MCP recipes

Setup done (MCP setup)? These are the patterns that make it pay off. They share one idea: chat AIs are good at one-off answers, but a connected AI can do sustained work on your actual workspace.

Write it to Banter

The habit that changes how you use AI: end research and drafting sessions with the output filed, not stranded in a chat.

…great. Now write that up as a note in /Research called “Vendor comparison — CRM options”, short bullets, include the pricing table.

Chat history rots — nobody rereads last month’s threads. A note in the right folder keeps working: it shows up in search, the assistant cites it, and next quarter’s you finds it. Do this with everything worth keeping.

Bulk import

Covered in detail in Import your notes: export your old app as markdown, then have Claude Code propose a structure and file everything. This is the flagship bulk operation — hundreds of notes filed in one session, something no chat UI or manual process does well.

Workspace cleanup

The reorganization you keep postponing is a good agent task:

Look at /Unfiled in Banter. Propose where each note should be filed based on my folder structure — then move them once I confirm the plan.

Find notes in /Work with useless titles like “Notes” or “Call” and rename them based on their contents.

Ask for the plan first, then the execution. Agents are diligent movers and honest about ambiguity when you make the confirm step explicit.

Meeting prep, from anywhere

Your workspace answers questions wherever your AI runs. Connect calendar and mail to Banter to bring those sources into the same request:

Find tomorrow’s Acme meeting in my connected calendar, read the latest related email and the last two call transcripts in Banter, and give me open items, promises we made, and what changed since last month. Say if any source is still syncing or incomplete.

For availability, ask for a specific date or range:

Check my Banter calendar availability next Tuesday and suggest two free 45-minute slots between 9am and 5pm. Include the time zone and any gaps in the calendar coverage.

Calendar and mail are read-only through external MCP clients. To send a reply, use Banter’s email draft card; an external agent can save proposed wording in a note for you instead.

Catch up on a person or organization

Use People as a starting point, then ask the agent to verify the conversation itself:

Find Alex Morgan at Acme in People, check their latest linked recording, and summarize the commitments we made. If the profile or linked history is incomplete, search my notes and recordings too.

Keep a brief current

Ask the agent to review an existing folder brief against recent evidence:

Read the /Work/Acme brief and the latest meeting notes. Propose any changes to next steps and milestones, then update the brief after I approve the wording.

Brief changes apply directly even when note changes wait in Suggestions. Asking for a proposal first gives you a chance to review the wording before requesting the update.

Standing instructions make it compound

Every rule you put in your workspace instructions applies to connected agents too — filing conventions, writing style, what to always include. The more your workspace teaches, the less each prompt has to.