MCP is Dead

Why you should avoid using MCP in Claude Code and what to use instead

Nick BabichFollow

5 min read

·

Apr 6, 2026

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Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open-source standard that allows AI models to seamlessly connect with external data sources, tools, and software systems.

MCP is a plug-and-play technology, like USB, but for AI.

Despite all the benefits that MCP brings to daily interactions with AI, this technology has 5 critical problems that make it less usable in real product design work.

In this article, I want to explain 5 reasons why using MCP is a bad idea and what you should use instead.

Problem #1: MCP Adds Extra Level of Complexity

MCP is typically compared to API.

API (Application Programming Interface) is a set of rules and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate and exchange data.

# Example of API method that returns information about the user from a DB


## API Request 
GET /api/users/{id}


## API Response
{
  "id": 123,
  "name": "Nick Babich",
  "email"…