Phelps Research and Operations

Technical consulting · Walnut Creek, California

Build it, launch it, keep it running.

We build managed AI agents, custom MCP servers and native mobile apps, get businesses found on Google and in AI answers, and run launches so the site, the press and the posts go live together.

Book a scoping call Try our AI agents

Services

What we build and run

Most clients come for one of these and stay for the others, because an agent, an app, its search presence and its launch all depend on each other. Most work runs on a flat rate: ask for a quote.

Managed AI agents

AI agents we host, watch and keep improving

Agents with a clear job, the tools they need and firm limits, running on your site or inside your business, looked after month to month.

  • Agents for customer questions, documents, finance and operations
  • Hosted in your own accounts, with usage limits and logs
  • Regular tuning as your data and questions change
  • Three of ours are running on this page

Custom MCP servers

Connect AI to the systems you already run

MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers let Claude and other AI assistants work with your own systems, only within the access you choose.

  • Connectors for payroll, HR, accounting, documents and databases
  • Secure set-ups: mutual TLS, scoped keys, read-only where it matters
  • Works with Claude, Claude Code and other MCP clients
  • Documentation your IT team can sign off

Custom mobile apps

Native iPhone apps, through App Store review

Apps built in SwiftUI to your design, plus the web app and back end behind them.

  • Native iOS apps, not websites in a wrapper
  • App Store listing, review notes and submission
  • Web apps on Vercel, Supabase or Laravel
  • Handover docs so your team can run them

SEO and AEO

Show up first on Google and in AI answers

For software launches and local businesses alike: search engines and AI assistants both need to read you correctly.

  • Technical SEO and structured data on every page
  • llms.txt, sitemaps and IndexNow for fast pickup
  • Local search set-up for restaurants and shops
  • Reports on rankings and what AI assistants say about you

Content and social

Content made fast, checked by a person

Short video, captions and posts produced with AI tools and reviewed before anything goes out.

  • Vertical video cut from your own shoots
  • Captions and posts in your voice
  • Accounts run with partner access, never passwords
  • Reports on what drives clicks, not only likes

Launches

One person running launch day

The site, the press coverage and the social posts, timed to the hour and tracked afterwards.

  • A launch runbook agreed in advance
  • Search engines told the moment the site opens
  • Press follow-up so coverage links back to you
  • A short report every week

Experience

Where this work has been put to use

Client names stay private. The kinds of work do not.

Defense and government

A registered federal contractor with a CAGE code, and experience with U.S. Air Force work.

Real estate development

An AI platform for a development firm: custom MCP servers for payroll and documents, AI agents and a staff portal.

Real estate finance software

Technical leadership for a financial modeling product used by property investors.

Restaurants and local business

Local SEO and content for a barbecue business, so it shows up when people nearby search.

Hosted AI agents

Try our AI agents

Three agents run on this site, built the way we build them for clients: a Claude model with a clear job, the tools it needs, and limits on what it will do.

Runs on Claude.
The site checker reads live pages, robots.txt, sitemaps and llms.txt.

Check your site

Give me a website address and I'll check how ready it is for Google and for AI answers like ChatGPT and Perplexity, then tell you what to fix first.

AI answers can be wrong. Don't share passwords or private details.

How a launch runs

A launch, hour by hour

Big outlets usually take the news box the day a story breaks. Owning the search results that follow comes down to timing and links, so every launch runs from a plan like this one.

launch-runbook · example launch T = moment the site opens
  1. T − 14 days Search accounts verifiedGoogle Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools set up. Press page built behind the access gate.
  2. T − 7 days Press timing lockedEmbargo time and outlet list confirmed. Every outlet gets the exact link to use.
  3. T − 1 day Posts scheduledLaunch posts queued, including collab posts with partners. Sitemap, structured data and crawler rules checked.
  4. T + 0:00 Site opens to searchAccess gate removed and the search switch flipped: seo:launch
  5. T + 0:05 Search engines toldSitemap submitted to Google and Bing, page list sent with seo:indexnow
  6. T + 1:00 Embargo liftsCoverage and social posts go out in the same hour, all pointing at the site.
  7. Days 1–14 Follow-throughCoverage tracked, missing links chased, AI answers checked weekly, report every Friday.

How we work

From first call to handover

  1. Step 1

    Scoping call

    Thirty minutes on what you need, by when, and what already exists.

  2. Step 2

    Written scope

    A flat rate for most projects, or a monthly fee for ongoing work. You know the cost before anything starts.

  3. Step 3

    Build

    Weekly updates, and you see it working before it ships.

  4. Step 4

    Handover

    Everything lives in your accounts, with the docs to run it yourself.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

What does Phelps Research and Operations do?

Phelps Research and Operations is a technical consultancy in Walnut Creek, California. We build managed AI agents, custom MCP servers and native mobile apps, make businesses visible on Google and in AI answers, produce content, and run product launches.

What is a custom MCP server, and why would my business need one?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is the standard way for AI assistants such as Claude to use outside systems. A custom MCP server connects them to your own payroll, accounting, documents or databases, with only the access you choose, so staff can ask questions and get work done with real company data instead of copying it into a chat.

What do managed AI agents include?

We design the agent's job and limits, connect it to the tools and data it needs, host it in your own accounts with usage limits and logs, and keep tuning it as your questions change. The three agents on this page are examples: one checks websites, one drafts project scopes and one plans launches.

What is AEO, and how is it different from SEO?

SEO (search engine optimization) gets your pages ranked in search results. AEO (answer engine optimization) gets your business described correctly, and cited, when people ask AI assistants like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude or Google's AI Overviews.

They overlap: both need pages that crawlers can read, clear structured data and links from other sites. AEO adds things like an llms.txt file, plain answers to the questions people actually ask, and checking what each assistant says about you.

How do I get my business to show up in ChatGPT and Perplexity?

Make sure their crawlers can read your site, publish clear pages that answer the questions your customers ask, add structured data that says who you are and what you sell, and add an llms.txt file. Then check what each assistant says about you every few weeks and fix the pages it draws on. The site checker above runs the first part of that check for free.

Do you build custom mobile apps?

Yes. We build native iPhone apps in SwiftUI to your design, prepare the App Store listing and review notes, and handle submission and resubmissions. Apple alone decides approval, so nobody can guarantee it, but most rejections come from avoidable problems we check for before submitting.

Do you work with government and defense clients?

Yes. Phelps Research and Operations is a registered federal contractor with a CAGE code, and has experience with U.S. Air Force work.

How does pricing work?

Most projects run on a flat rate agreed after a short scoping call, written into the scope before work starts. Ongoing work, such as managed agents or content, is a monthly fee for an agreed scope. Ask for a quote.

Where is Phelps Research and Operations based?

Walnut Creek, California.

Who you work with

Gary Phelps

Managing Member, Phelps Research and Operations LLC

Gary is a technical consultant who builds and runs software for businesses and government: managed AI agents, custom MCP servers that connect AI to the systems a company already uses, native mobile apps, and the search, content and launch work that gets them noticed.

You deal with him directly, from the first call to the handover.