MCP vs. API Explained
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MCP vs. API Explained
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Re: MCP vs. API Explained
#2So it's an indirection layer to the actual APIs.
The value of MCP then depends on it's adoption. If I need to write an MCP adapter for everything, it's value is little. If everyone (API owners, OS, Clouds, ...) puts in the work to have an MCP compatible interface it's valuable.
In a world where I need to build my own X-to-USB dongle for every device myself, I wouldn't use USB, to stay with the articles analogy.
Re: MCP vs. API Explained
#3What the article doesn't say (well, there's a lot it doesn't say) is that this protocol was created by Anthropic but is being adopted more widely.
MCP reminds me of a new platform opportunity akin to the Apple App Store.
It's rapidly adopted, with offerings from GitHub, Stripe, Slack, Google Maps, AirTable, etc. Many more non-official integrations are already out there. I expect this will only gain adoption over the coming year.
Re: MCP vs. API Explained
#4If the goal is to build AI agents, I’d think the maximum utility from them would come from building agents that can use the UI that humans use. Or at the very least, the lesser available API. MCP is yet another interface to services when there’s already at least two out there available to use
Re: MCP vs. API Explained
#5A sample MCP example with data would be helpful.
Re: MCP vs. API Explained
#6If the goal is to build AI agents, I’d think the maximum utility from them would come from building agents that can use the UI that humans use. Or at the very least, the lesser available API . MCP is yet another interface to services when there’s already at least two out there available to use
One thing I like about MCP's decision _not_ to just use HTTP APIs is that it makes it possible to build and distribute tools that people can use without having to set up a server for them. This goes a long way for enabling open-source and locally-running tools.
Re: MCP vs. API Explained
#7The article has the same usb-c photo three times, but doesn't actually explain what it is, or how it works.
Re: MCP vs. API Explained
#8It seems like MCP is a pretty cool protocol, but has anyone seen any actually useful integrations?
I've played a lot with the FileSystem MCP server but couldn't get it to do something useful that I can't already do faster on my own. For instance, asking it how many files have word "main" in it. It returns 267, but in reality there are 12k.
Looks promising, but I am still looking for useful ways to integrate it into my workflow.
Re: MCP vs. API Explained
#9The most important thing for developers to understand when it comes to MCP: MCP is a protocol for dynamically loading additional capabilities into an AI application, e.g. Claude Desktop, Cursor, Highlight.ai etc...
If you are building your own applications, you can simply use "Tools APIs" provided by the LLM directly (e,.g. https://platform.openai.com/docs/assistants/tools).
MCP is not something most people need to bother with unless you are building an application that needs extension or you are trying to extend an application (like those I listed above). Under the hood the MCP is just an interface into the tools API.
Re: MCP vs. API Explained
#10The most important thing for developers to understand when it comes to MCP: MCP is a protocol for dynamically loading additional capabilities into an AI application, e.g. Claude Desktop, Cursor, Highlight.ai etc... If you are building your own applications, you can simply use "Tools APIs" provided by the LLM directly (e,.g. https://platform.openai.com/docs/assistants/tools ). MCP is not something most people need to…
Absolutely correct. You can also use tools everywhere while clients have to be MCP compatible.
MCP is not all it's cracked up to be.