// MCP TOKEN COST

The Mcp Knowledge MCP server costs 102,080 tokens before the first call.

Connect Mcp Knowledge and its 271 tool definitions are loaded into the model's context on every request — 51% of a 200k window spent before your agent does anything.

QUICK ANSWER The Mcp Knowledge MCP server's tool definitions consume 102,080 tokens — 54× the median MCP server (1,905 tokens). A scoped grant exposing only the tools you use cuts that roughly in proportion.

MEASURED FROM SCHEMAS 271 tools · 102,080 tokens · 51% of 200k · 10% of 1M Method →

// CONTEXT WINDOW SHARE

What that buys before your agent starts working.

Tool definitions are overhead: they occupy context on every request and compete with your code, documents and conversation history for the same window.

200K WINDOW 51%

1M WINDOW 10%

Corpus context: Mcp Knowledge ranks #4 of 3,213 measured MCP servers by definition cost. The median is 1,905 tokens, p90 is 7,952, and the heaviest (Fusionauth) is 183,337 — 92% of a 200k window on its own.

// PER-TOOL BREAKDOWN

Where the 102,080 tokens go.

Each row is one tool definition as a tools/list entry — name, description and input schema — counted with o200k_base. Average: 377 tokens per tool.

Tool	Category	Tokens	% of server
financial_model_3statement	Execute	854	0.8%
crypto_wallet_intel	Write	795	0.8%
carbon_footprint_calculator	Write	785	0.8%
privacy_compliance_audit	Write	765	0.7%
monte_carlo_portfolio	Write	762	0.7%
sustainability_report	Write	759	0.7%
carbon_roadmap	Write	723	0.7%
real_estate_intel	Write	720	0.7%
enps_auto	Write	714	0.7%
sales_pipeline_forecast	Write	681	0.7%
strategic_options_analyzer	Write	676	0.7%
esrs_narrative_builder	Write	669	0.7%
recruiting_architect	Write	650	0.6%
china_ecommerce_intel	Read	648	0.6%
gov_procurement_multi	Read	620	0.6%
climate_scenario_rcp	Write	620	0.6%
margin_doctor_finance	Write	618	0.6%
sustainability_reporting_pilot	Write	618	0.6%
china_market_data	Read	614	0.6%
capital_strategy	Write	614	0.6%
talent_intelligence	Write	606	0.6%
pricing_in_deal	Write	602	0.6%
usdc_x402_payments_intel	Write	600	0.6%
workflow_orchestrator	Write	597	0.6%
clinical_pharma_intel	Read	588	0.6%
tax_compliance_multi	Write	587	0.6%
candidate_screening_ranking	Write	583	0.6%
funding_hunter	Write	581	0.6%
supplier_esg_audit	Write	579	0.6%
patent_landscape	Read	573	0.6%
churn_defender	Write	572	0.6%
weather_climate_intel	Write	572	0.6%
meddic_scoring	Write	570	0.6%
infra_blueprint_designer	Write	568	0.6%
ai_governance_full_report_async	Write	565	0.6%
process_mapping	Write	563	0.6%
action_plan_esg	Write	556	0.5%
comp_plan_architect	Write	556	0.5%
cve_security_lookup	Read	550	0.5%
investor_shortlist	Write	549	0.5%
qbr_auto	Write	547	0.5%
geo_logistics_intel	Write	546	0.5%
legal_clause_extractor	Read	543	0.5%
renewal_optimizer	Write	539	0.5%
market_entry_strategist	Write	529	0.5%
geographic_expansion	Write	528	0.5%
account_expansion_mapper	Write	523	0.5%
kyc_screener	Write	520	0.5%
sales_enablement_architect	Write	518	0.5%
ugc_moderation_classifier	Write	518	0.5%
cap_table_strategist	Write	516	0.5%
sharia_compliance_screener	Write	516	0.5%
upsell_hunter	Write	515	0.5%
growth_path_architect	Write	512	0.5%
revops_architect	Write	512	0.5%
win_loss_decoder	Write	508	0.5%
earnings_transcript_signals	Write	506	0.5%
positioning_strategist	Write	501	0.5%
agoa_eba_intelligence	Write	497	0.5%
working_capital	Write	497	0.5%
brand_builder	Write	494	0.5%
court_filings_multi	Write	494	0.5%
insurance_coverage_analyzer	Write	487	0.5%
budget_variance_ai	Write	484	0.5%
re_deal_screener	Execute	480	0.5%
email_domain_health_check	Read	479	0.5%
abm_architect	Write	479	0.5%
arbitration_awards_lookup	Read	478	0.5%
india_market_data	Read	478	0.5%
competitive_deep_dive	Read	477	0.5%
dependency_vulnerability_scan	Read	476	0.5%
esg_audit_multi	Read	476	0.5%
capacity_planning	Write	476	0.5%
