I at this point can't figure out who is advocating what or why, other than for the obvious ego reasons. You're bikeshedding at each other and wasting all the time and effort it requires, because no one else is enjoying it any more than you two are: if anything you have left your audience more confused than we began, but I see I repeat myself. Show me you can stop doing that, and I'll happily mediate a technical version of this conversation that proceeds respectfully from the two of you each making a clear and concise statement of your design thesis, and what you see as its primary pros and cons. For that I'll take a flat $150 for up to 4 hours. I usually bill by the 15-minute increment, but obviously we would dispense with that here, and ordinarily I would not, of course, offer such a remarkable discount. But it doesn't really take $150 worth of effort to remind someone that he should take better care to distinguish his engineering judgment and his outraged insecurity.
- raincole 5mo ago
  > So does an API and a text file (or hell, a self describing api). That sounds great. How about we standardize this idea? We can have an endpoint to tell the agents where to find this text file and API. Perhaps we should be a bit formal and call it a protocol!
  - bavell 5mo ago
    > How about we standardize this idea? We can have an endpoint to tell the agents where to find this text file and API Good news! It's already standardized and agents already know where to find it! https://code.claude.com/docs/en/skills https://code.claude.com/docs/en/skills
    - deleted 5mo ago
      [deleted]
- edgyquant 5mo ago
  [dead]
juped 5mo ago
Why would you put a second, jankier API in front of your API when you could just use the API?

by prohobo 5mo ago

noodletheworld 5mo ago

> The MCP exposes the API with those tools, it explains what the calendar app is So does an API and a text file (or hell, a self describing api). Which is more complex and harder to maintain, update and use? This is a solved problem. The world doesnt need MCP to reinvent a solution to it. If we’re gonna play the ELI5 game, why does MCP define a UI as part of its spec? Why does it define a bunch of different resource types of which only tools are used by most servers? Why did not have an auth spec at launch? Why are there so many MCP security concerns? These are not idle questions. They are indicative of the “more featurrrrrres” and “lack of competence” that went into designing MCP. Agents, running a sandbox, with normal standard rbac based access control or, for complex operations standard stateful cli tooling like the azure cli are fundamentally better.

prohobo 5mo ago
How would the AI know about the calendar app unless you make the text file and attach it to the session? Self-describing APIs require probing through calls, they don't tell you what you need to know before you interact with them. MCP servers are very simple to implement, and the developers of the app/service maintain the server so you don't have to create or update skills with incomplete understanding of the system. Your skill file is going to drift from the actual API as the app updates. You're going to have to manage it, instead of the developers of the app. I don't understand what you're even talking about.
- noodletheworld 5mo ago
  [flagged]
  - prohobo 5mo ago
    You do understand that what it sounds like you're talking about is essentially a proto-MCP implementation right? Except more manual work involved.
    - throwanem 5mo ago
      This has devolved into "MCP is web scale." https://youtu.be/b2F-DItXtZs https://youtu.be/b2F-DItXtZs
      - prohobo 5mo ago
        You're clearly very intelligent and a real software engineer, maybe you can explain where I'm wrong?
        throwanem 5mo ago
        Sure thing! That probably won't take more than a couple years at 10-20 hours a week of tutelage, and although my usual rate for consulting of any stripe is $150 an hour, for you I'm willing to knock that all the way down to just $150 an hour.
        prohobo 5mo ago
        Just give us a taste of what we'd be paying for? I'm sure you're an expert but before I commit to 2+ years of consultation I'd like to see your approach.
        throwanem 5mo ago
        I've already pointed this out as the silly, purposeless argument it's become. (Or more become.) Even I at this point can't figure out who is advocating what or why, other than for the obvious ego reasons. You're bikeshedding at each other and wasting all the time and effort it requires, because no one else is enjoying it any more than you two are: if anything you have left your audience more confused than we began, but I see I repeat myself. Show me you can stop doing that, and I'll happily mediate a technical version of this conversation that proceeds respectfully from the two of you each making a clear and concise statement of your design thesis, and what you see as its primary pros and cons. For that I'll take a flat $150 for up to 4 hours. I usually bill by the 15-minute increment, but obviously we would dispense with that here, and ordinarily I would not, of course, offer such a remarkable discount. But it doesn't really take $150 worth of effort to remind someone that he should take better care to distinguish his engineering judgment and his outraged insecurity.
raincole 5mo ago
> So does an API and a text file (or hell, a self describing api). That sounds great. How about we standardize this idea? We can have an endpoint to tell the agents where to find this text file and API. Perhaps we should be a bit formal and call it a protocol!
- bavell 5mo ago
  > How about we standardize this idea? We can have an endpoint to tell the agents where to find this text file and API Good news! It's already standardized and agents already know where to find it! https://code.claude.com/docs/en/skills https://code.claude.com/docs/en/skills
  - deleted 5mo ago
    [deleted]
edgyquant 5mo ago
[dead]

juped 5mo ago

Why would you put a second, jankier API in front of your API when you could just use the API?