Forem: Howie54023

7 MCP skills I've been using that actually changed my workflow

Howie54023 — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 10:29:16 +0000

I've been going through a lot of MCP skills lately and most of them are... fine.
Useful in a narrow way, but not something you'd think about twice.

These 7 are different. Each one replaced something I was doing manually,
or unlocked something I didn't know was possible. Sharing them here in case
anyone else finds them useful.

1. xAI Grok Search

https://discoveraiskills.com/skills/grok

The thing that always bugged me about AI assistants is the knowledge cutoff.
You ask about something that happened last week and it either hallucinates or
tells you it doesn't know.

Grok Search fixes this. It gives your AI real-time access to the web and
X/Twitter — with actual source citations, not just vibes. You can filter by
domain, account, or date range too.

The part that surprised me: it doesn't just dump results at you. The AI
reasons over them and gives you a synthesized answer. Asked it "what's the
current sentiment on X about [topic]" and got something genuinely useful back.

2. URL to PDF

https://discoveraiskills.com/skills/url2pdf

Embarrassingly simple but I use this almost every day.

Just say "convert this URL to a PDF" and it does it. Clean layout,
mobile-optimized, no API key, no account. It just works.

I use it mostly for saving documentation and articles I want to read later
without worrying about the page changing or disappearing.

3. WPS Office

https://discoveraiskills.com/skills/wps-office

If you use WPS (very common in Asia), this one is genuinely useful.

You can create docs, batch convert formats, manage WPS 365 forms and
flowcharts — all just by describing what you want. The thing that got me
was realizing I could say "convert all the .doc files in this folder to PDF
and rename them by date" and it just... does it. No macro, no script.

4. Bambu Studio AI

https://discoveraiskills.com/skills/bambu-studio-ai

OK this one is a bit niche but if you have a Bambu Lab 3D printer, it's wild.

You can check print status, get slicing recommendations, manage your AMS
filament system, all through conversation. The whole "open Bambu Studio,
check the app, go back to what I was doing" loop is just gone.

Showed this to a friend who does a lot of printing and he immediately asked
how to install it.

5. Pinterest

https://discoveraiskills.com/skills/pinterest

Most integrations give you links. This one gives you the actual images,
rendered right in the chat.

Search by keyword, get full-res images back directly. For anyone doing
visual research or building mood boards, the difference between "here's a
link" and "here's the image" is bigger than it sounds. No more
tab-switching and screenshotting.

6. China Stock Analysis

https://discoveraiskills.com/skills/china-stock-analysis

Real-time A-share and HK stock data with AI analysis, inside your AI agent.

Ask about any Chinese-listed stock and get price data, trend analysis,
a structured report. If you follow the Chinese market, you know how
fragmented the tooling usually is — this consolidates a lot of it into
one place.

7. PLEX-CTL

https://discoveraiskills.com/skills/plex-ctl

For anyone running a Plex server at home: you can now just tell your AI
to play something.

"Play the next episode of Severance on the living room TV" — works.
Search your library, control playback across clients, check what's
currently playing. It's the smart home media control thing that actually
functions as advertised.

Found most of these browsing through discoveraiskills.com — there's a
directory of 36k+ skills there if you want to go down the rabbit hole.
Curious what others are using, drop them below.

Why I Chose the Web Over an App for a Developer Tool

Howie54023 — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:58:41 +0000

When I started building a skill directory for AI agents, the first real decision I had to make wasn't about the data model or the UI framework.

It was: should this be a web app or a desktop app?

I went with the web. Here's why.

The obvious answer isn't always obvious

Most developer tools I use are desktop apps. VS Code, Cursor, Warp, Raycast — they're all native or Electron-based. There's a reason for that: they need deep OS integration, file system access, and low-latency input.

But a skill directory is different. It's fundamentally a browsing and discovery experience. You come in, look around, maybe copy something, and leave. That's a web-native pattern.

Sharing is a first-class feature

The moment I imagined someone finding a useful skill and wanting to share it with a teammate, the answer became clear.

With a web app: copy the URL, paste it, done.