tax_optimization	Write	476	0.5%
rse_policy_builder	Write	474	0.5%
historical_price_series	Read	472	0.5%
anti_demissions_hr	Write	463	0.5%
partnership_synergies	Write	463	0.5%
ai_governance_pilot	Write	462	0.5%
pentest_scope_estimator	Write	460	0.5%
sanctions_screener_multi	Execute	458	0.4%
job_postings_intelligence	Write	455	0.4%
gl_reconciler	Execute	452	0.4%
customer_marketing	Write	451	0.4%
clinical_evidence_briefer	Write	449	0.4%
diversity_inclusion_metrics	Write	448	0.4%
webhooks_manage	Write	448	0.4%
transcribe_chapterize_media	Write	446	0.4%
corporate_registry_lookup	Read	445	0.4%
pricing_strategist	Write	445	0.4%
pitch_deck_storyline	Execute	443	0.4%
content_ranking	Read	443	0.4%
cyber_risk_auditor	Write	443	0.4%
realtime_data_streams	Read	440	0.4%
proposal_generator	Write	440	0.4%
sec_filing_decoder	Write	439	0.4%
research_paper_qa	Write	436	0.4%
audit_pre_flight	Write	435	0.4%
marketing_roi_dashboard	Write	435	0.4%
internal_communication	Write	434	0.4%
onboarding_salaries	Write	430	0.4%
lead_magnets	Write	423	0.4%
margin_doctor	Write	423	0.4%
tool_recommend	Read	421	0.4%
sentiment_news_pulse	Write	421	0.4%
champion_mapping	Write	420	0.4%
patent_landscape_async	Execute	418	0.4%
treasury_optimizer	Write	413	0.4%
vendor_risk_assessor	Write	412	0.4%
ld_architect	Write	410	0.4%
operational_dashboards	Write	406	0.4%
procurement_spend_optim	Write	404	0.4%
qa_pre_flight	Write	403	0.4%
vendor_management	Write	400	0.4%
competitor_intel	Write	398	0.4%
crm_connector	Write	398	0.4%
outbound_sequencer	Write	396	0.4%
market_sizing	Write	393	0.4%
cross_sell_reco	Write	388	0.4%
event_marketing	Write	388	0.4%
web_search_multilang	Read	385	0.4%
paid_ads_optimizer	Write	380	0.4%
investor_list	Read	370	0.4%
industry_classifier_naics_sic	Write	369	0.4%
attack_surface_monitor	Read	364	0.4%
fraud_detector	Write	364	0.4%
save_plays	Write	361	0.4%
ip_protection_pilot	Write	359	0.4%
press_influencer	Write	357	0.3%
term_sheet_negotiation	Write	357	0.3%
market_research_brief	Read	356	0.3%
bp_narratif	Write	355	0.3%
seo_cro_audit	Read	351	0.3%
customer_voice_synth	Write	346	0.3%
working_capital_fx_hedge_optimizer	Write	342	0.3%
battle_plan	Write	338	0.3%
deal_coach	Write	337	0.3%
content_discovery	Read	336	0.3%
kyc_screener_batch	Read	335	0.3%
domain_tech_fingerprint	Execute	331	0.3%
content_compare	Read	331	0.3%
earnings_reviewer	Write	330	0.3%
rfp_tender_architect	Write	330	0.3%
process_mining	Write	328	0.3%
africa_trade_preference_optimizer	Write	327	0.3%
content_engine	Write	326	0.3%
seo_keyword_research	Read	324	0.3%
ma_deal_screener	Write	313	0.3%
trend_watcher	Read	312	0.3%
x402_liquidity_monitor	Read	311	0.3%
deal_structurer	Write	311	0.3%
africa_trade_preference_arbitrage	Write	309	0.3%
abm_lookalike_account_finder	Read	308	0.3%
logistics_esg_incident_tracker	Write	308	0.3%
sci_literature_search	Read	306	0.3%
competitor_recommendations	Write	306	0.3%
competitive_deep_dive_async	Read	303	0.3%
competitor_moves	Write	303	0.3%
ma_tax_efficiency_mapper	Write	303	0.3%
discovery_prep	Write	302	0.3%
battle_cards_live	Write	301	0.3%
observability_log_pattern_miner	Write	300	0.3%
sovereign_data_breach_impact	Read	298	0.3%
ai_act_sandbox_regulatory_sandbox	Write	298	0.3%
competitor_pricing_radar	Write	298	0.3%
competitor_profiles	Write	293	0.3%
contract_risk_scanner	Write	293	0.3%
ma_arbitrage_hunter	Write	292	0.3%
dora_operational_resilience_stress_tes	Write	290	0.3%
mttr_breakdown_analyzer	Write	290	0.3%
banking_fee_negotiator	Write	288	0.3%
hr_benefits_esg_aligner	Write	287	0.3%
lnd_ai_skill_forecast	Write	286	0.3%
procurement_six_sigma_waste_hunter	Write	286	0.3%
programmatic_attribution_calibrator	Write	286	0.3%
affiliate_fraud_clickstream_detector	Read	285	0.3%
vuln_patch_priority_engine	Write	285	0.3%
procurement_okr_esg_aligner	Write	283	0.3%
knowledge_base_auto	Write	282	0.3%
