Building smarter interactions with MCP elicitation: From clunky tool calls to seamless user experiences

In a recent exploration of improving user experiences in software development, a focus was placed on the implementation of an elicitation feature within an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for turn-based games like tic-tac-toe and rock-paper-scissors. Elicitation is designed to create intuitive interactions by prompting the AI to ask for missing information in real-time rather than relying on default assumptions, thereby enhancing the user experience. This feature was implemented as a new tool alongside existing ones, which initially caused confusion due to overlapping functionality and redundant tool names. However, through iterative development and refactoring, tools were consolidated using clear names, and the elicitation process was refined to only prompt users for missing information, resulting in a more streamlined and user-friendly experience. Despite encountering challenges such as tool naming conflicts and handling partial information, the process underscored the importance of user-centric design and iterative improvement in building effective AI tools.