Google announced something significant today: Gemini CLI Extensions, which bundle MCP servers directly into command-line tools for developers.
If you’re running a restaurant, retail store, or office, that might sound like tech jargon. But here’s why it matters for your business: the way you access and display information is about to fundamentally change.
And we’re building BrandCast for that future—from day one, not as an afterthought.
The Problem Every Business Owner Knows Too Well
Let me paint a familiar picture.
You’re running a restaurant. Your information lives in a dozen different places:
- Daily specials in a Google Doc (because it’s easy to update from your phone)
- Full menu in Toast POS (where you manage orders)
- Staff schedule in When I Work (for shift management)
- Inventory levels in Square (tracking what’s running low)
- Event calendar in Google Calendar (private parties, special occasions)
- Marketing promotions in Canva (designing the week’s specials board)
Every single one of these requires a different login, a different app, a different process.
So what do you do for your digital menu board? You export a PDF from Canva, upload it to your signage software, and manually update it every time something changes.
Your daily special changes at lunch? You pull out your laptop, create a new slide, upload it, and hope you remember to switch it back tomorrow.
This is insane. And it’s exactly how most digital signage works today.
What MCP Changes (The Technical Part, Made Simple)
MCP stands for Model Context Protocol. It’s an open standard that Anthropic (the company behind Claude AI) released in November 2024.
Think of it as the “USB port for AI.”
Before USB, every device had its own proprietary connector. Mouse, keyboard, printer, camera—all different cables. USB standardized it. One port, any device.
MCP does the same thing for AI and data sources.
Instead of every digital signage company building custom integrations for Google Docs, Toast POS, Square, When I Work, and hundreds of other services (which is expensive and slow), MCP creates one universal connector.
One protocol. Any data source. Any AI assistant.
And here’s what’s happening right now:
- Anthropic launched MCP: November 2024
- OpenAI adopted MCP: March 2025 (ChatGPT can now use MCP servers)
- Google DeepMind adopted MCP: April 2025 (Gemini supports it)
- Microsoft Copilot adopted MCP: July 2025
- Google announced CLI extensions: Today (bundling MCP into developer tools)
16,000+ MCP servers already published by the community.
Every major AI company is converging on this open standard. The momentum is undeniable.
Why We’re Building BrandCast with MCP from the Start
When we started building BrandCast six months ago, we had a choice:
Option 1: Build it the traditional way. Static image uploads. Maybe add a Google Calendar integration. Maybe a weather widget. Call it a day.
Option 2: Build for where the world is going. MCP-native from day one.
We chose option 2. Here’s why.
1. Your Display Becomes Intelligent, Not Static
Right now, digital signage is essentially a glorified slideshow. You upload images, they display on repeat. That’s it.
With MCP integration, your BrandCast display becomes intelligent:
-
Pull today’s specials from your Google Doc (no manual upload)
- You update the doc from your phone → Display updates automatically
- No exporting PDFs, no uploading files, no remembering to change it back
-
Show real-time inventory levels from Square
- “86 the salmon”? Display updates immediately
- No one manually updating a whiteboard or static sign
-
Display staff schedules from When I Work
- Schedule changes? Employees see it on the display instantly
- No printing new schedules every week
-
Pull event information from Google Calendar
- “Private party tonight at 7pm” appears automatically
- Removes at midnight without you doing anything
-
Show weather-triggered promotions
- Cold and rainy? Display suggests hot soup special
- Sunny and 75°? Display promotes the patio and cold drinks
Your information lives where you create it. Your display just shows it.
This isn’t science fiction. This is what MCP enables today.
2. The Display Is the Starting Point, Not the Endpoint
Here’s where it gets really interesting.
We’re not building a digital signage company. We’re building an information delivery system that starts with displays but goes wherever your information is most useful.
Today: You glance at your BrandCast display to see today’s specials.
Tomorrow: Your AI assistant (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini—whichever you use) can answer “What are today’s specials?” by pulling from the same MCP server that powers your display.
Your display. Your phone. Your laptop. Your AI assistant. Your smartwatch.
Same information. Different interfaces. MCP makes it possible.
Example scenario:
You’re on the phone with a customer. They ask, “Do you have private dining rooms available next Saturday?”
Today: “Let me put you on hold while I check the calendar and ask my manager.”
Tomorrow: You ask your AI assistant (via voice), it checks your Google Calendar through the same MCP connection your display uses, and tells you immediately: “Yes, the Blue Room is available from 5-9pm.”
Information follows you to where you need it in the moment.
