SlickLab Builders.
Small, real build challenges for developers, AI engineers, ServiceNow developers and students. Build one, get honest feedback, and build a portfolio that shows how you think.
How it works
- 01
Pick the challenge
One challenge at a time, each small enough for a weekend and real enough to put in a portfolio.
- 02
Build it in public
A public GitHub repo with a README that says what it does, how to run it and what you would improve.
- 03
Send the link
Email the repo. I read every one and reply with a short review: what works, what to fix.
- 04
Join the network
Builders whose work holds up join the talent network and hear first about contract work.
Challenge 01 · MCP · open
Build a read-only MCP server for a public API
Pick a public API that needs no paid key (weather, public holidays, a library catalogue, an open data portal). Build an MCP server that gives an AI assistant two or three narrow, read-only tools over it.
What a good submission has
- Tools with clear descriptions written for the model, and typed inputs.
- No write actions, and no API keys in the repo.
- A smoke test that lists and calls every tool.
- A README: what it does, how to connect it to Claude or another MCP client, and one thing you would change.
Start from the MCP server generator, check it with the MCP security checker, and read what is an MCP server for the lessons from building one.
Submit
Send your repo link.
Subject line “Builders 01”, the repo link, and two sentences on what you would do with another week.