# MLAD.ai -- Articles

> Technical articles on AI-assisted development.

7 articles by Greg Ruthenbeck PhD.

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### Simple Skill, Full API: Replacing an MCP with 218 Lines
Published: 2026-02-09 | Tags: Claude Code, MCP, Claude Code Skills, AI Workflow | 5 min read
An MCP server silently dropped 9 Ghost API fields. We replaced it with a 218-line Claude Code skill that passes calls straight through the client library.
https://mlad.ai/articles/simple-skill-full-api-replacing-an-mcp-with-218-lines
### Skills Are More Context-Efficient Than MCP
Published: 2026-01-15 | Tags: Claude Code, MCP, Claude Code Skills | 5 min read
MCP servers can consume 55,000 tokens of Claude Code's context window before you type. Skills achieve the same automation at 3x lower cost. Token comparison for Playwright and a framework for choosing the right approach.
https://mlad.ai/articles/skills-are-more-context-efficient-than-mcp
### Securing Your Vibe-Coded App
Published: 2026-01-15 | Tags: Security, Vibe Coding | 5 min read
Nearly half of AI-generated code contains security flaws. Five checks every vibe-coded app needs: server-side auth, secrets  management, access control, XSS prevention, input validation. Platform fixes for MoltBot, Lovable, Codex, and Cursor.
https://mlad.ai/articles/securing-your-vibe-coded-app
### A Taxonomy for AI Prompts
Published: 2026-01-02 | Tags: AI Prompts, AI Workflow | 4 min read
A classification system for AI coding prompts, built from 1,751 real prompts across 12 sources. Three types and four axes turn ad-hoc prompting into deliberate practice. Browse the full collection in the interactive Prompt Explorer.
https://mlad.ai/articles/understanding-ai-prompts-a-taxonomy-for-the-age-of-coding-assistants
### The Proposal-Driven Cycle
Published: 2025-12-20 | Tags: AI Workflow | 4 min read
A lightweight workflow for AI coding that captures intent alongside code. Proposal, Plan, Execute, Record. Version Docs complement git history so you can audit decisions, seed new contexts, and scale documentation to match task complexity.
https://mlad.ai/articles/the-proposal-driven-cycle
### Understanding System Prompts
Published: 2025-12-10 | Tags: System Prompts, Intermediate | 6 min read
How system prompts shape AI behavior and why they matter for consistent tooling.
https://mlad.ai/articles/understanding-system-prompts
### Advanced Prompt Engineering Patterns
Published: 2025-12-01 | Tags: Advanced, Patterns | 8 min read
Chain-of-thought, few-shot, and self-consistency patterns for production AI systems.
https://mlad.ai/articles/advanced-prompt-engineering-patterns