MCP Use Cases
On This Page
Real-World MCP Use Cases
See how businesses use AI agents to control digital signage with natural language commands.
Restaurant & Food Service
Dynamic Menu Boards
Challenge: Show different messages throughout the day (breakfast, lunch, dinner).
Traditional Approach (20 minutes):
- Create 3 separate playlists
- Create 3 separate schedules
- Set time ranges for each
- Assign to menu board terminals
- Test and verify
With MCP (30 seconds):
USER: "Schedule different welcome messages:
- Morning 6am-11am: Good morning! Breakfast menu available until 11 AM
- Afternoon 11am-5pm: Welcome! Check out our lunch specials
- Evening 5pm-10pm: Happy hour starts at 5 PM - Special cocktails"
AI: ✓ Created Daily_Welcome_Messages schedule
✓ 3 time-based items configured
✓ Auto-assigned to device terminal
✓ Schedule active and running
Result: Menu board automatically switches messages 3 times per day.
Flash Sale Announcement
Scenario: Manager wants to promote unexpected surplus inventory.
USER: "Show flash sale - 50% off all desserts today only"
AI: ✓ Created flash sale content
✓ Created emergency playlist
✓ Published with high priority
✓ Overriding current schedule
✓ Visible on all displays now
Time saved: 5 minutes manual work → 5 seconds with AI.
Special Event Menu
Scenario: Restaurant hosting private event, needs custom menu displayed.
USER: "Schedule the Valentine's Day special menu for February 14th from 5pm to midnight"
AI: ✓ Found playlist: "Valentines_Day_Menu"
✓ Created one-day schedule
✓ Time range: 17:00-24:00
✓ Date: 2025-02-14
✓ Will automatically activate and deactivate
Retail Stores
Weekday vs Weekend Promotions
Challenge: Different promotions for weekdays and weekends.
USER: "Schedule weekday promotions Monday-Friday 9am-6pm, and weekend sale Saturday-Sunday all day"
AI: ✓ Created schedule: "Weekly_Promotions"
✓ Weekday promo: Mon-Fri 09:00-18:00
✓ Weekend promo: Sat-Sun all day
✓ Auto-recurring weekly
Seasonal Campaign Rotation
Scenario: Rotate between winter sale, spring collection, and clearance.
USER: "Rotate these playlists every 2 hours: winter sale, spring collection, clearance items"
AI: ✓ Created hourly rotation schedule
✓ Winter Sale: 09:00-11:00, 13:00-15:00, 17:00-19:00
✓ Spring Collection: 11:00-13:00, 15:00-17:00, 19:00-21:00
✓ Clearance: 21:00-23:00
Instant Status Check
Scenario: Store manager wants to verify displays are working.
USER: "Check all store displays"
AI: Your digital signage is healthy:
- Currently playing: "Winter_Sale_2025"
- Started: 2 hours ago
- Next scheduled: "Spring_Collection" at 1:00 PM
- Displays: 3 active terminals
- Content: 45 items, 12 playlists
- Device status: Healthy, 3 days uptime
Corporate & Office
Emergency Evacuation Notice
Critical: Fire alarm triggered, need immediate evacuation instructions.
USER: "Show emergency evacuation notice on ALL displays immediately with highest priority"
AI: ⚠️ EMERGENCY MODE ACTIVATED
✓ Created critical alert content
✓ Override all schedules (priority: 100)
✓ Published to all 15 terminals
✓ Alert visible NOW across entire building
✓ Time to display: 3 seconds
Meeting Room Schedules
Scenario: Update meeting room display for the day.
USER: "Show today's meeting schedule on conference room display - Board Meeting 9-11am, Team Standup 2-3pm, Client Presentation 4-6pm"
AI: ✓ Created content: "Meeting_Schedule_Dec15"
✓ Formatted agenda with times
✓ Published to Conference_Room terminal
✓ Active now until midnight
Company Announcements
Scenario: HR needs to share company-wide announcement.
USER: "Announce: Holiday party on December 20th at 6pm in the main lobby. RSVP by Friday"
AI: ✓ Created announcement content
✓ Professional layout with company branding
✓ Published to all lobby displays
✓ Will auto-expire on December 20th
Education & Institutions
Class Schedule Display
Scenario: Update daily class schedule for campus digital boards.