retail_media_attribution_bridge	Write	280	0.3%
sabbatical_policy_comparator	Write	280	0.3%
reputation_engine	Write	279	0.3%
ossf_scorecard_trend_analyzer	Read	277	0.3%
dual_use_tech_diversion_monitor	Read	275	0.3%
model_behavior_drift_monitor	Read	274	0.3%
patent_ownership_audit	Read	273	0.3%
bond_covenant_esg_compliance_checker	Write	273	0.3%
working_capital_esg_impact_rater	Write	273	0.3%
manufacturing_esg_compliance_mapper	Write	270	0.3%
ip_employee_invention_tracker	Read	269	0.3%
comp_benchmark_geo_delta	Write	269	0.3%
adversarial_input_stress_tester	Write	267	0.3%
lnd_skill_taxonomy_builder	Write	267	0.3%
manufacturing_waste_heatmap	Write	267	0.3%
fx_rate	Read	266	0.3%
dpdp_consent_artifact_generator	Write	266	0.3%
payment_rails_cost_analyzer	Write	266	0.3%
ai_act_incident_response	Write	264	0.3%
incident_response_evidence_collector	Write	264	0.3%
content_enrichment	Write	263	0.3%
syndicated_loan_covenant_breach_alert	Write	263	0.3%
trade_finance_eligibility	Write	263	0.3%
x402_payment_flow_analyzer	Write	263	0.3%
supply_chain_fx_exposure_dashboard	Write	262	0.3%
vertical_ai_agent_governance	Write	261	0.3%
competitor_pricing_scrape	Destructive	259	0.3%
syndicated_loan_pricing_benchmark	Write	257	0.3%
talent_litigation_exposure	Write	255	0.2%
tariff_impact_simulator	Write	253	0.2%
labor_law_alert_geo	Write	251	0.2%
content_catalog	Read	249	0.2%
lgpd_data_subject_rights_automator	Read	249	0.2%
talent_contract_risk_mapper	Write	247	0.2%
ip_contract_clause_extractor	Write	244	0.2%
nis2_supply_chain_dependency_map	Write	244	0.2%
code_review_depth_optimizer	Write	242	0.2%
africa_trade_finance_esg_rater	Write	240	0.2%
bond_covenant_monitor	Read	239	0.2%
observability_metric_anomaly_detector	Write	238	0.2%
executive_comp_peer_benchmark	Write	237	0.2%
vendor_esg_blacklist_monitor	Read	236	0.2%
talent_poaching_risk	Read	234	0.2%
retail_media_esg_compliance	Read	233	0.2%
africa_trade_barrier_breaker	Write	233	0.2%
ftg_market_gap	Write	233	0.2%
programmatic_brand_safety_auditor	Write	227	0.2%
dora_metrics_deep_dive	Write	226	0.2%
safety_guardrail_breach_analyzer	Write	225	0.2%
cloud_cost_ri_optimizer	Write	224	0.2%
economic_indicator	Write	224	0.2%
safety_violation_incident_logger	Write	223	0.2%
social_influencer_fake_follower_detector	Write	223	0.2%
content_similar	Write	221	0.2%
sre_slo_breach_predictor	Write	221	0.2%
vuln_exploitability_forecast	Write	221	0.2%
bias_amplification_tracker	Write	220	0.2%
x402_payment_fraud_detector	Write	220	0.2%
brand_equity_voice_share_calculator	Write	219	0.2%
social_engagement_velocity_tracker	Write	219	0.2%
vendor_esg_diversity_scanner	Write	219	0.2%
jailbreak_attempt_detector	Write	218	0.2%
dual_use_export_risk_mapper	Write	216	0.2%
tariff_arbitrage_finder	Write	214	0.2%
talent_legal_dashboard	Write	213	0.2%
content_provenance	Read	211	0.2%
change_failure_root_cause_classifier	Write	211	0.2%
content_evergreen_score_analyzer	Write	211	0.2%
hallucination_confidence_meter	Write	211	0.2%
interest_rate	Write	208	0.2%
oss_dependency_velocity_tracker	Write	208	0.2%
ftg_sourcing_buyers	Write	200	0.2%
ai_act_training_data_audit	Read	199	0.2%
global_salary_inflation_adjuster	Write	199	0.2%
ai_governance_full_report_result	Write	194	0.2%
ftg_opportunity_scout	Write	192	0.2%
content_audience_profile	Write	188	0.2%
ftg_business_plan	Write	188	0.2%
ftg_production_economics	Write	186	0.2%
ftg_production_methods	Write	182	0.2%
model_safety_certification_checker	Write	180	0.2%
repo_rate_arbitrage_scanner	Write	178	0.2%
ftg_country_regulations	Write	165	0.2%
ftg_seller_catalog	Write	159	0.2%
ftg_business_ideas	Write	154	0.2%
ftg_investor_directory	Write	149	0.1%
content_taxonomy	Read	142	0.1%
ftg_country_study	Write	134	0.1%
kyc_screener_batch_result	Write	132	0.1%
patent_landscape_result	Write	126	0.1%
competitive_deep_dive_result	Write	120	0.1%
job_result	Write	97	0.1%

