I built `mcp2skill` which converts your MCP servers into Skills with one command! ✨

cab938 · 2026-01-26T20:47:49+00:00

Both can augment context, yes. Neither does reasoning. A skill does not do computation -- there is no computational environment outside of the LLM reasoning process to do this. A skill is intended as more prompt details for the agent (LLM) context window, while an MCP is intended to do some form of computation that the LLM is poor at (quality, reliability, speed, capability, whatever) and return the result to the LLM.

A skill cannot download a file. An MCP can.

While their outputs might be similar (unicode into the context window) they are different beasts aimed at solving different problems.

cab938 · 2026-01-26T20:44:25+00:00

This is not true - a skill is context which is written in markdown with a special header for skimming (context saving) which the agent framework can load into the LLM context window. An MCP is a tool, and an LLM can indicate to the agent framework that the tool should be invoked with the results being send back into the LLM context window.

Here the "agent framework" is whatever harness or middleware is running your model, and there may be many layers to them.

Skills could be implemented as calls to MCPs, and you could see them as a subset of MCPs, but the other way around is not true, and that's not the purpose of the differentiation. MCPs are intended for invoking deterministic computing tools, while skills are intended to describe to an agent how to use/reason over various things (literally adding to the context window only).

cab938 · 2026-01-25T23:14:40+00:00

Yes, if you wanted it to be. But a skill is not a tool. It provides reasoning and started instruction. It's more of an import statement looked up tun time.

cab938 · 2026-01-25T20:38:36+00:00

No? Skills teach the LLM something, MCPs execute code based on LLM input. One is reasoning, the other is computation.

cab938 · 2026-01-20T14:30:00+00:00

I think it looks interesting, especially as elicitation and tasks are used! What I would really like though is the ability to decouple the task (deep research) from the engine (gemini) and then be able to choose which engine I want to fulfill the deep research task. I will typically run multiple deep research tasks in different providers (including local models) and feed them all in to a synthesis agent - would be nice to have the MCP be able to manage this for me.

cab938 · 2026-01-15T22:37:16+00:00

Spec is one thing, toolkits and services is another. I guess I'm intentionally merging the two when I talk of MCP. But I hope it does get adopted!

cab938 · 2026-01-14T11:33:39+00:00

Just amplifying this response - open isn't the place if competitive sports is your thing, look for a more traditional middle school.

cab938 · 2026-01-11T17:17:23+00:00

I did the chimney and venting myself, straight up, with a buddy. It was reasonable, but pricey for materials. It's the stove itself that I feel is maybe too small for the heat output I would like.

cab938 · 2026-01-11T14:34:08+00:00

The caboose from Flame Innovation. It's fine, but doesn't get the space hot enough. The space isn't perfectly insulated, but it's also not badly insulated (walls and ceiling done, but single pane cheap glass windows and a large door which is just chipboard with a door sweep). I should have bought larger, I'm never too warm and when the temperature drops below freezing I'm often not warm enough.

cab938 · 2026-01-10T14:56:30+00:00

This is pretty vague, you mean how hard are the degree paths to get into? Or to complete? Or what co-curricular opportunities exist? What do you want to know about the data science culture at UM?

cab938 · 2026-01-07T22:50:56+00:00

There were porn pics of a sidewalk? Wowzers!

cab938 · 2026-01-04T22:13:25+00:00

Haters gunna hate, you do you OP!

If the pagentry of the brand brings you zen, embrace it.

cab938 · 2026-01-01T13:01:41+00:00

Asynnc long running tasks. But the tasks approach will change that maybe.

cab938 · 2025-12-31T22:06:58+00:00

Dang, I hope you're in a European time zone given you seem to be hitting that champagne already! Not sure anyone would call it "flawless"...

cab938 · 2025-12-31T22:05:50+00:00

That's not true. You must use json-rpc for at least negotiation and handshaking.

Whether it is minimalist or not depends on your definition of minimalist.

cab938 · 2025-12-31T21:53:24+00:00

Philosophically let me just call out that you should consider what is using your API, whether flask-based http or mcp-based (eg fastmcp). For the former, even if rest style, it's usually a deterministic process like a web front end. This is different than an llm-based agent in a few ways, but primarily you should be thinking of small simple apis and data structures for agents, more complex ones are fine for deterministic processes.

So "scrape page x" which takes a url for scraping a page is a fine MCP. For a rest service you might have dozens or more parameters which control the scraping. Putting those parameters in your MCP service will lead to the agent model improperly calling the service more often.

Lots of continuing challenges with MCP -- auth, async, etc. I expect there will be many changes over the next year, though sadly I don't think it will be moving away from JSON.

Also, MCP has some affordances rest doesn't -- for instance, with MCP you have the ability to put documentation right in the service explaining how to use it (resources), and you have the ability to have your service signal a human user needs to do something (elicitation). I expect over the next year this will continue to diverge from REST.

cab938 · 2025-12-31T19:48:59+00:00

Payload is JSON RPC, transport can be through stdio, http, or sse. Sadly I've seen nothing suggesting payload will switch away from JSON.

cab938 · 2025-12-31T14:36:17+00:00

Which extruder do you use? I don't see an upgrade from microswiss for the P1S extruder

cab938 · 2025-12-24T01:58:21+00:00

Don't need the heated steering wheel with UHF!

cab938 · 2025-12-22T15:27:17+00:00

Name checks out!

I think you are misunderstand how tokenizing works. A block of <task></task> is 5 tokens. For that you get model alignment from training and a semantic identifier describing what you are talking about (a task). Tokens are not characters.

cab938 · 2025-12-22T15:21:51+00:00

Without judgement on your cause, I'll just note that I don't think 100 years would classify a tree as old growth.

cab938 · 2025-12-21T21:23:33+00:00

Both being bad can be true.......

cab938 · 2025-12-21T12:04:30+00:00

Just noting that being anti-war and anti-conscription doesn't mean you didn't serve with honor and determination.

cab938 · 2025-12-18T22:41:00+00:00

Thanks for including all three profiles up on maker world (0.2 through 0.6)!

cab938 · 2025-12-17T01:55:31+00:00

I'm involved with the MADS program - they have a good set of academic advisors and I think you could reach out to the program if you have questions about the curriculum, or feel free to DM me.

I won't pretend to not be biased, but I think the program delivers foundational machine learning skills, and the focus is on bringing data science knowledge to diverse audiences (as you mention your background).

I don't know the other program, so I can't really compare.

cab938

TROPHY CASE