by cynnix77 | 2025-08-03 15:20:41+00:00
Preparing the Web for the Agent Era – August 2025 The Problem The web was built for humans. Pages are rendered for people, while APIs — if they exist — are inconsistent, undocumented, and often private. But the traffic mix is shifting: AI agents (LLMs, automation frameworks, crawlers) are rapidly becoming primary users of the web. These agents rely on scraping and reverse‑engineered APIs, leading to brittle, insecure, and inefficient integrations.The next evolution of the web requires a universal, machine‑readable interface: one where agents can safely discover and interact with services, while humans retain access through a minimal UI. The Solution: MCP Discovery Layer We propose a universal, agent‑first protocol layer:1. Self‑Describing Manifest:A JSON or YAML file at a well‑known location:https://cynnixsinn.github.io/mcpdiscovery-site/ Declares capabilities (e.g., create_invoice, list_products), input/output schemas, auth requirements, rate limits, and costs. 2. MCP Gateway: A lightweight service that translates MCP‑standard calls into backend actions (REST, GraphQL, gRPC). Enforces authentication, rate limits, and safety policies. 3. Thin Human UI:A minimal control panel consuming the same MCP endpoints for manual access.Keeps legacy human workflows alive.Result: Every site instantly becomes agent‑ready — no scraping, no guessing, no custom integrations Example MCP Manifest { "version": "1.0", "service": "Example Shop", "description": "E-commerce API for browsing and purchasing items.", "capabilities": [ { "name": "list_products", "description": "Retrieve available products.", "input_schema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "category": { "type": "string" } } }, "output_schema": { "type": "array", "items": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "price": { "type": "number" } } } }, "endpoint": "/mcp/list_products", "method": "GET" } ], "auth": { "methods": ["oauth2", "api_key"] }, "limits": { "requests_per_minute": 60 } } Benefits:Agent‑Ready by Default: No more scraping or reverse‑engineering. Low Adoption Cost: As easy as adding robots.txt or sitemap.xml. Future‑Proof: One manifest works for LLMs, automation tools, and agent frameworks.Ecosystem Interoperability: A consistent interface across industries. Implementation Roadmap 1. Spec Development: Define manifest structure (JSON Schema + MCP actions).Publish an open standard via a working group (AI labs, W3C, IETF). 2. Reference Implementations: SDKs for Node.js, Python, Go.CMS plugins for WordPress, Shopify, Squarespace. 3.Developer Tools: Manifest generator, validator, and quick‑start guides. 4.Ecosystem Incentives:Search engines and AI assistants prioritize MCP‑enabled sites.Cloud platforms provide MCP‑as‑a‑service for instant deployment. Call to Action:The MCP Discovery Layer will do for the agent‑first web what HTML did for the early internet: create a universal, lightweight, and self‑describing interface. We invite collaboration from:AI providers: OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind, Meta.Standards bodies: W3C, IETF.Platform owners: AWS, Microsoft, Cloudflare.Open‑source communities: Building agent frameworks and MCP servers.Together, we can make the web agent‑ready by default — simple, secure, and interoperable. Visual: MCP Discovery Architecture Here’s how the layers fit together Internet‑Wide MCP Discovery Layer Agent Flow:1. Agent queries /.well-known/mcp.json → discovers capabilities.2. Calls MCP Gateway endpoints (structured actions).3. Receives standardized JSON responses.4. Optional: Human operators use the thin UI for oversights