Crafting a Cultural StoryBot with MCP and C# at .NET Sheffield

Olorunfemi Davis

On October 7, 2025, we brought the StoryBot series to Sheffield! Following the success of our previous edition at York (read the York recap here), we were excited to share new insights and connect with the vibrant .NET Sheffield community.

Event: Crafting a Cultural StoryBot with MCP and C# – .NET Sheffield Meetup

Date & Time: Tuesday, Oct 7, 2025, 6:30–8:30 PM BST
Venue: Sheffield Technology Parks, Arundel Street, Sheffield
Speakers: Olorunfemi Davis & Olakunle Abiola

Agenda

  • 🍕 Pizza/Drinks (18:15 - 18:30)
  • 🗣 Introduction (18:30)
  • 👉 Main Talk: Crafting a Cultural StoryBot with MCP and C#
  • 🍻 Social @ Pub (after the talk)

Our Journey: From Lagos to Sheffield

We opened the evening by sharing our personal journeys—moving from Lagos to Sheffield, the surprises and challenges of adapting to a new city, and how these experiences shape the way we build software. From exploring the countryside and local traditions to discovering the warmth of Sheffield’s community, our stories highlighted the importance of cultural context in both life and technology.

We reflected on how, in Nigeria, knowledge is often passed down orally—through stories, music, and folklore—while in the UK, much is preserved in books and libraries. This difference inspired us to build tools that bridge these worlds, making cultural knowledge more accessible and accurate for everyone.

We also discussed the everyday realities of cultural adaptation: from food (trying Sunday roast and local dishes), to music, language, and even folklore. These stories brought to life the need for technology that understands and respects cultural nuance.

About the Session

This Sheffield edition was a lively discussion, not a live demo. We focused on the architecture and evolution of the Naija2Sheffield StoryBot—a desktop virtual assistant that blends Nigerian and Sheffield cultures using AI and C#.

The StoryBot is more than just a chatbot: it’s a cultural connector, able to answer questions about food, music, language, and traditions from both Nigeria and Sheffield. We described how the bot leverages real data using a pipeline that scrapes, stores, and serves information through MongoDB, MCP, and .NET APIs.

Why Context Matters in AI

We explored the evolution of AI models—from static, pre-trained knowledge to dynamic, context-aware systems. Large Language Models (LLMs) like GPT and Claude are powerful, but can be biased or lack local context. Techniques like Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) and the Model Context Protocol (MCP) allow us to inject up-to-date, relevant knowledge into these models on the fly, without retraining.

MCP, created by Anthropic and adopted by Microsoft, is a standard for connecting LLMs to real data sources and tools. This means you can ask an AI about Sheffield’s music scene or Nigerian folklore, and it will pull accurate, grounded answers from trusted sources—not just its training data.

Real-World Use Cases and Microsoft MCP Servers

We discussed how MCP and Semantic Kernel can:

  • Connect LLMs to business data, APIs, or databases (like MongoDB)
  • Enable natural language queries over real-time data (e.g., “Show me this month’s transactions from PayPal”)
  • Orchestrate complex workflows in .NET apps, combining C#, C++, and cloud services

A highlight was our discussion of Microsoft MCP servers and their growing ecosystem. We showed how these servers allow developers to connect AI models to a wide range of data sources and tools, shifting the integration workload from individual developers to service providers. This makes it easier to keep up with the rapid changes in AI frameworks and APIs.

We also talked about the challenges of maintaining AI agents as frameworks and APIs evolve, and shared practical advice for designing systems that can adapt to new tools and requirements.

Key Takeaways

  • Build AI agents with MCP and Docker’s Toolkit for secure, scalable deployment
  • Optimize .NET APIs for lean Azure infrastructure
  • Master C++/C# interoperability for performance-critical tasks
  • Create storytelling-driven apps that bridge global communities
  • Embrace both oral and written traditions to make technology more inclusive
  • Leverage Microsoft MCP servers to simplify integration and future-proof your AI solutions

Audience

Developers, AI enthusiasts, .NET/C# engineers

Speakers

  • Olorunfemi Davis: Senior Platform Engineer, passionate about AI, performance, and cultural storytelling
  • Olakunle Abiola: Full-stack engineer with expertise in AI, SaaS, and developer experience

Event Photos & Slides

Architecture

Core Technologies

Main Session Photos

Thank you to everyone who joined us in Sheffield! Stay tuned for more StoryBot events and resources.