Ask HN: For vertical AI does MCP break need for 3rd party API libraries?
Hey HN, is ti just me or does MCP feel like one of those “this changes everything’ moments for vertical AI apps and API integrations? If you’ve ever wrestled with middleware libraries.. is this the exit ramp moment?
Goodbye spaghetti integrations: MCP flattens the M×N mess of custom connectors into a clean M+N setup. Models and tools just need to speak MCP, and they’re good to go.
Third-party libraries sweating bullets: why pay for middleware when MCP gives you a universal protocol out of the box? Libraries might have to pivot hard or risk becoming legacy tech.
Scalability++: MCP’s structured communication (Prompts, Resources, Tools) lets models and APIs dynamically discover and interact in real time. Debugging? Way easier. Maintenance? Less of a headache.
What happens to the middleware giants? are Merge, Finch, and Paragon doomed, or will they just rebrand as “MCP experts”?
Adoption pain: if your stack is built on third-party libraries, migrating to MCP might feel like open-heart surgery.
In reality tho, customization probably isn’t dead: vertical AI apps still need their niche workflows. How do we balance MCP’s standardization with the bespoke stuff that makes these apps tick?
is MCP the API integration library killer, or just another protocol to add to the pile?
Will third-party libraries adapt, or are we witnessing the beginning of the end of a web 2.0 middleware chapter that doesn’t apply to where the puck is moving?