This is what Google is betting on with their CLI announcement today. They know developers want their tools accessible everywhere—command line, IDE, browser, wherever they’re working.
We’re making the same bet for small businesses.
Your business data shouldn’t be locked in your menu board. It should be accessible wherever you need it.
3. You’re Not Locked Into Our Ecosystem
This is the part I’m most excited about, and it’s the opposite of how most software companies operate.
Because we’re using MCP (an open standard, not a proprietary protocol), you’re not dependent on us to build every integration.
Want to connect BrandCast to a service we don’t support yet?
If someone—anyone—has built an MCP server for that service, you can use it.
- Community-built MCP servers (16,000+ already published)
- Your own custom MCP server (if you have a developer)
- Third-party MCP marketplaces (already emerging)
Want to switch from BrandCast to another platform someday?
Your MCP integrations work with any MCP-compatible system. You’re not locked in.
We’re betting on open standards because we believe it’s better for customers. And honestly? If MCP becomes the universal standard (which today’s Google announcement strongly suggests), we’d rather build on that foundation than try to create our own closed ecosystem.
Interoperability wins. We’re choosing to be part of that future.
4. This Isn’t Just for Developers Anymore
When Anthropic launched MCP in November 2024, it was a developer tool. You needed to know how to install npm packages, configure JSON files, run terminal commands.
That’s changing rapidly.
Google’s CLI extensions abstract away the complexity. Install an extension, get instant access to MCP-powered tools. No configuration files. No command-line expertise.
We’re doing the same thing for BrandCast:
You won’t see any MCP jargon. You won’t configure anything technical.
You’ll just:
- Click “Connect Google Docs”
- Authorize access
- Select your “Daily Specials” document
- Done
Behind the scenes, BrandCast is using MCP to pull that data. But you don’t need to know that. You don’t need to care.
The best technology disappears.
You don’t need to understand TCP/IP to use email. You don’t need to understand HTTPS to shop online. And you won’t need to understand MCP to have intelligent, connected business displays.
We’re building the friendly interface. MCP is the invisible plumbing.
What This Means for Different Business Types
Let me get specific about what MCP-powered displays enable:
Restaurants & Cafes
- Daily specials pulled from Google Docs (update once, displays everywhere)
- Real-time “86” notifications from your POS (out of salmon? Display updates instantly)
- Staff schedules from When I Work (visible to everyone, always current)
- Event calendar from Google Calendar (private parties, special hours)
- Weather-triggered menu suggestions (hot soup on cold days, cold drinks on hot days)
Retail Stores
- Sale promotions from Shopify or Square (no manual sign changes)
- Inventory-aware displays (“Only 3 left!” creates urgency)
- Staff schedules and break rotations (everyone knows who’s on shift)
- Customer appointment reminders (salon, barbershop, boutique fitting rooms)
- Local event calendars (farmer’s market, sidewalk sale, community events)
Offices & Coworking Spaces
- Meeting room schedules from Outlook/Google Calendar (know what room is free)
- Company announcements from Slack or Microsoft Teams (important updates visible)
- Employee birthdays and anniversaries from HR systems (celebrate your team)
- Visitor arrival notifications (front desk knows who’s coming when)
- Building emergency alerts (real-time safety information)
Dance Studios, Gyms, Martial Arts
- Class schedules from studio management software (always up-to-date)
- Instructor availability and substitutions (no manual whiteboard updates)
- Event registrations and recital information (pull from your CRM)
- Student progress and belt promotions (celebrate achievements publicly)
- Birthday shoutouts and member milestones (pulled from your member database)
All of this is possible today with MCP. No vaporware. No “coming soon.” It exists.
The Bigger Picture: Where This Is All Going
Here’s what I’m seeing that most people are missing:
The AI revolution isn’t just chatbots.
It’s not just “ask ChatGPT a question and get an answer.”
The real revolution is AI assistants that can actually access your data, understand context, and take actions across all your tools.
MCP makes that possible.
The companies building with MCP from the ground up—rather than trying to retrofit it into legacy systems—are going to have a massive advantage.
Think about your business in 2028:
You walk into your restaurant in the morning. Your AI assistant (let’s call it “Alex”) greets you:
Alex: “Good morning. Yesterday’s sales were up 15%. We’re running low on salmon—should I add it to your order with your usual supplier?”
You: “Yeah, and what’s the weather forecast?”
Alex: “Cold and rainy all day. Want me to feature the soup special on the display and send a promotion to your email list?”
You: “Do it.”
