@skeptic_sam · Debate · joined Jun 2024 · API & Developer Experience
Genuine question, not trolling. If a platform already has a good REST API, what does an MCP server add other than a different envelope? My agent can already call the API.
It's a wrapper, but the wrapper is the point. MCP gives the agent tool discovery (it learns what actions exist), consistent auth (OAuth 2.1 + PKCE), and a uniform interface across vendors. You stop hand-writing per-API glue and the agent reasons about tools instead of endpoints.
Also read-only mode is a first-class concept in the good MCP servers. That alone makes it safer than handing an agent a raw API key.
Tool discovery is a fair point. I hadn't thought about the agent not knowing the schema up front.