From 502db8fae238be8f1e5cb170edc1b74a3540f070 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Ola Hungerford Date: Sun, 15 Feb 2026 14:20:50 -0700 Subject: [PATCH] Add docs-as-MCP-server and plugin/powers use cases (#22) * Add docs-as-MCP-server and plugin/powers use cases Add two new use cases from Clare Liguori and Luca Chang (AWS) shared in Discord after the first IG meeting: - Documentation as MCP Server (search_docs/fetch_doc pattern) - Skills + MCP Server Plugins (one-click bundling of skills + servers) Add related implementations and external resources (Strands, AWS MCP, Kiro powers, llms.txt, AWS Agent SOPs). Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 * Add link to mcpdoc and more context --------- Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.6 --- docs/related-work.md | 5 +++++ docs/use-cases.md | 33 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2 files changed, 38 insertions(+) diff --git a/docs/related-work.md b/docs/related-work.md index d6b9944..447034b 100644 --- a/docs/related-work.md +++ b/docs/related-work.md @@ -25,6 +25,9 @@ Original implementations from external repositories (example implementations in | mcp-execution | bug-ops | [github.com/bug-ops/mcp-execution](https://github.com/bug-ops/mcp-execution) | Compiles MCP servers into skill packages | | Astronomer agents | Kaxil Naik | [github.com/astronomer/agents](https://github.com/astronomer/agents) | Skills distribution via MCP for Apache Airflow | | my-cool-proxy | karashiiro | [github.com/karashiiro/my-cool-proxy](https://github.com/karashiiro/my-cool-proxy) | MCP gateway server with skills as resources via Lua scripts | +| Strands Agents MCP server | AWS | [github.com/strands-agents/mcp-server](https://github.com/strands-agents/mcp-server/) | Docs-as-MCP: TF-IDF search + doc fetch | +| AWS MCP server | AWS | [docs.aws.amazon.com/aws-mcp/…](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/aws-mcp/latest/userguide/understanding-mcp-server-tools.html) | `retrieve_agent_sop` (skills) + `call_aws` (tool) | +| Kiro powers directory | Kiro | [github.com/kirodotdev/powers](https://github.com/kirodotdev/powers/) | Plugin directory bundling skills + MCP servers | ## External Resources @@ -33,4 +36,6 @@ Original implementations from external repositories (example implementations in - **"MCP and Skills: Why Not Both?"** (Kurtis Van Gent): [kvg.dev/posts/20260125-skills-and-mcp/](https://kvg.dev/posts/20260125-skills-and-mcp/) — Frames MCP (connectivity) and Skills (context saturation) as complementary; discusses hybrid approaches - **Conceptual spec visualization** (Keith Groves): [enact-465fb1fc.mintlify.app/specification/draft/server/skills](https://enact-465fb1fc.mintlify.app/specification/draft/server/skills) — "What if" exploration - **Apache Airflow AIP-91** (MCP integration): [cwiki.apache.org/…/AIP-91+-+MCP](https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/AIRFLOW/AIP-91+-+MCP) +- **llms.txt convention:** [llmstxt.org](https://llmstxt.org/) — Convention for making documentation LLM-accessible; used by [MCPDoc](https://github.com/langchain-ai/mcpdoc) in a way similar to how skills work. +- **AWS Agent SOPs:** [docs.aws.amazon.com/…/agent-sops](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/aws-mcp/latest/userguide/agent-sops.html) — Pre-built operational workflows as skill-like guidance - **Video background:** [youtube.com/watch?v=CEvIs9y1uog](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEvIs9y1uog) diff --git a/docs/use-cases.md b/docs/use-cases.md index 06b4c55..7db97e1 100644 --- a/docs/use-cases.md +++ b/docs/use-cases.md @@ -83,3 +83,36 @@ SaaS companies serving per-user skill content that varies by subscription tier, **Community input:** > "At Astronomer we need to serve different skill content to different customers based on their subscription tier and role, with full audit logging. This goes beyond enterprise adoption — it's about multi-tenant commercial delivery of skills with fine-grained access control." — [Kaxil Naik](https://github.com/kaxil) + +## 10. Documentation as MCP Server + +MCP servers whose primary function is serving documentation through a small set of tools — typically a search tool (with a local or remote index) and a fetch tool (returning specific markdown pages). This pattern applies progressive disclosure to documentation: the model receives a list of available topics and selectively loads content as needed. + +**Examples:** + +- [Strands Agents MCP server](https://github.com/strands-agents/mcp-server/) uses a local TF-IDF index for search and on-demand fetching of individual doc pages +- [AWS Knowledge MCP server](https://awslabs.github.io/mcp/servers/aws-knowledge-mcp-server) is a fully managed remote MCP server that indexes AWS documentation, code samples, and regional availability +- [MCPDoc](https://github.com/langchain-ai/mcpdoc) serves documentation via the [llms.txt](https://llmstxt.org/) convention — listing titles so the model can selectively enable content +- [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com/) auto-generates MCP endpoints for public documentation sites (e.g., [modelcontextprotocol.io/mcp](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/mcp), [agentclientprotocol.com/mcp](https://agentclientprotocol.com/mcp)) + +**Skills connection:** These doc servers often pair with skill-like instruction files that provide quick code samples and direct the agent to use the MCP server for deeper information. For example, the [Strands Kiro powers](https://github.com/kirodotdev/powers/tree/main/strands) bundle starter instructions alongside the MCP server. + +**Community input:** + +> "I'm seeing a common pattern of MCP servers with two tools: `search_docs`, `fetch_doc`. `search_docs` has either a local index or a remote index, and `fetch_docs` generally is just a web fetch of a specific markdown documentation page." — [Clare Liguori](https://github.com/clareliguori) (AWS), via Discord + +## 11. Skills + MCP Server Plugins + +Coding assistants are converging on plugin capabilities that let users one-click install a combination of skills and MCP servers. The skill files within these plugins serve different roles — some describe how to use the remote MCP server, while others describe how to use local CLIs or tools — but they're bundled and distributed as a single installable unit. + +This is related to but distinct from [Server-Skill Pairing](#5-server-skill-pairing): that use case focuses on servers that *need* skills to function; this one focuses on the *distribution and composition* mechanism that bundles skills with servers (and other tools) into a cohesive plugin. + +**Examples:** + +- [Kiro](https://kiro.dev/) uses "powers" and "steering files" — functionally the same as plugins + skills +- [Supabase Kiro powers](https://github.com/supabase-community/kiro-powers/) bundle skill files that describe both how to use the remote MCP server and how to use the Supabase CLI +- The [AWS MCP server](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/aws-mcp/latest/userguide/understanding-mcp-server-tools.html) provides `retrieve_agent_sop` and `call_aws` tools — the [Agent SOPs](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/aws-mcp/latest/userguide/agent-sops.html) are effectively skills that guide multi-step workflows through the `call_aws` tool + +**Community input:** + +> "Several coding assistants incl Claude Code now have plugin capabilities that let you one-click install a combination of skills and MCP servers. Kiro calls them powers and steering files, but if you squint it's the same as plugins + skills." — [Clare Liguori](https://github.com/clareliguori) (AWS), via Discord