// SCOPED GRANT

Most agents use a handful of these tools. They pay for all 271.

A PolicyLayer grant exposes only the tools you allow — ungranted definitions are filtered out of the tool list, so they never enter the context window. Estimates below assume typical-weight tools (377 tokens each).

Grant scope	Definition cost	Reduction
All 271 tools (no gateway)	102,080 tokens	—
3 granted tools	~1,130 tokens	−99%
5 granted tools	~1,883 tokens	−98%
10 granted tools	~3,767 tokens	−96%

Model your own stack in the token-cost calculator, or see the Mcp Knowledge policy for what a sensible grant looks like.

//FAQ

Mcp Knowledge token-cost questions.

How many tokens does the Mcp Knowledge MCP server use?+

Its 271 tool definitions total 102,080 tokens — 51% of a 200k context window — measured with tiktoken o200k_base over the serialised tools/list payload. Exact counts vary slightly by client and model.

Why does Mcp Knowledge consume tokens before I send a message?+

MCP clients load every connected server's tool definitions — name, description, and input schema — into the model's context so it knows what it can call. That payload is charged against your context window on every request, whether or not a tool is used.

How do I reduce Mcp Knowledge's token usage?+

Expose fewer tools. A PolicyLayer grant scopes Mcp Knowledge to only the tools you allow — ungranted definitions are filtered out of the tool list, so they never enter the context window. A grant of 3 typical tools costs roughly 1,130 tokens, a 99% reduction.

Does deferred tool loading fix this?+

Partially, in some clients. Claude Code defers MCP tool schemas behind a tool-search step by default, and VS Code has experimental grouping — but you still pay tokens per search and reload, and Cursor, Windsurf and Gemini CLI load definitions upfront. Reducing the exposed tool set cuts the cost in every client.

// METHOD & REVIEW

How these numbers were measured.

01

Serialisation

Each tool is serialised as a tools/list entry — name, description, input schema — from the schemas in the PolicyLayer scan database. Clients differ slightly in framing, so treat counts as close estimates.

02

Tokeniser

tiktoken o200k_base (GPT-4o/o-series). Anthropic's current tokeniser isn't published, so Claude's exact counts will differ; for English text and JSON schemas the totals are close enough to treat these as estimates.

03

Deferred loading

Some clients now defer schema loading (Claude Code's tool search; VS Code experimental grouping). You still pay per search and reload — and Cursor, Windsurf and Gemini CLI load everything upfront.

Computed 07-06-2026 from the PolicyLayer scan database over all 271 catalogued Mcp Knowledge tools. Counts refresh with every site build.