Agent-Native vs AI Bolt-On
Dan Shipper
CEO & Co-founder, Every
"Build systems designed for agents from the ground up, not traditional systems with AI added as an afterthought. Agent-native apps have an agent at their core where every feature is a skill the agent can execute. Each button press sends a prompt to an agent instead of triggering pre-built rules."
Related Insights
Parity Principle: Agents Get User Powers
Whatever the user can do through the UI, the agent should be able to do. This means users can ask the agent to perform tasks that weren't explicitly built, like clearing all comments, because the agent has access to all the underlying tools.
Granularity: Tools Smaller Than Features
Design tools at a granular level, smaller than features. This allows agents to combine tools in new ways you didn't predict to accomplish tasks you might want. The agent can compose capabilities flexibly rather than being locked into rigid workflows.
MCP That Teaches Claude Every Framework
Build an MCP that gives Claude access to up-to-date documentation for any library. Context7 provides an interface for agents to call external data or tools, so your agent always has access to the most popular and best-in-class frameworks.