Thariq (@trq212) argues in a post on X that MCPs may now be a better choice than CLIs for most integrations. The claim rests partly on what he describes as improved model tool calling, along with the ability to defer tools and use stateless MCPs.
For data that needs to be composed or filtered, Thariq suggests adding parameters such as query to MCP tools rather than relying on a CLI-based workflow. He later described deferred tools as a form of progressive disclosure, allowing a model to retrieve a tool’s parameters when needed.
Thariq also claims that MCP “more natively integrates with the agent.” Armin Ronacher characterized the protocol as “a massive improvement over where it started,” while qualifying the assessment as applying “at least on the protocol level.”
Tobi Lütke offered a condition for the comparison, arguing that MCPs need to be usable through some form of REPL. Without that, he suggested, Bash and CLIs can serve as a kind of REPL. Thariq agreed with the point in theory but noted that codemode-like implementations had been less useful than expected, adding that he still needed to determine why.
Source: X
