▲ 1 r/mcp
MCP-App -> Companion app?
LLM-backed agents and chatbots have already transformed our interaction with computers. I believe it is only the beginning of it. Both available services and user interface remain limited.
MCP servers have dramatically extended the reach to more services and data. Still, the "this is just another API" confusion shows the lack of shared definition about the intent of the MCP. Actually Claude is using the term "connectors".
Similarly, MCP Apps are providing a mean to extend the UI. However, the confusion is even bigger there. How does the MCP app land into the chat flow? Should we interact exclusively with one or the other, or expect a back and forth transition between typing and clicking?
While developing OuEstCharlie Woof, an MCP-App photo gallery, it took me a lot of time to adjust the user interaction and flow between the chat harness, the MCP tools, and the gallery UI.
For example, the photo search is often not successful on first shot. Often the harness will try different approaches looking at the number of matches for each. Providing MCP tools with information about what is searchable (photo metadata fields) and a summary of available values (e.g. photo tag set) is also very important to guide the harness. Eventually, a single prompt might expand in calling 3 to 4 different MCP tools before the gallery is open (see first screenshot).
Also, managing the data backing the MCP App GUI requires managing sessions: understanding that within the same user chat session several instances of the gallery GUI can be shown (2nd screenshot).
Last but not least, I find it difficult to explain and pitch. "What is your software?" "Is it an application with AI in it?" "Is it a Google Photo clone?"
MCP App is quite a terrible name, I have landed to "Companion App for Claude".
What is your experience with MCP Apps as a user or a developer?
u/Agreeable_Luck9488 — 2 months ago
▲ 0 r/Strava
Use the Strava activity log to sort my photos
The Strava activity log has a lot of information that Claude Cowork is exploiting to sort and enrich my digital camera roll. What used to be a painful manual activity is now a conversation with Claude. I have created Woof, an extension app to Claude to search and browse the photos within the chat.
u/Agreeable_Luck9488 — 2 months ago
Any feedback on Lancedb
Recently, I have been using Lancedb for a personal application project. It is filling my requirements:
- in process, no need for a separate engine to deploy and maintain
- claimed good performance for row and column access
- support for full text, embedding search with pre filters
- snapshotting and decent concurrency management
It fits the purpose and I am fully satisfied.
Still, I want to validate my choice for the long run.
There are many table formats, some with more traction like Iceberg or Delta.
On the application field (OLTP), Sqlite holds a big share of the in process market. For OLAP, the equivalent is Duckdb.
I am thus wondering if some of you have adopted Lancedb, if there are some feedback to share?
u/Agreeable_Luck9488 — 3 months ago
▲ 1 r/MCPservers
Local MCP servers on a dead end? What do r/MCPservers think about it?
reddit.comu/Agreeable_Luck9488 — 3 months ago
Are local MCP servers on a dead end?
While the initial release of the MCP pushed for local MCP servers and stdio conduit, the current status of local MCP servers is quite grim. ChatGTP does not support them, Claude desktop hides as "developers only" the settings to register local extensions. There is no official market place for local MCP servers.
Still, I think local MCP is not always a threat. You might want to share local resources like files, pictures and applications without registering to a server, without sharing an access key.
What do you think?
u/Agreeable_Luck9488 — 3 months ago