Models, tools, agents: the words that explain modern AI
Most confusion about AI comes from mixing up a few layers. Name them and you can tell why a result was great or useless, and what to change.
Context is the job
When output feels generic, the model filled the gaps you left. The four things every request needs, a brief you can copy, and how to make context permanent.
Local or cloud: where your AI should run
What you gain and give up by running models on your own machine, the tools that make it easy, and the one rule for knowing what your hardware can handle.
MCP: the plug every AI app now shares
How the Model Context Protocol works, who runs it, what changed in 2026, the servers worth adding first, and how to stay safe while you do.
Skills: teach your agent a job once
A skill is a folder that captures how work gets done. Here is the format, why it stays fast, and a real skill you can copy for publishing video.
The repo shelf: open source worth starring
Repositories we would point a friend to, grouped by what you are trying to do, plus how to judge any repo before you install it.
The creator pipeline, from idea to upload
Where AI speeds up video work, where taste has to stay in charge, and the documents that keep a project consistent from first frame to final export.
Make the AI you already pay for know your business
About an hour of setup turns a general assistant into one that knows your offer, your voice, and your week. Here is the setup and a weekly rhythm.
Four skills we reach for every week
The skills that actually get used in our production and coding work: what each one does, when to reach for it, and the one habit that makes it pay off.
The handoff: carry a project between chats, tools, and machines
An easy habit most people never use: ask the assistant for a handoff. One document carries a project into a new chat, a different tool, another computer, or a collaborator's hands without starting over.
A website is the best presentation you can give
Show up to a client with a breakdown or a marketing strategy as one immersive, responsive, animated HTML file. Send it, open it in a browser, and walk them through it.
Six shifts we are watching
The changes most likely to shape how people use AI over the next year, each paired with something you can do about it now.
How to stay current without drowning
New models ship every week. You need a system that turns the noise into a few good decisions, and a personal benchmark that cuts through the hype.
- 01ConceptsModels, tools, agents: the words that explain modern AIIntro6 min3 figOpen →
- 02ConceptsContext is the jobIn depth6 min3 figOpen →
- 03ConceptsLocal or cloud: where your AI should runIn depth8 min4 figOpen →
- 04ToolkitMCP: the plug every AI app now sharesIn depth9 min4 figOpen →
- 05ToolkitSkills: teach your agent a job onceIntro7 min3 figOpen →
- 06ToolkitThe repo shelf: open source worth starringIntro5 min2 figOpen →
- 07WorkflowsThe creator pipeline, from idea to uploadIn depth8 min3 figOpen →
- 08WorkflowsMake the AI you already pay for know your businessIntro5 min3 figOpen →
- 09WorkflowsFour skills we reach for every weekIn depth7 min3 figOpen →
- 10WorkflowsThe handoff: carry a project between chats, tools, and machinesIntro6 min3 figOpen →
- 11WorkflowsA website is the best presentation you can giveIn depth7 min3 figOpen →
- 12RadarSix shifts we are watchingIn depth7 min3 figOpen →
- 13RadarHow to stay current without drowningIntro5 min3 figOpen →
Nothing matches that. Try one word, or clear the search.
Every link the guide leans on.
26 links across 13 breakdowns: the standards, the repositories worth owning, the tools, and the reading. Each one says which breakdown sent you there.
- agents.mdAGENTS.mdContext is the job
- agentskills.ioagentskills.ioModels, tools, agents: the words that explain modern AISkills: teach your agent a job onceSix shifts we are watchingHow to stay current without drowningFour skills we reach for every weekThe handoff: carry a project between chats, tools, and machines
- developer.mozilla.orgMDN: prefers-reduced-motionA website is the best presentation you can give
- developer.mozilla.orgMDN: Using CSS scroll snapA website is the best presentation you can give
- modelcontextprotocol.ioMCP specification 2026-07-28: key changesMCP: the plug every AI app now sharesSix shifts we are watching
- modelcontextprotocol.ioModel Context ProtocolModels, tools, agents: the words that explain modern AIMake the AI you already pay for know your businessHow to stay current without drowning
- support.google.comYouTube Help: disclosing use of GenAI contentThe creator pipeline, from idea to upload
- support.google.comYouTube Help: video chaptersSkills: teach your agent a job once
- github.comAgent Skills specificationSkills: teach your agent a job onceThe repo shelf: open source worth starring
- github.comanthropics/skills on GitHubSkills: teach your agent a job onceThe repo shelf: open source worth starringFour skills we reach for every week
- github.comComfy-Org/ComfyUIThe repo shelf: open source worth starring
- github.comgithub/github-mcp-serverThe repo shelf: open source worth starring
- github.comllama.cppLocal or cloud: where your AI should runThe repo shelf: open source worth starring
- github.comMCP reference serversMCP: the plug every AI app now sharesThe repo shelf: open source worth starring
- github.commicrosoft/playwright-mcpThe repo shelf: open source worth starring
- github.comOllamaLocal or cloud: where your AI should runThe repo shelf: open source worth starring
- github.comOpen WebUILocal or cloud: where your AI should runThe repo shelf: open source worth starring
- github.comupstash/context7The repo shelf: open source worth starring
- anthropic.comAnthropic: Donating MCP and establishing the Agentic AI FoundationMCP: the plug every AI app now sharesContext is the job
- anthropic.comAnthropic: ProjectsThe handoff: carry a project between chats, tools, and machines
- claude.comAnthropic: Claude ResearchFour skills we reach for every week
- claude.comClaude blog: Bringing MCP 2026-07-28 to ClaudeMCP: the plug every AI app now shares
- serpapi.comSerpApi: The state of MCP in H1 2026MCP: the plug every AI app now sharesSix shifts we are watching