Chat with Your APIs: FastAPI, SQLite, MCP, and LM Studio
We built a Books ERP that you can talk to using a local AI model. The system connects FastAPI, SQLite, FastMCP, and LM Studio into a conversational inventory interface — where the model calls real API tools instead of guessing answers from memory. Along the way, we discovered that small local models under 1B parameters often fail to call tools correctly, printing the schema definition instead of a valid invocation. This post walks through the full architecture, the security boundary that keeps AI writes auditable, and the practical lessons on choosing the right local model for reliable tool calling.