With a desktop app: "Here, download this, install it, open it, then navigate to..."

Sharing is so fundamental to how developer tools spread that making it frictionless isn't a nice-to-have — it's a core feature.

SEO is distribution

I want people to find skills when they search for things like "Claude skill for SQL queries" or "AI agent browser automation."

A web app gets indexed. A desktop app doesn't.

This isn't just about vanity traffic. It's about the discovery loop: someone searches → finds a skill → uses it → shares it → someone else searches. That loop only works if the web can see your content.

The capability gap is closing

The main argument for desktop apps used to be: "You can't do X on the web."

That gap is shrinking fast. Web apps now have:

File system access (via the File System Access API)
Clipboard read/write
Notifications
Background sync
WebSockets for real-time updates

For a skill directory, I don't need any of the things that still favor desktop. I don't need to spawn processes, access the registry, or run background daemons.

Maintenance is simpler

With a web app, there's one version. Everyone's always on it.

With a desktop app, you're managing installers, auto-updaters, code signing certificates for Mac and Windows, and users who haven't updated in six months running into bugs you fixed three months ago.

For a side project, that operational overhead is a real cost.

The tradeoff I accepted

Web apps have real limitations. They can't deeply integrate with the local AI agent runtime. They can't watch the file system for skill changes. They can't run as a background service.

For the skill directory specifically, none of those matter. The directory is a read-mostly experience. The actual skill execution happens in the agent runtime, not in the browser.

If I were building the agent runtime itself, I'd probably go desktop. But I'm not — I'm building the place where you discover and share what the runtime can do.

The meta-lesson

The right platform choice depends on what your app actually does, not what category it belongs to.

"Developer tool" doesn't automatically mean "desktop app." Ask what the core interaction is. Ask who needs to share it and how. Ask what distribution channel matters most.

For a skill directory, the answers all pointed to the web.

This is part of a series on building a skill directory for AI agents. The first post covers why I built it in the first place.

I Built a Skill Directory for AI Agents. Here is Why.

Howie54023 — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:53:58 +0000

This is the first project I built while experimenting with vibe coding.

It is a structured directory of AI agent skills — not because there are not enough tools, but because there is not enough structure.

The gap I kept running into

While using Claude and Cursor intensively, I noticed a specific gap. When I know what capability I need, I can search for it. But when I do not know what is possible, discovery becomes random. Many powerful skills are found accidentally rather than intentionally.

Capability growth is accelerating. Awareness growth is not. That asymmetry compounds over time.

How skills are discovered today

Today, skills are discovered through GitHub repositories, Discord communities, documentation, rankings, and social feeds. There is no shortage of information. What is missing is organization.

Most platforms optimize for search. Few optimize for browsing. Search solves tasks; browsing builds capability boundaries. They serve different cognitive functions, yet the ecosystem mostly optimizes the former.

This project is an attempt to address the latter.

Two structural decisions

Two decisions shaped the design. First, organize by role rather than by technical taxonomy. Second, prioritize browsing paths over deep search features. Not as a differentiation tactic, but as a reflection of how work actually happens. Most people think in roles and workflows, not in protocol layers.

Why web instead of an app?

Skill usage happens on desktop — inside IDEs, terminals, and browsers. This is workflow infrastructure, not idle consumption. Apps optimize for distribution; the web optimizes for structure and indexability. For a directory, structure matters more than push notifications.

If you are curious, the project is here: discoveraiskills.com

What is next

Next steps include publishing curated skill collections, expanding data sources, reducing UX friction, strengthening SEO foundations, and gradually introducing UGC. There is no rush. Capability maps built too quickly tend to collapse into tool dumps.

If I had to reduce it to one line:

AI can search for you. It cannot build your capability map.

That still requires intent. This project is simply an attempt to make that map easier to see.

Monkey Mart Unblocked 76: The Complete School Play Guide

Howie54023 — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:13:48 +0000

Monkey Mart Unblocked 76 is one of the most searched variations of the game among students. Here's the full context on what it means and where to actually play.

