How to Make AI Actually Do Things | Alex Hancock, Block, Goose, MCP Steering Committee

Aug 23, 2025

In this discussion, Alex Hancock, a Senior Software Engineer at Block and key player in the development of Goose, shares insights into the emerging Model Context Protocol (MCP). Exploring how MCP transforms AI from mere models into functional agents, he emphasizes the importance of open governance and context management. They dive into challenges in API development and the necessity for intuitive AI interfaces. Alex also reveals his expectations for AGI's incremental arrival and how a long-term mindset shapes his contributions to AI infrastructure.

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INSIGHT

Context Is The Hard Problem Now

The immediate challenge is giving capable models the right context to perform tasks well.
Focus areas include context discovery and context management algorithms for scalable agentic systems.

ANECDOTE

Goose Uses A Stable System Prompt

Goose uses a top-level system prompt that applies across models and needs only occasional tweaks.
Alex observed newer models document code more, which helps engineers review generated work.

ADVICE

Prioritize Registry Release And SDK Updates

Release the registry and update SDKs to the June spec to unlock discovery and elicitation features.
Use the checklist and spec issues on GitHub to track readiness for deployment.

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Right now, the biggest leap for AI isn’t a bigger model – it’s giving models and agents a way to act.

In this episode of Inference, I sit down with Alex Hancock – Senior Software Engineer at Block, core contributor to Goose (the open-source, multi-purpose AI agent), and a member of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) Steering Committee – to talk about the infrastructure that’s quietly powering the next wave of AI.

*We cover:*

– What MCP is – and why it’s exploding in adoption

– How it turns models from “brains in jars” into agents with arms and legs

– The MCP Steering Committee’s push for openness and real governance

– Why SDK parity, registry design, and OAuth 2.1 are make-or-break for developers

– How MCP and A2A fit together – and where they might compete

– Context discovery, context management, and why they’re the hardest problems in agentic AI

– The lessons from Goose on staying model-agnostic in a fast-moving ecosystem

– What this shift means for software development – and for the humans in the loop

Alex also shares his view on the next year of protocol development, why he thinks AGI will arrive incrementally, and how a runner’s mindset shapes his approach to building tools that last.

If you’re building agents, connecting models to the world, or just trying to understand the emerging “protocol layer” of AI, this conversation will give you a front-row seat.

Let’s find out how we’re teaching AI to act – and what’s still missing.

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*Guest:*

Alex Hancock, Senior Software Engineer at Block, Goose Maintainer & MCP Steering Committee Member

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexjhancock/

https://x.com/alexjhancock

https://github.com/block/goose

MCP https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol

Building to Last: A New Governance Model for MCP https://blog.modelcontextprotocol.io/posts/2025-07-31-governance-for-mcp/

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