Commercial Agent Tools: October 20, 2026

1. ProvenMetal Opens an MCP Server So Agents Can Quote and Order Assembled PCBs

ProvenMetal. PCB fabrication and assembly service ProvenMetal launched an MCP server at mcp.provenmetal.com, shown on HN on October 19, that lets an AI assistant handle a board order end to end. Tools cover JLCPCB fabrication capabilities and options, uploading KiCad projects or Gerber zips with BOM and pick-and-place files, quoting (including answering follow-up questions on part numbers), having ProvenMetal source parts JLCPCB does not stock, and order tracking. The page provides one-click setup prompts for Codex and Claude. Pricing: instant quotes use JLCPCB prices including assembly, parts, shipping and import charges with no ProvenMetal fee; parts JLCPCB lacks are charged at distributor price, and custom boards go through a quote request. Source

2. HedgePick Runs a Multi-Agent Bull-vs-Bear Debate on a Stock Before Issuing a Ruling

HedgePick. HedgePick, posted to Show HN on October 18, takes a US ticker and an optional buy thesis and runs it through fundamentals, sentiment, news and macro, and technicals analyst agents, then bull and bear researchers that rebut each other over several rounds while the bear tests the user’s thesis. A trader and risk manager set stop loss, take profit and position size on paid plans, and a portfolio manager agent issues a BUY, HOLD or SELL ruling with the full debate transcript. The site labels it educational and not financial advice. Pricing: free for 3 analyses, Pro at $39 per month (5 analyses a day), Trader at $99 per month (10 a day plus position tracking, alerts and Alpaca paper-trading orders), and a $19 five-report pack. Source

3. Buddylist Presents Coding Agents as Contacts in an MSN Messenger-Style Desktop App

Buddylist. Buddylist, shown on HN on October 19, is a desktop app where each project folder appears as a contact and each conversation is a live coding agent session that can read the project, run commands and edit files. Claude Code is built in, and Codex, Gemini CLI and OpenCode work once their CLIs are installed; group chats let several agents share a folder and hand off work with @mentions, each in its own git worktree and branch. It includes accept/decline prompts for commands and edits, a Create PR button with PR status tags, a terminal, diff view, and voice clips through whisper.cpp. Pricing: free to download, with agent usage billed to the user’s existing plans; the source repository on GitHub has no license file. Builds are available for Apple Silicon macOS, Windows x64 and Linux x64. Source