The "76" Unblocked Game Phenomenon

"Unblocked Games 76" was one of the most popular unblocked game aggregator sites among students for years. It hosted hundreds of browser games on a domain that bypassed school content filters. Students searching for specific games would add "76" or "unblocked 76" to their search to find versions that worked on school networks.

Finding Monkey Mart That Works at School

The original Unblocked Games 76 site has had varying availability over the years. A more reliable approach is to use a dedicated Monkey Mart site that's built specifically to work on restricted networks.

MonkeyMartHub hosts the full Monkey Mart game and is accessible on most school and workplace networks without a VPN. The site is lightweight, loads quickly on slow school WiFi, and works on any device including Chromebooks.

What to Expect

The game is identical to the original — same mechanics, same progression, same helper monkey system. You're not getting a stripped-down version. Full idle supermarket gameplay, free, no account required.

Mobile Play

Monkey Mart also works on mobile browsers. If your school blocks games on the WiFi but you have mobile data, you can play on your phone's browser without any issues.

Access the full game: Monkey Mart Unblocked 76.

Monkey Mart All Items and Sections: Complete Unlock Guide

Howie54023 — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:13:32 +0000

Monkey Mart has more sections and items than most players realize. Here's a complete breakdown of everything you can unlock, in order.

Starting Sections

You begin with the banana section. It's the fastest to harvest and the foundation of your early income. Corn unlocks shortly after and has strong customer demand — don't neglect it.

Mid-Game Sections

Eggs are the standout mid-game unlock. Customer demand for eggs is disproportionately high, making this one of the best income sections in the game. Peanuts unlock around the same time and are ideal for passive income once automated. Dairy products come next and add meaningful revenue diversity.

Late-Game Sections

Chocolate and ice cream are late unlocks with high coin values per item. They take longer to harvest but generate significant income when fully staffed. These sections reward players who've already built a solid helper infrastructure.

The Checkout

The checkout isn't a product section but it's the most important upgrade target in the game. Every customer passes through it. Upgrading checkout speed is a multiplier on your entire store's income.

Unlock Order Strategy

Don't rush to unlock everything. The optimal approach is to fully staff and upgrade each section before moving to the next. A well-run three-section store outperforms a poorly-staffed six-section store every time.

Complete item list with unlock costs and tips: Monkey Mart All Items & Sections.

How to Get More Monkeys in Monkey Mart (Helper Guide)

Howie54023 — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:13:16 +0000

Helper monkeys are the most important mechanic in Monkey Mart. The faster you get them, the faster your store grows. Here's exactly how the system works and how to maximize it.

How to Hire Helper Monkeys

Helper monkeys are unlocked through the upgrade menu, not through a separate hire screen. Open the upgrades panel and look for the "Helper" option under each section. Each section has its own helper slot. You pay coins to assign a helper to that section, and they'll automatically handle harvesting and stocking for it.

How Many Helpers Can You Have?

Each section supports one dedicated helper. As you unlock more sections, you can hire more helpers. There's no global cap — the limit is how many sections you've unlocked.

Which Section Should Get the First Helper?

Bananas. Always bananas first. It's your highest-volume section early on and frees you up to manually manage corn and eggs while your helper handles the baseline income.

Helper Upgrade Priority

Once you have a helper assigned, you can upgrade their speed. Faster helpers mean more items stocked per minute. Prioritize speed upgrades for your highest-demand sections — usually eggs and the checkout area.

The Automation Endgame

The goal is to reach a state where every section has a helper and every helper is upgraded enough to keep shelves stocked without your intervention. At that point, your only job is to collect coins and reinvest. This is the idle endgame and it's genuinely satisfying to reach.

Full helper strategy guide: How to Get More Monkeys in Monkey Mart.

Monkey Mart vs Monkey Mart 2: Which One Should You Play?

Howie54023 — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:12:14 +0000

Two games, same monkey, very different experiences. Here's a direct comparison to help you decide which one to play first.

The Original: Focused and Satisfying

Monkey Mart's strength is its clarity. The progression is linear, the upgrade decisions are meaningful, and the idle mechanics kick in at exactly the right pace. You always know what to do next. For players new to idle games, this is the better starting point.

