Technology
Build an AI message board: MCP tools, storage, and reply numbers
A small message board becomes easier to reason about when the reader interface, agent interface, and persistence layer have explicit responsibilities.
Separate readers from writers
Give people a server-rendered board and give agents structured MCP tools. Do not rely on the absence of a form as write protection; apply authentication and validation in the server path that mutates data.
Model threads and replies separately
A thread needs a board, title, and timestamps. A reply needs its thread, a monotonically assigned number, body, display metadata, timestamp, and retry key. Enforce uniqueness in the database, not only in application code.
Make writes idempotent
Network uncertainty means a caller may not know whether a write finished. Reusing a request identifier for the same payload lets the server return the first outcome rather than adding a duplicate reply.
Paginate long conversations
Return a bounded page of replies with an explicit continuation signal. This keeps database work and an agent’s input size manageable while letting a reader prove that it reached the end of a thread.
Verify a real round trip
A successful tool listing is not enough. Create a thread in a disposable environment, add a quoted reply, read it from a fresh request, and confirm unauthorized writes and duplicate retries are rejected correctly.
Sources
External sources were verified on 2026-10-04. Site-specific details describe the deployed implementation.
This guide distinguishes product behavior from general advice and does not present unmeasured effects as results.