Build-Time vs. Run-Time: Why Your Dev Tools Will Fail in Production

Official Schedule Context

A dangerous pattern is evolving in the ecosystem: developers are deploying "Build-Time" tools into

"Run-Time" environments. In this session, we will introduce a critical distinction for the MCP

ecosystem: the difference between Build-Time Agents (Developer Assistants like Gemini Code Assist)

and Run-Time Agents (End-user applications like a Customer Support bot). Drawing from our experience

building the MCP Toolbox, we will demonstrate why the "Atomic" tools that make Build-Time agents

powerful become catastrophic liabilities for Run-Time agents. We will provide a framework for

transitioning your architecture across three key axes: Design: Moving from flexible, atomic

primitives to "Composite Workflows" that encapsulate business logic. Security: Shifting from

"Developer Identity" (trusted) to "Workload Identity" (zero-trust), where the agent is treated as an

untrusted user. Reliability: Why production agents need "Agent-Readable" errors (natural language

guidance) rather than the stack traces that developers rely on. Attendees will leave with a clear

rubric for evaluating whether their tools are truly "Production Ready" or just "Prototype Ready."

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