MCPs for Builders Who Suppose They Don’t Want MCPs – O’Reilly

The next article initially appeared on Block’s blog and is being republished right here with the writer’s permission.

These days, I’ve seen extra builders on-line beginning to aspect eye MCP. There was a tweet by Darren Shepherd that summed it up properly:

Most devs had been launched to MCP by means of coding brokers (Cursor, VS Code) and most devs battle to get worth out of MCP on this use case…so they’re rejecting MCP as a result of they’ve a CLI and scripts accessible to them that are method higher for them.

Truthful. Most builders had been launched to MCPs by means of some chat-with-your-code expertise, and generally it doesn’t really feel higher than simply opening your terminal and utilizing the instruments you realize. However right here’s the factor…

MCPs weren’t constructed only for builders.

They’re not only for IDE copilots or code buddies. At Block, we use MCPs throughout every little thing, from finance to design to authorized to engineering. I gave a whole talk on how completely different groups are utilizing goose, an AI agent. The purpose is MCP is a protocol. What you construct on prime of it may well serve all types of workflows.

However I get it… Let’s discuss in regards to the dev-specific ones that are value your time.

GitHub: Extra Than Simply the CLI

In case your first thought is “Why would I take advantage of GitHub MCP when I’ve the CLI?” I hear you. GitHub’s MCP is form of bloated proper now. (They know. They’re engaged on it.)

But in addition: You’re considering too native.

You’re imagining a solo dev setup the place you’re in your terminal, utilizing GitHub CLI to do your factor. And truthfully, if all you’re doing is opening a PR or checking points, you in all probability ought to use the CLI.

However the CLI was by no means meant to coordinate throughout instruments. It’s constructed for native, linear instructions. However what in case your GitHub interactions occurred someplace else completely?

MCP shines when your work touches a number of methods like GitHub, Slack, and Jira with out you stitching it collectively.

Right here’s an actual instance from our staff:

Slack thread. Actual builders in actual time.

Dev 1: I believe there’s a bug with xyz

Dev 2: Let me test… yep, I believe you’re proper.

Dev 3: @goose is there a bug right here?

goose: Yep. It’s in these traces… [code snippet]

Dev 3: Okay @goose, open a problem with the small print. What options would you recommend?

goose: Listed below are 3 solutions: [code snippets with rationale]

Dev 1: I like Choice 1

Dev 2: me too

Dev 3: @goose, implement Choice 1

goose: Executed. Right here’s the PR.

All of that occurred in Slack. Nobody opened a browser or a terminal. Nobody context-switched. Concern monitoring, triaging, discussing fixes, implementing code in a single thread in a five-minute span.

We’ve additionally bought groups tagging Linear or Jira tickets and having goose totally implement them. One staff had goose do 15 engineering days value of labor in a single dash. The staff actually ran out of duties and needed to pull from future sprints. Twice!

So sure, GitHub CLI is nice. However MCP opens the door to workflows the place GitHub isn’t the one place the place dev work occurs. That’s a shift value listening to.

Context7: Docs That Don’t Suck

Right here’s one other ache level builders hit: documentation.

You’re working with a brand new library. Or integrating an API. Or wrestling with an open supply device.

The Context7 MCP pulls up-to-date docs, code examples, and guides proper into your AI agent’s mind. You simply ask and get solutions to questions like:

• How do I create a cost with the Sq. SDK?
• What’s the auth circulation for Firebase?
• Is that this library tree-shakable?

It doesn’t depend on stale LLM coaching information from two years in the past. It scrapes the supply of reality proper now. Giving it up to date…say it with me…CONTEXT.

Developer “circulation” is actual, and each interruption steals treasured focus time. This MCP helps you determine new libraries, troubleshoot integrations, and get unstuck with out leaving your IDE.

Repomix: Know the Entire Codebase With out Studying It

Think about you be part of a brand new challenge or wish to contribute to an open supply one, nevertheless it’s an enormous repo with a lot of complexity.

As a substitute of poking round for hours attempting to attract an architectural diagram in your head, you simply inform your agent: “goose, pack this challenge up.”

It runs Repomix, which compresses your entire codebase into an AI-optimized file. From there, your convo would possibly go like this:

• The place’s the auth logic?
• Present me how API calls work.
• What makes use of UserContext?
• What’s the structure?
• What’s nonetheless a TODO?

You get direct solutions with context, code snippets, summaries, and solutions. It’s like onboarding with a senior dev who already is aware of every little thing. Certain, you would grep round and piece issues collectively. However Repomix provides you the entire image—construction, metrics, patterns—compressed and queryable.

And it even works with distant public GitHub repos, so that you don’t must clone something to begin exploring.

That is in all probability my favourite dev MCP. It’s an enormous time saver for brand new tasks, code evaluations, and refactoring.

Chrome DevTools MCP: Net Testing Whereas You Code

The Chrome DevTools MCP is a must have for frontend devs. You’re constructing a brand new kind/widget/web page/no matter. As a substitute of opening your browser, typing stuff in, and clicking round, you simply inform your agent: “Take a look at my login kind on localhost:3000. Strive legitimate and invalid logins. Let me know what occurs.”

Chrome opens, check runs, screenshots captured, community visitors logged, console errors famous. All completed by the agent.

That is gold for frontend devs who wish to really check their work earlier than throwing it over the fence.

Might you script all this with CLIs and APIs? Certain, if you wish to spend your weekend writing glue code. However why would you wish to try this when MCP provides you that energy proper out of the field… in any MCP shopper?!

So no, MCPs are usually not overhyped. They’re the way you plug AI into every little thing you employ: Slack, GitHub, Jira, Chrome, docs, codebases—and make that stuff work collectively in new methods.

Lately, Anthropic known as out the real issue: Most dev setups load instruments naively, bloat the context, and confuse the mannequin. It’s not the protocol that’s damaged. It’s that most individuals (and brokers) haven’t discovered the best way to use it properly but. Fortuitously, goose has—it manages MCPs by default, enabling and disabling as you want them.

However I digress.

Step outdoors the IDE, and that’s once you actually begin to see the magic.

PS Comfortable first birthday, MCP! 🎉