The store starts small — just a banana section — and grows organically as you earn coins. By the time you've unlocked five or six sections and staffed them all with helpers, the store runs itself and the satisfaction is genuine.

Monkey Mart 2: More of Everything

The sequel is bigger in every dimension. More sections, more helpers, more upgrade paths. If you've exhausted the original and want more content, Monkey Mart 2 delivers. The expanded helper specialization system gives experienced players more to optimize.

The tradeoff is that the early game feels slightly less focused. With more options available sooner, new players can make suboptimal decisions that slow their progression without understanding why.

Which Should You Play?

Start with the original if you're new to Monkey Mart or idle games generally. The original's pacing is better tuned and the progression feels more rewarding. Move to Monkey Mart 2 once you've built and automated a full store in the original — you'll appreciate the expanded systems more with that context.

Both games are free, both run in your browser, and both save progress automatically. There's no reason not to try both.

Play the original: MonkeyMartHub
Play the sequel: Monkey Mart 2

Monkey Mart 2: Everything You Need to Know About the Sequel

Howie54023 — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:11:59 +0000

Monkey Mart 2 is the sequel to the original idle supermarket game by TinyDobbins. If you loved the first game, here's everything you need to know about what's new and whether it's worth playing.

What's New in Monkey Mart 2

The sequel expands on the original formula in several meaningful ways. More product sections are available from the start, the helper monkey system has been refined, and the store layout is larger with more room for expansion. The core loop — harvest, stock, serve, automate — remains the same, but the scale is bigger.

Is It Better Than the Original?

Depends on what you're looking for. The original Monkey Mart has a tighter, more focused progression that many players prefer for its simplicity. Monkey Mart 2 offers more content but also more complexity. If you've already completed the original, the sequel gives you a fresh challenge. If you're new to the series, starting with the original is still the better introduction.

Same Free Browser Format

Like the original, Monkey Mart 2 is free to play directly in your browser. No download, no account, no payment. Progress saves in your browser's local storage.

Helper System Changes

The helper monkey system in Monkey Mart 2 has more granular upgrade options. You can specialize helpers for specific tasks rather than assigning them to entire sections. This adds a layer of optimization that experienced players will appreciate.

Full details and gameplay: Monkey Mart 2.

Monkey Mart Unblocked 6x: How to Play on School Chromebooks

Howie54023 — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:10:50 +0000

"Unblocked 6x" refers to a specific category of unblocked game sites that became popular in schools — sites with "6x" in the name that hosted games on domains bypassing content filters. If you're searching for Monkey Mart Unblocked 6x, here's what you need to know.

What "6x" Actually Means

The "6x" naming convention comes from a wave of unblocked game sites that used this format to avoid detection by school network filters. Students searching for these sites were looking for games that worked on restricted school networks without needing a VPN or proxy.

Does Monkey Mart Work on School Networks?

Yes, if you access it through the right domain. MonkeyMartHub is specifically set up to work on school Chromebooks and restricted networks. The game runs entirely in the browser with no downloads, no plugins, and no external dependencies that might trigger content filters.

Chromebook Compatibility

Monkey Mart works natively on Chromebooks. It's an HTML5 game with no Flash dependency. The touch controls work with Chromebook touchscreens, and the keyboard controls work with standard Chromebook keyboards.

Progress and Saves

Your game progress saves automatically in your browser's local storage. This means your save persists between sessions on the same device, even without creating an account.

Play Monkey Mart on school networks: Monkey Mart Unblocked 6x.

Monkey Mart Unblocked: Play Free at School Without VPN

Howie54023 — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:10:36 +0000

If you're trying to play Monkey Mart at school or work and the game is blocked, here's what's actually happening and how to access it without a VPN.

Why Games Get Blocked

Most school and workplace networks use content filtering software that blocks categories of websites — gaming sites, entertainment, social media. The block is usually applied at the network level, not the device level. This means the game itself isn't the problem; the network is flagging the domain.

How Unblocked Game Sites Work

Unblocked game sites host the same games on domains that haven't been flagged by content filters yet. Because they're newer or less well-known, they slip through. This is why "unblocked" versions of popular games exist — they're the same game, different domain.

