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zzstoatzz.io feat: Add MCP protocol notes and integrate Atmospheric Computing concepts
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README.md
fastmcp.md
README.md

mcp#

the model context protocol. an open standard for connecting ai models (hosts) to external systems (servers) via structured tools, resources, and prompts. it acts as a "usb-c port for ai."

architecture#

mcp defines a client-server relationship:

  • host: the ai application (e.g., claude code, vscode) that coordinates and manages mcp clients.
  • client: maintains a dedicated connection to an mcp server and obtains context from it for the host. a host can have multiple clients.
  • server: a program that provides context (tools, resources, prompts) to mcp clients. servers can run locally (stdio) or remotely (http/sse).
┌─────────────┐     ┌─────────────┐
│  MCP Host   │     │ MCP Server  │
│ (LLM Client)│─────│ (Tools, Data)│
└──────┬──────┘     └─────────────┘
       │                 ▲
       │ request/response│
       │                 │
       │ context, actions│
       ▼                 │
┌─────────────┐     ┌─────────────┐
│  MCP Client │─────│  External   │
│ (Per Server)│     │  System     │
└─────────────┘     └─────────────┘

primitives#

mcp servers expose three core primitives:

tools#

executable functions that the host (via the llm) can invoke.

  • define actions an ai can take.
  • typically correspond to python functions with type hints and docstrings.
  • examples: add_event_to_calendar(title: str, date: str), search_docs(query: str).

resources#

read-only data sources exposed to the host.

  • content is addressed by a uri (e.g., config://app/settings.json, github://repo/readme.md).
  • can be structured (json) or unstructured (text, binary).
  • examples: application configuration, documentation, database entries.

prompts#

reusable templates for interaction.

  • define common interactions or workflows.
  • can guide the llm in complex tasks.
  • examples: summarize_document(document: str), generate_report(data: dict).

transport#

mcp supports flexible transport mechanisms:

  • stdio: standard input/output. efficient for local, co-located processes.
  • streamable http: for remote servers. uses http post for client messages and server-sent events (sse) for streaming responses. supports standard http auth.

applications & patterns#

plyr.fm mcp server#

an mcp server that exposes a music library (plyr.fm) to llm clients.

  • purpose: allows llms to query track information, search the library, and get user-specific data (e.g., liked tracks).
  • design: primarily read-only tools (e.g., list_tracks, get_track, search). mutations are handled by a separate cli.
  • source: zzstoatzz/plyr-python-client

prefect mcp server#

an mcp server for interacting with prefect, a workflow orchestration system.

  • purpose: enables llms to monitor and manage prefect workflows.
  • design: exposes monitoring tools (read-only) and provides guidance for mutations via the prefect cli.
  • pattern: emphasizes "agent-friendly usage" of the prefect cli, including --no-prompt and prefect api for json output, to facilitate programmatic interaction by llms.
  • source: prefecthq/prefect-mcp-server

ecosystem#

  • fastmcp - pythonic server framework
  • pdsx - mcp server for atproto
  • inspector - web-based debugger for mcp servers

sources#