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You said no MCP

682 points · 362 comments · yarapavan

  1. alin23 · · focus · HN ↗
    Lately I found MCP to be much more than a coding tool. For example, I implemented it in my more complex macOS apps [0] like rcmd, Clop, Lunar, so they can be configured by natural language.

    So even with a local Qwen and Pi you can now say things like:

        Set up Clop to optimise any PNG that I drop in my website assets folder and convert to a webp with the same name near it
    
        Get Crank to start Time Machine backups immediately when I connect my HDD and notify me when the backup is done.
    
        I want to be able to hold rcmd and fuzzy search and focus cmux agent panes
    
    BetterTouchTool has a great MCP which can create native SwiftUI views and bind them to hotkeys, trackpad gestures etc. It can leverage its immense macOS automation tools and private APIs to let agents do Computer Use.

    You would need a much more capable coding model to code those tools from scratch and get the same fail-safe logic that the apps have honed over the years.

    Like, since MCP, Crank [1] has fully replaced my use of crontab, launchd, scattered scripts I run once a week. Not that it could not do that before, but it's so much simpler now to just describe the automation and have it happen reliably and visible in the UI. The friction is gone.

    [0] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;reddit.com&#x2F;r&#x2F;macapps&#x2F;comments&#x2F;1wkv0dy&#x2F;mcp_in_macos_apps_are_they_useful_for_you&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;reddit.com&#x2F;r&#x2F;macapps&#x2F;comments&#x2F;1wkv0dy&#x2F;mcp_in_macos_a...

    [1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;lowtechguys.com&#x2F;crank" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;lowtechguys.com&#x2F;crank

    1. anthonypasq · · focus · HN ↗
      This has been what everyone who has supported MCP has been telling people, but coders just endlessly screeched about how CLIs are better.

      Everyone on this forum has an absolute paucity of imagination when it comes to applying LLMs to any use case that doesnt involve coding.

      1. vorticalbox · · focus · HN ↗
        I think the issue is that any mcp could be a cli and llms are very good and using bash.

        Of course MCP has its use case like if you want auth, or session based actions.

        1. anthonypasq · · focus · HN ↗
          &gt; any mcp could be a cli

          NO IT CANT!!! why dont you understand that not all agents have access to a terminal!

          1. nimih · · focus · HN ↗
            you probably shouldn&#x27;t complain about people &quot;screeching&quot; when this is the tone you respond to calm, measured discussion with.
            1. anthonypasq · · focus · HN ↗
              im only bothered by people screeching about things that are wrong.
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