API Design As I Use the API, and MCP, and Skills

I have found real value in taking an API design-first approach to crafting my APIs over the years, but I always hit a point of diminishing returns with it once the API is actually in production. I have found this to be true with most of the practitioners I have worked with on the design-first front, and I am always looking for ways to still embrace the principles while aligning with the code-first, usage, and adoption realities of putting an API to work. Design-first gets you to a clean starting line.