Ask HN:How AI/MCPs can be useful?
I've recently tried that AI vscode alternative (not windsurf, another one popular, forgot the name).
Sometimes code completion is a-okay, most of the times it'd produce a lot of code that I'd spend more time understanding than actually writing it. Sometimes when I expect completion to occur, it just doesn't. And I mostly rely on snippets and vscode auto-completion anyways.
It's a-okay for writing repetitive test code, however, I also noticed that if I set-up my framework well, then I can copy/paste most of the stuff and AI auto-completion does not add a lot of value.
Granted, I'm using claude as a search engine – it's pretty decent as a standalone app and gives good information to work with. It helps me understand unfamiliar APIs/frameworks/concepts quicker. Anyone takes away claude, I can live with RTFM.
I've recently tried connecting MCPs with claude desktop. It's cute that it can fetch stuff, or populate a local db or whatever. These seems to be gimmicks.
My question is – how can I really make MCPs and AI more useful for software development / team management processes? Can you share stories of how you use AI to really improve workflows?