USER: "Display today's classes: Math 101 Room 204 at 9am, Chemistry Lab Room 105 at 11am, History 201 Room 310 at 2pm"
AI: ✓ Formatted class schedule
✓ Organized by time with room numbers
✓ Published to campus bulletin boards
✓ Auto-expires at midnight
Event Announcements
Scenario: Promote upcoming school events.
USER: "Announce basketball game Friday 7pm, science fair Saturday 10am, and drama club auditions next Monday"
AI: ✓ Created event calendar content
✓ Formatted with dates and times
✓ Published to all student areas
✓ Rotating with class schedules
Healthcare
Waiting Room Information
Scenario: Hospital wants to display wait times and health tips.
USER: "Show current wait time: 15 minutes, and rotate health tips about flu prevention"
AI: ✓ Created wait time display
✓ Added 5 flu prevention tips (rotating)
✓ Published to waiting room displays
✓ Configured 30-second rotation
Department Wayfinding
Scenario: Help visitors find departments.
USER: "Display directory - Cardiology 2nd floor, Radiology basement, Emergency entrance A"
AI: ✓ Created wayfinding content
✓ Formatted department directory
✓ Color-coded by floor
✓ Published to lobby displays
Hotels & Hospitality
Daily Event Schedule
Scenario: Update conference room schedules daily.
USER: "Today's events: Continental breakfast 7-9am Ballroom A, Johnson wedding 2pm Ballroom B, Corporate dinner 6pm Conference Room C"
AI: ✓ Created event schedule
✓ Formatted with times and locations
✓ Published to lobby and elevator displays
✓ Auto-expires at midnight
Seasonal Greetings
Scenario: Display holiday greetings in lobby.
USER: "Show holiday greetings for guests - Welcome and Happy Holidays from December 20th to January 5th"
AI: ✓ Created holiday greeting content
✓ Scheduled: Dec 20 - Jan 5
✓ Published to main lobby display
✓ Will auto-activate and deactivate
Transportation & Transit
Real-Time Service Updates
Scenario: Bus station needs to announce delay.
USER: "Announce: Route 45 delayed 20 minutes due to traffic. Next bus at 3:15pm"
AI: ✓ Created service alert
✓ High-visibility formatting
✓ Published to all platform displays
✓ Priority override of regular schedule
Common Workflow Patterns
The “Play Now” Pattern
For any urgent content update:
"Play [content name] now"
"Show [announcement] on all displays immediately"
"Publish [playlist] right now"
Result: Content visible in 5 seconds.
The “Schedule Pattern”
For recurring or time-based content:
"Schedule [content] for [time range]"
"Show [playlist] every [day] from [start] to [end]"
"Rotate between [playlist A] and [playlist B] every [duration]"
Result: Automated content switching configured in 30 seconds.
The “Status Check” Pattern
For monitoring and verification:
"What's playing right now?"
"Check display status"
"Show me all active schedules"
"List available playlists"
Result: Instant system status without navigating UI.
The “Emergency Override” Pattern
For critical announcements:
"Emergency: [message] on ALL displays NOW with highest priority"
"Override everything and show [content]"
"Critical alert: [message]"
Result: Immediate display across all screens, overriding schedules.
Industry-Specific Command Examples
Restaurants
- “Show happy hour specials 5-7pm weekdays”
- “Display today’s soup of the day”
- “Announce: Kitchen closes in 30 minutes”
Retail
- “Flash sale: 30% off now until 6pm”
- “Show Black Friday deals starting midnight”
- “Display gift card promotion”
Corporate
- “Announce all-hands meeting at 2pm”
- “Show quarterly results presentation”
- “Display employee of the month”
Healthcare
- “Update wait time to 25 minutes”
- “Show flu shot availability”
- “Display visiting hours information”
Education
- “Announce school closure due to weather”
- “Show exam schedule for finals week”
- “Display cafeteria menu for today”
Success Metrics
Organizations using MCP report:
| Metric | Before MCP | With MCP | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time to publish urgent content | 5 minutes | 5 seconds | 99% faster |
| Time to create schedule | 20 minutes | 30 seconds | 97% faster |
| Status check time | 3 page navigations | Instant | Immediate |
| User training required | 2 hours | 5 minutes | 95% reduction |
| Operational errors | Frequent | Rare | Eliminated |
Getting Started
Ready to try these workflows?
- Enable MCP - 2-minute setup
- Connect AI Agent - Link Claude or ChatGPT
- Start with simple commands like “What’s playing?”
- Progress to scheduling and automation
Questions? Join our Discord community to share your use cases!