PACE Pattern

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MillPond ​

The reference implementation of the PACE Pattern.

Overview ​

MillPond is a conversational storefront for MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers. It's the first and most complete implementation of PACE, demonstrating all four components and principles in production.

Live Demo: millpond.cormorantforaging.devRepository: github.com/semanticintent/millpond-storefront

What Makes It Special ​

1. Meet Cormorant ​

Your AI guide, named after the diving waterbird.

Greeting:

"Welcome to the pond. What are you fishing for?"

Personality:

  • Proactive (suggests next steps)
  • Adaptive (matches your expertise)
  • Contextual (remembers the conversation)
  • Efficient (concise, actionable)

2. Five MCP Servers ​

Carefully curated products:

  • SQL MCP — Database queries with natural language
  • GitHub MCP — Repository management
  • Filesystem MCP — Safe file operations
  • API MCP — REST API integration
  • Analytics MCP — Analytics platform queries

3. Full PACE Implementation ​

All four components working together:

  • ✅ Product — AI-guided catalog with search and categories
  • ✅ About — Origin story and PACE explanation
  • ✅ Chat — Conversational interface with Claude
  • ✅ Executive Summary — Real-time conversation tracking

The Name ​

Mill Pond Park in Richmond Hill, Ontario — where the PACE Pattern was conceived while observing cormorants fishing.

"The bird doesn't browse the pond hoping to bump into fish. It dives with intent, adjusts to conditions, and surfaces with exactly what it needs."

The storefront embodies this hunting strategy.

Technology ​

Stack ​

Frontend:
- PACE.js (pattern implementation)
- Alpine.js (reactive UI)
- Marked.js (markdown rendering)
- Phosphor Icons (iconography)

AI:
- Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Anthropic API)

Hosting:
- Cloudflare Pages
- Global CDN
- Custom domain

Architecture ​

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│          Alpine.js App              │
│                                     │
│  ├─ Product Catalog                 │
│  ├─ About Page                      │
│  ├─ Chat Widget ──→ Claude API      │
│  └─ Executive Summary               │
│                                     │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

User Experience ​

Journey 1: Browse First ​

  1. Land on product catalog
  2. Browse MCP servers by category
  3. Click a product card
  4. Read markdown description
  5. Click "Install" or ask Cormorant for help

Journey 2: Chat First ​

  1. Land on product catalog
  2. Click "Chat" in sidebar
  3. Cormorant greets: "What are you fishing for?"
  4. Describe need: "I need database tools"
  5. Cormorant recommends 2-3 options
  6. Ask follow-ups
  7. Make decision

Journey 3: Executive Summary ​

  1. After conversation or browsing
  2. Click "Executive Summary"
  3. See what products were discussed
  4. View detected expertise level
  5. Check suggested next steps

Conversation Examples ​

Beginner User ​

User: "What's an MCP server?"

Cormorant: "Great question! Think of MCP servers like plugins
for Claude. They let Claude connect to tools like databases,
APIs, or file systems.

For example, SQL MCP lets Claude query your database.

Want to try one?"

Expert User ​

User: "Does SQL MCP support JSON-RPC 2.0?"

Cormorant: "Yes — SQL MCP implements the MCP protocol spec:
- stdio transport (default)
- JSON-RPC 2.0 message format
- Supports tools, resources, and prompts

[View technical specs]"

Design ​

Purple Gradient Theme ​

Inspired by cormorant feathers at sunset:

css
--primary: #667eea
--accent: #764ba2
--gradient: linear-gradient(135deg, #667eea 0%, #764ba2 100%)

Typography ​

css
font-family: Inter, system-ui, sans-serif

Clean, modern, readable.

Layout ​

┌──────────┬─────────────────────────┐
│          │                         │
│ Sidebar  │   Main Content Area     │
│          │                         │
│ Product  │   (Product Catalog)     │
│ About    │        or               │
│ Chat     │   (About Page)          │
│ Summary  │        or               │
│          │   (Chat Widget)         │
│          │        or               │
│          │   (Executive Summary)   │
│          │                         │
└──────────┴─────────────────────────┘

Performance ​

Bundle Size: ~50KB total
- PACE.js: 15KB
- Alpine.js: 20KB
- Marked.js: 15KB

Load Time: < 1s on 3G
Time to Interactive: < 500ms
Lighthouse Score: 95+

Open Source ​

License: MIT

Repository Structure:

millpond-storefront/
├── public/
│   ├── index.html           # Main app
│   ├── products.json        # Product data
│   └── cormorant-prompt.md  # AI system prompt
├── package.json
└── README.md

Run Locally:

bash
git clone https://github.com/semanticintent/millpond-storefront
cd millpond-storefront
npm install
npm run dev

Impact ​

For PACE Pattern ​

  • First production implementation
  • Validates pattern effectiveness
  • Demonstrates all components
  • Proves framework viability

For MCP Ecosystem ​

  • Makes MCP servers discoverable
  • Guides users to right tools
  • Reduces decision paralysis
  • Increases MCP adoption

For Developers ​

  • Reference implementation to study
  • Code to fork and customize
  • Pattern to learn from
  • Framework to build on

Future Enhancements ​

Planned Features ​

  • Streaming responses — Real-time AI typing
  • Voice input — Voice-to-text queries
  • Product ratings — User reviews and ratings
  • Advanced filters — More search capabilities
  • Personalization — Remember user preferences

Community Contributions Welcome ​

  • Add more MCP servers
  • Improve AI prompts
  • Enhance UI/UX
  • Add translations
  • Create themes

Contributing Guide →

Learn More ​

Where PACE meets production. Built with purpose. 🐦✨