// MCP TOKEN COST

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

Every request your agent makes carries every tool definition this server exposes — context your code, documents and conversation can't use, mostly for tools the agent never calls. You don't need them all in the window, and you don't have to pay for them.

QUICK ANSWER The Mcp Knowledge MCP server's 271 tool definitions consume 102,080 tokens — 51% of a 200k context window, and 48× the median MCP server (2,145 tokens). A scoped grant exposing only the tools you use cuts that roughly in proportion.

MEASURED FROM SCHEMAS tiktoken o200k_base · rank #5 of 5,253 measured servers · refreshed every build Method →

// CONTEXT WINDOW SHARE

What that costs 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 #5 of 5,253 measured MCP servers by definition cost. The median is 2,145 tokens, p90 is 11,440, and the heaviest (UnClick) is 147,411 — 74% of a 200k window on its own. New to this? See MCP token cost and context window in the glossary.

Token cost is one axis. See the risk picture across your whole stack →

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

// CUT THE COST

Your agent uses a handful of these tools. It pays for all 271.

You don't need all 271 of those definitions in the window. PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway that sits in front of Mcp Knowledge: only the tools you grant are exposed to the agent, the rest never load. A smaller window means a sharper agent — less noise when it picks a tool — and every request costs less:

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%

The risk dividend: 6 of these 271 tools are critical-risk (destructive or financial) and cost 2,301 tokens (2% of the definition load). Block them — the recommended starter policy — and you reclaim that context before tuning anything else.

Create a free account and register Mcp Knowledge — nothing to install.
Grant only the tools you use — ungranted definitions never enter the context window.
Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.

CUT MCP KNOWLEDGE TOKEN COST →

Instant setup, no code required.

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 15-07-2026 from the PolicyLayer scan database over all 271 catalogued Mcp Knowledge tools. Counts refresh with every site build.