Server-side tools vs. client sampling
MCP isn't only about connecting an AI app to a tool. It also defines what a server exposes and where the work runs — and that second point is what protects a firm's method and data.
The three things a server exposes
An MCP server can offer three kinds of primitives: tools (actions the model can call, like "run a submittal review"), resources (data or context the model can read), and prompts (reusable templates). A focused server doesn't have to expose all three — it exposes only what its task needs.
Sampling: the reverse direction
MCP also allows the reverse flow, called sampling: a server can ask the client's model for a completion rather than carrying its own model and API keys. The client mediates that request, so the user's application stays in control of which model runs and what it's allowed to do. It's a useful pattern, but it's distinct from the server simply returning a finished result.
Where the work runs, and why it matters
When the substantive logic runs server-side, the client receives the result, not the method. For a review tool that distinction is the whole game: the check definitions and rubric stay on the server, the output is a structured draft, and the surface the user sees is consistent and controllable.
How AECdesign.ai uses this
AECdesign.ai's review tools run as server-side tools. Claude Desktop calls a tool and gets back a structured draft finding; the internal checks aren't shipped to the client. The reviewer then adjudicates the draft. The architecture is what lets the tool be both useful and bounded.
Sources
- Model Context Protocol (MCP): Landscape, Security Threats, and Future Directions — arXiv (host/client/server model and primitives).
- One Year of MCP — modelcontextprotocol.io.
- The Model Context Protocol's impact on 2025 — Thoughtworks.
Draft, not determination. Every substantive AECdesign.ai result is a draft. A licensed engineer of record must review, revise, accept, or reject each finding before it is issued. AECdesign.ai never provides a sealed determination.
Server-side review tools, in your Claude Desktop.
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