Open and Async — MCP Server

1# Open and Async — MCP Server
2 
3![Open and Async MCP Server — async-first working practices as tools your AI assistant can use](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/open-and-async/mcp/main/header.png)
4 
5Bring async-first working practices into your editor and AI assistant. This
6[Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) server gives your AI the
7tools to draft a decision doc, turn a meeting into an async artifact, pressure-test a
8status update, or settle a sync-vs-async debate — without leaving the tools you
9already work in.
10 
11It's the method from **[Open and Async](https://open-and-async.com)** — the
12collaborative software-development playbook for remote and distributed teams — as
13working tools, not reading.
14 
15## What you can do with it
16 
17- **Stop writing decision docs from a blank page.** Hand your AI the decision and the
18  options; get back a structured ADR scaffold — context, tradeoffs, the call, and how
19  reversible it is.
20- **Turn "let's hop on a call" into an artifact.** Give it a meeting's purpose and
21  agenda; get the async equivalent with an owner and a deadline.
22- **Ship status updates that don't blindside anyone.** Score a draft against the
23  "work loudly / no surprises" rubric and get concrete fixes before you post it.
24- **Settle sync vs. async in seconds.** Describe the task; get a recommendation and
25  the rule behind it.
26- **Run a standup without a meeting.** Drop in a structured async-standup template
27  your team can adopt today.
28- **Win the "async is too slow" argument.** Map common objections to a ready reframe,
29  pull role-aware guidance, or search the book's principles — each answer cited and
30  linked.
31- **Get coached end to end.** Run the `coach` prompt with a situation and it triages
32  sync vs. async, generates the right artifact, adds role guidance, and caps with a
33  shareable line — one composed answer, or a nudge to just have the conversation when
34  that's the better call.
35 
36## Install
37 
38**Claude Code:**
39 
40```sh
41claude mcp add open-async -- npx -y @open-and-async/mcp
42```
43 
44**Claude Desktop** (`claude_desktop_config.json`):
45 
46```json
47{
48  "mcpServers": {
49    "open-async": {
50      "command": "npx",
51      "args": ["-y", "@open-and-async/mcp"]
52    }
53  }
54}
55```
56 
57Any MCP client that speaks stdio works the same way: run `npx @open-and-async/mcp`.
58 
59## The toolbox
60 
61### Method tools — pure utility, use them on any project
62 
63| Tool | What it does |
64| --- | --- |
65| `draft_decision_doc` | Decision + options → a structured ADR/decision-doc scaffold (context, options, tradeoffs, decision, reversibility). |
66| `convert_meeting_to_async` | Meeting purpose/agenda → the async equivalent (artifact, owner, deadline). |
67| `score_status_update` | Scores a draft update against the "work loudly / no surprises" rubric and suggests fixes. |
68| `run_async_standup` | A structured async-standup template a team can adopt. |
69| `triage_sync_vs_async` | Recommends sync vs async for a task, with the decision rule. |
70 
71### Reference tools — the book's thinking, on demand
72 
73| Tool | What it does |
74| --- | --- |
75| `book_outline` | Sections + chapters + one-line TL;DRs. The map. |
76| `get_chapter_summary` | A chapter's TL;DR + taglines + read-the-chapter link. |
77| `search_principles` | Keyword search over the summary corpus; short cited snippets. |
78| `handle_objection` | Maps skepticism ("async is slow") to the book's reframe. |
79| `get_guidance` | Role-aware (`manager`/`ic`) guidance for a topic. |
80| `get_taglines` | Taglines + their `/q/<slug>` quote-card URLs. |
81 
82### Resources
83 
84- `book://outline` — sections, chapters, TL;DRs (JSON)
85- `book://taglines` — taglines + quote-card URLs (JSON)
86- `book://about` — what this server is, what it does and doesn't contain, and where to get the book
87 
88### Prompts
89 
90Invoke these directly from your client (e.g. as slash commands):
91 
92- `coach` — **the full method on one situation.** Triages sync vs. async, generates
93  the right artifact, enriches with role guidance, and caps with a shareable tagline —
94  one composed deliverable. Stops and recommends a real-time conversation when the
95  situation genuinely needs one.
96- `async-standup`, `write-adr`, `meeting-to-issue`, `weekly-update` — parameterized
97  templates for a single task.
98 
99## Good to know
100 
101**It's a real tool, not a paywall.** The method tools work on their own — no book
102required. The reference tools answer from the book's already-public summaries and a
103paraphrased framework layer, always capped and always cited so you can trace any
104snippet to its chapter. The "get the book" link surfaces about once per session, not
105on every line — it's a tool, not an ad. No verbatim book prose is bundled (the only
106data file is `data/book.json.br`), so what you install is genuinely useful, not a
107teaser.
108 
109**Staying current.** `data/book.json.br` ships with a `version` that tracks the book's
110edition, so the server can tell you which edition it's based on and re-sync when a new
111one lands.
112 
113**Generated output is a template, not the author speaking.** The method tools format
114_your_ input into decision docs, standups, and triage calls. That output is generated
115guidance to adapt — it is not a personal statement, quote, or endorsement by Ben Balter
116or Open & Async LLC, and shouldn't be presented as one. Reference-tool snippets are
117summaries the tool cites back to the book, not verbatim prose.
118 
119## Licensing
120 
121This package is split-licensed — see [LICENSE](LICENSE) for the overview:
122 
123- **Code** (everything under `src/`) — [MIT](CODE-LICENSE.md).
124- **Data** (`data/book.json.br`) — proprietary; © Open & Async LLC. You may use it only
125  as part of running this software. No redistribution as a standalone dataset, no
126  derivative datasets, no model training. See [DATA-LICENSE.md](DATA-LICENSE.md).
127 
128The full work — the stories, the voice, the complete argument — lives in the book:
129**[open-and-async.com](https://open-and-async.com)**.
130