Alex: “Done. Also, Marcus called in sick. I’ve texted your backup server to see if she’s available. Display updated to show revised staff schedule.”
All of this happens through MCP connections:
- Sales data from Square
- Inventory from your POS
- Weather from a weather API
- Display content pushed to BrandCast
- Email campaign triggered in Mailchimp
- Staff schedule from When I Work
- Text sent via Twilio
One AI assistant. Eight different systems. Seamless.
This isn’t science fiction. This is where MCP is taking us. And it’s happening faster than most people realize.
Why We’re Talking About This Now (Before We Even Have Paying Customers)
We’re in alpha right now. We don’t have paying customers yet. We’re testing with early adopters, getting feedback, iterating rapidly.
So why are we talking about MCP integration publicly?
Because I want to work with early adopters who get this vision.
If you’re a restaurant owner who’s excited about AI-powered menu boards that pull from your actual systems (not just static images you upload)…
If you’re a retail manager who wants displays that know your real inventory levels and adapt automatically…
If you’re an office manager who wants information displays that actually sync with your calendars and communication tools (not another thing you have to manually update)…
We’re building for you.
And we’re building it right the first time—with MCP integration from day one, not bolted on later as a “premium upgrade.”
What We’re Learning from Alpha Testers
We’ve been testing BrandCast with a handful of early alpha users for the past month. Here’s what we’re hearing:
“I update my Google Doc from my phone and it shows up on the display immediately. That’s magic.” - Coffee shop owner in Portland
“I didn’t realize how much time I was wasting exporting PDFs and uploading them until I stopped doing it.” - Boutique retail manager in Austin
“My staff can check the schedule on the display instead of asking me every day. Saves me 20 minutes of Slack messages.” - Restaurant general manager in Denver
These aren’t testimonials (we’re in alpha, we’re not marketing yet). These are real feedback points that validate the vision:
When information flows automatically, it saves time, reduces errors, and just feels like the future.
The Question We’re Wrestling With
Here’s the honest truth:
Building with MCP from day one is harder than building a traditional static signage platform.
We could launch faster if we just did image uploads and a few basic integrations.
But we keep coming back to this question:
Are we building for 2025, or are we building for 2028?
If we’re building for 2025, we build a nice digital signage platform with some integrations. Perfectly fine product.
If we’re building for 2028, we build an MCP-native information delivery system that starts with displays but scales to AI assistants, mobile apps, voice interfaces—wherever information needs to go.
We chose 2028.
Because Google’s announcement today proves the momentum. Every major AI company is converging on MCP. The world is moving this direction whether we like it or not.
We’d rather be early than late.
What Happens Next
We’re launching our beta in Q1 2026 (January). Before that, we’re continuing to refine the alpha with early testers.
If you’re interested in:
- Alpha testing (free, hands-on feedback, weekly calls with our team)
- Beta waitlist (first access when we launch in January)
- Just staying updated (occasional emails when we have news to share)
[Sign up here: brandcast.app/beta]
We’re specifically looking for:
- Restaurants and cafes with 1-3 locations
- Retail stores (boutiques, bookstores, gift shops)
- Offices and coworking spaces (10-100 employees)
- Dance studios, gyms, martial arts schools
If that’s you, we’d love to talk.
The Bigger Mission
Here’s what we’re really building:
We believe small businesses deserve the same AI-powered tools that enterprise companies get.
Right now, if you’re Starbucks or Target, you have custom-built software that integrates all your systems, displays real-time data, and adapts automatically.
If you’re an independent coffee shop or boutique, you’re stuck with static signs and manual updates.
That gap is closing. MCP is the reason why.
Open standards. Community-built integrations. AI assistants that work with any system.
The playing field is leveling.
We’re building BrandCast to be on the right side of that shift.
Because your restaurant, your retail store, your office—you deserve intelligent displays that actually work with your systems, not against them.
That’s the future we’re building.
And it starts today.
Ready to see what MCP-powered displays can do for your business?
Or just reply to this post with your questions. We’re building in public, learning in public, and we’d love to hear your thoughts.
What information in your business would you want accessible everywhere—your display, your phone, your AI assistant—without manually syncing?
Let us know. We’re listening.
Jamie Duncan is the founder of BrandCast, building intelligent digital signage for small businesses. Jamie has a 20 year career in IT solving global problems at Google, VMWare, IBM, and others as well as starting his own retail business with his wife. Currently in alpha, launching beta Q1 2026. Connect with him on (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamieeduncan/)[LinkedIn] or email [email protected].