Writing

Blog

Working notes on MCP: what a server can actually reach, how to install one in each client, what the errors mean, what these things cost, and how to publish one people install. Written for the person about to make the decision, not for the person who already made it.

No product announcements, and no invented statistics. Every figure in every post is counted from this catalogue when the page loads — if a number here is wrong, the catalogue is wrong, and you can click through to check it.

This blog

Posts12

Written end to end12 of 12

Catalogue records read1,125

Figures computed at loadEvery one

Everything else 4 posts tagged engineering

10 Aug 2026 What happens between your prompt and a tool call Everything an agent does in one turn, in order, and which parts of it you are paying for whether they are used or not. Engineering 3 min MRmcprush team 8 Aug 2026 Every error an MCP gateway returns, and what to do about each one A handful of checks run before your call reaches a publisher. The first one that fails is the error you get — and knowing the order tells you exactly where to look. Engineering 3 min MRmcprush team 7 Aug 2026 MCP vs function calling, plugins and RAG: what it actually replaces Four things that get compared as if they were the same category. Three of them are, one is not, and knowing which is which saves a rewrite. Engineering 3 min MRmcprush team 5 Aug 2026 Remote vs local MCP servers: the trade nobody spells out Local is faster and it is not free. Remote costs a hop and buys four things you would otherwise have to build yourself. Engineering 2 min MRmcprush team

About two posts a month

New writing when there is something to say — a release that taught us something, or a pass over the catalogue that produced a number worth publishing. No product mail.

The address is used for this list and nothing else.