Real voice. Real MCP.
Kin's connected surfaces work with the same family plan. The voice connection, web conversation and local story have different boundaries; one is not proof that the others are connected.
The linked Echo
The working physical-device integration uses a classic Alexa development skill on a linked Echo Pop. The tested invocation is:
Alexa, open kin family.
The skill reads Kin's plan through its self-hosted MCP server using the linked family account. Follow the actual prompts. If no check-in is waiting for confirmation, saying “yes” alone does not choose one or record a reply.
This is not an intercom: family members do not exchange voice messages through the two sides of Kin. The parent's recorded response becomes shared care state for the family to review.
The development skill is not a public Skills Store listing. Linking an account does not identify the physical speaker; anyone able to use the linked device may act with that account's permissions.
The Kin web conversation
Ask Kin is Kin's own browser interface. Its reviewed reads and saves use real MCP calls. It is not Amazon's Alexa+ interface and does not connect browser dictation to an Echo.
The isolated local story also uses real MCP, but its people, clock, dialogue surface and notification display are synthetic. It has no physical Alexa or phone connection.
The MCP server
Model Context Protocol (MCP) is the interface through which authorized
clients discover and call Kin's tools. Kin supports the 2025-11-25 protocol
baseline using Streamable HTTP, with an MCP Apps Today widget.
The main tools are:
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
show_today | Read the current care plan and recorded state. |
confirm_care_task | Save a reviewed done, not-yet or skipped response. |
show_weekly_brief | Read the evidence-linked weekly summary. |
Additional tools are exposed only when their feature and permission gates are enabled. These support reviewed plan cancellation, recent completion undo and consent-ticket preparation for an Echo reminder.
Standard MCP clients use configured OAuth discovery and sign-in. Access tokens are bound to the intended resource, and current circle membership determines what the account may do. A registered client or successfully issued token does not grant circle access by itself.
Reminders need their own consent
When available, an Echo reminder requires an explicit offer and consent. Anyone nearby may hear it. Kin can request cancellation when the related check-in no longer needs the reminder, but cancellation can be delayed or fail. Manage reminders in the Alexa app if the result is uncertain; do not create duplicates to work around an unverified result.
What “Alexa+” means here
Kin is built for the Amazon Developer Hackathon's Alexa+ self-hosted MCP route. Its standards-based MCP implementation and separate classic Alexa development skill are real code paths. They do not establish native Alexa+ Toolkit access or a native Alexa+ add-on deployment.