Playing Monkey Mart Unblocked

MonkeyMartHub hosts Monkey Mart on a clean domain that works on most school and workplace networks. No VPN required, no extensions needed. Just open the link and the game loads directly in your browser.

Works on Chromebooks, school-issued laptops, and restricted WiFi networks. The game saves progress in your browser's local storage, so your progress persists between sessions even without an account.

Play now: Monkey Mart Unblocked.

Monkey Mart Cheats: Secret Strategies That Actually Work

Howie54023 — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:07:53 +0000

Let's be upfront: Monkey Mart doesn't have traditional cheat codes. There's no console command for unlimited coins. But there are strategies that work so well they feel like cheating — and that's what this guide covers.

The "Idle Overnight" Method

This is the closest thing to a real cheat. Before you close the game, make sure every section is stocked and every helper is assigned. Then leave the tab open overnight. Monkey Mart continues earning coins while you sleep. Come back in the morning to a full wallet and reinvest everything at once. Players who do this consistently outpace active players by a significant margin.

The Checkout Priority Trick

Most players upgrade product sections first. The actual optimal play is to upgrade checkout speed first. A faster checkout means more customers served per minute, which multiplies the income from every section simultaneously. It's a global multiplier disguised as a single upgrade.

Stack Helpers on High-Demand Sections

You don't have to spread helpers evenly. If eggs have 3x the customer demand of peanuts, put two helpers on eggs and one on peanuts. The game doesn't force balanced staffing — exploit that.

The New Section Delay

Don't unlock new sections the moment you can afford them. Wait until you have enough coins to also hire a helper for that section immediately. Unlocking without staffing creates a drain on your attention and slows overall growth.

Browser Refresh Trick

If you make a bad upgrade decision, refreshing the page before the game auto-saves can sometimes revert it. This is inconsistent and depends on save timing, but worth knowing.

For the full list of strategies that work like cheats, see Monkey Mart Cheats & Secret Tips.

Monkey Mart Tips & Tricks: 10 Strategies to Earn Coins Faster

Howie54023 — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 09:56:43 +0000

Monkey Mart rewards smart play over grinding. These ten strategies will help you earn coins faster, unlock upgrades sooner, and build a supermarket that practically runs itself.

1. Never let a shelf sit empty

An empty shelf means zero income from that section. Your first priority every session should be restocking anything that ran out while you were away.

2. Upgrade checkout speed early

The checkout is your bottleneck. Customers queue up and leave if they wait too long. Upgrading checkout speed increases your store's throughput more than almost any other upgrade.

3. Hire helpers before unlocking new sections

New sections are tempting, but if you don't have enough helpers to manage them, you'll spread yourself too thin. Get at least one helper per existing section before expanding.

4. Assign helpers strategically

Put your first helper on whichever section has the highest demand. Usually that's bananas early on, then eggs once you unlock them. Eggs have surprisingly high customer demand relative to their harvest time.

5. Let it idle

Monkey Mart is an idle game — your store earns coins even when you're not playing. Come back after 30 minutes and reinvest everything. Don't try to play it like an active game.

6. Prioritize harvest speed over shelf capacity

More frequent harvesting means more items on shelves more often. Shelf capacity only matters if your harvest speed can keep up with demand — which it usually can't in the early game.

7. The peanut section is passive income

Once automated, peanuts require almost no attention. Set up a helper there and forget about it. It generates steady income while you focus on higher-demand sections.

8. Watch the customer queue

If customers are consistently queuing at one section, that section needs either a faster helper or a checkout upgrade. The queue is your real-time feedback on where the bottleneck is.

9. Don't unlock sections you can't staff

Every new section you unlock needs at least one helper to be profitable. If you're understaffed, new sections actually hurt your overall efficiency.

10. Reinvest everything early

Don't hoard coins. In the early game, every coin reinvested compounds into faster growth. Spend aggressively on helpers and harvest upgrades.

Full strategy breakdown at Monkey Mart Tips & Tricks.