The following article was originally published on block’s blog And is being republished here with the permission of the author.
Recently, I’ve seen more and more online developers start looking at MCP. there was a do This is summarized well by Darren Shepherd:
Most developers were introduced to MCP through coding agents (cursors, VS Code) and most developers struggle to get value from MCP in this use case… so they are rejecting MCP because they have CLIs and scripts available that are better for them.
blond. Most developers were introduced to MCP through some chat-with-your-code experience, and sometimes it doesn’t feel better than opening your terminal and using the tools you know. But the thing is…
MCPs were not created just for developers.
They’re not just for IDE copilots or code buddies. At Block, we use MCP in everything from finance to design, legal to engineering. I said it all How different teams are using Goose, an AI agent. The point is that MCP is a protocol. Whatever you build on top of it can serve all types of workflows.
But I get it… let’s talk about dev-specific ones Are Worth your time.
GitHub: more than just CLI
If your first thought is “why would I use this.” GitHub MCP When do I have CLI?” I hear you. GitHub’s MCP is bloated right now. (They know. They’re working on it.)
But: you’re thinking too local,
You’re imagining a single dev setup where you’re in your terminal, using the GitHub CLI to do your work. And honestly, if you’re just opening a PR or investigating issues, you should probably use the CLI.
But the CLI was never intended to coordinate between devices. It is designed for local, linear orders. But what if your GitHub interaction happened somewhere else entirely?
MCP shines when your work touches multiple systems like GitHub, Slack, and Jira without tying them together.
Here’s a real example from our team:
loose thread. Real developers in real time.
Dev 1: I think there is a bug in xyz
Dev 2: Let me check… Yes, I think you’re right.
Dev3: @Goose Is there a bug here?
Hans: Yes. It’s in these lines… (code snippet)
Dev3: Ok @Hans, open an issue with details. What solution would you suggest?
Hans: Here are 3 suggestions: (code snippet with logic)
Dev 1: I like option 1
Dev 2: Me too
Dev 3: @Hans, implement option 1
Hans: Done. Here is the PR.
This all happened in Slack. No one opened the browser or terminal. No one changed the context. Tracking the problem, testing, discussing solutions, implementing code in one thread over a five minute period.
We also have teams tagging Linear or Jira tickets and fully implementing them. One team had to commit 15 engineering days of work in a single sprint. The team was literally done and had to withdraw from future races. twice!
So yes, GitHub CLI is great. But MCP opens the door to workflows where GitHub isn’t the only place where development work happens. This is a noticeable change.
Context 7: Documents That Aren’t Useless
Here’s another problem for developers: documentation.
You are working with a new library. Or integrating an API. Or wrestle with an open source tool.
Episode 7 MCP Pulls up-to-date docs, code examples and guides straight into the brain of your AI agent. You simply ask and get answers to questions like the following:
- How do I create a payment with Square SDK?
- What is the authentication flow for firebase?
- Is this library tree-shakingable?
It does not rely on old LLM training data from two years ago. It still scratches the source of truth. Updating it to give…say it with me…context.
Developer “flow” is real, and each interruption steals precious focus time. This MCP helps you explore new libraries, troubleshoot integrations, and fix stuck issues without leaving your IDE.
RepoMix: Learn the entire codebase without reading it
Imagine you join a new project or want to contribute to an open source project, but it’s a huge repo with a lot of complexities.
Instead of wandering around for hours trying to create an architectural diagram in your mind, you simply say to your agent: “Hans, pack up this project.”
it goes on RipomixWhich compresses the entire codebase into an AI-optimized file. From there, your convo could go like this:
- Where is the authentic argument?
- Show me how the API call works.
- What is UserContext used for?
- What is architecture?
- Still what is TODO?
You get direct answers with references, code snippets, summaries and tips. It’s like connecting with a senior developer who already knows everything. Sure, you can gather around and piece things together. But Repomix gives you the whole picture – structure, metrics, patterns – compressed and queryable.
And it also works with remote public GitHub repos, so you don’t need to clone anything to start searching.
This is probably my favorite Dave MCP. This is a huge time saver for new projects, code reviews and refactorings.
Chrome DevTools MCP: Web testing while you code
chrome devtools mcp This is a must for frontend developers. You are creating a new form/widget/page/whatever. Instead of opening your browser, typing stuff and clicking around, you just tell your agent: “Test my login form on localhost:3000. Try valid and invalid logins. Let me know what happens.”
Chrome opens, tests run, screenshots are captured, network traffic is logged, console errors are noted. All done by the agent.
This is gold for frontend developers who want to really test their work before throwing it over the fence.
Can you script all this with CLI and API? Sure, if you want to spend your weekend writing Glue code. But why would you want to do that when MCP gives you that power right out of the box in any MCP client?!
So no, MCP has not been promoted that much. They’re how you plug AI into everything you use: Slack, GitHub, Jira, Chrome, Docs, codebases — and make that stuff work together in new ways.
Recently, Anthropic called out real issue:Most dev setups naively load tools, obfuscate context, and confuse models. It’s not the protocol that’s broken. That’s because most people (and agents) haven’t figured out how to use it yet. Luckily, Hans has it Manages MCPs by defaultEnable and disable as per your requirement.
but I digress.
Step outside the IDE, and that’s when you’ll really start to see the magic.
PS Happy 1st Birthday, MCP!
