Why it matters

Prompts are the underused MCP primitive. Enable prompt libraries that any MCP client can use. Understanding shapes ecosystem.

Advertisement

The architecture

list_prompts: server returns list with name, description, arguments.

get_prompt: client requests filled-in prompt with argument values.

MCP prompt flowlist_promptsdiscoveryFill argumentsuser provides valuesget_promptrendered messagesDifferent from resources: prompts are meant to be sent to LLM; resources are context data
Prompt lifecycle.
Advertisement

How it works end to end

Arguments: server declares required and optional args. Client collects from user.

Rendered: server returns list of messages (user, assistant) to send to LLM.

Use cases: canned code review, summarization templates, translation with style.