MCP Dev Summit North America

You approve one sudo command (Ubuntu's default timeout is 15 minutes), so now your agent can `rm -rf /` your entire machine without asking again. You could run in a sandbox, but even there, `gh` can add a public SSH key to your account, or leak a token into the context window.

These aren't hypotheticals. Agents have deleted production databases and wiped drives using interfaces designed for humans, not autonomous AI. CLIs optimize for human ergonomics; APIs optimize for programmatic flexibility. Neither provides what agents need: structural safety boundaries, workflow context, graceful error recovery and auditable actions.

MCP can solve virtually all of these. This talk explores what breaks when agents use CLIs and APIs, and how MCP addresses these failures through protocol-level security, structured tool definitions, workflow guidance, consent flows, and registries.

We'll see why MCP offers the only sane path forward for safe agentic AI, and how it enables enterprise governance that unlocks mass corporate adoption. We'll also discuss gaps that still need addressing. You'll leave knowing exactly why "just use CLIs" is dangerous advice—and what to do instead.