Home / Token cost / Trello
// MCP TOKEN COST

The Trello MCP server costs 63,945 tokens before the first call.

Connect Trello and its 200 tool definitions are loaded into the model's context on every request — 32% of a 200k window spent before your agent does anything.

QUICK ANSWER The Trello MCP server's tool definitions consume 63,945 tokens — 59× the median MCP server (1,075 tokens). A scoped grant exposing only the tools you use cuts that roughly in proportion.

MEASURED FROM SCHEMAS 200 tools · 63,945 tokens · 32% of 200k · 6.4% 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 32%
1M WINDOW 6.4%

Corpus context: Trello ranks #6 of 1,659 measured MCP servers by definition cost. The median is 1,075 tokens, p90 is 6,119, and the heaviest (Fusionauth) is 183,337 — 92% of a 200k window on its own.

// PER-TOOL BREAKDOWN

Where the 63,945 tokens go.

Each row is one tool definition as a tools/list entry — name, description and input schema — counted with o200k_base. Average: 320 tokens per tool.

ToolCategoryTokens% of server
TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_BY_ID_BOARD Read 2,607 4.1%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_BY_ID_MEMBER Read 2,600 4.1%
TRELLO_GET_ORGANIZATIONS_BY_ID_ORG Read 1,751 2.7%
TRELLO_ADD_BOARDS Write 1,593 2.5%
TRELLO_GET_CARDS_BY_ID_CARD Read 1,446 2.3%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_ACTIONS_BY_ID_MEMBER Read 1,293 2.0%
TRELLO_GET_CARDS_ACTIONS_BY_ID_CARD Read 1,282 2.0%
TRELLO_GET_ORGANIZATIONS_MEMBERS_CARDS_BY_ID_ORG_BY_ID_MEMBER Read 1,234 1.9%
TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_ACTIONS_BY_ID_BOARD Read 1,205 1.9%
TRELLO_GET_SEARCH Read 1,193 1.9%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_BOARDS_BY_ID_MEMBER Read 1,188 1.9%
TRELLO_GET_LISTS_CARDS_BY_ID_LIST Read 1,187 1.9%
TRELLO_GET_ORGANIZATIONS_BOARDS_BY_ID_ORG Read 1,115 1.7%
TRELLO_GET_LISTS_ACTIONS_BY_ID_LIST Read 1,104 1.7%
TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_CARDS_BY_ID_BOARD Read 1,090 1.7%
TRELLO_GET_NOTIFICATIONS_BY_ID_NOTIFICATION Read 1,042 1.6%
TRELLO_GET_ORGANIZATIONS_ACTIONS_BY_ID_ORG Read 1,004 1.6%
TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_MEMBERS_CARDS_BY_ID_BOARD_BY_ID_MEMBER Read 976 1.5%
TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_CARDS_BY_ID_BOARD_BY_ID_CARD Read 953 1.5%
TRELLO_ADD_CARDS Write 865 1.4%
TRELLO_ADD_ORGANIZATIONS Write 816 1.3%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_CARDS_BY_ID_MEMBER Read 746 1.2%
TRELLO_GET_CARDS_CHECKLISTS_BY_ID_CARD Read 635 1.0%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_NOTIFICATIONS_BY_ID_MEMBER Read 618 1.0%
TRELLO_GET_CHECKLISTS_CARDS_BY_ID_CHECKLIST Read 611 1.0%
TRELLO_GET_CHECKLISTS_BY_ID_CHECKLIST Read 586 0.9%
TRELLO_GET_LISTS_BY_ID_LIST Read 532 0.8%
TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_CHECKLISTS_BY_ID_BOARD Read 483 0.8%
TRELLO_GET_ACTIONS_BY_ID_ACTION Read 474 0.7%
TRELLO_ADD_LISTS_CARDS_BY_ID_LIST Write 474 0.7%
TRELLO_ADD_CARDS_CHECKLISTS_BY_ID_CARD Write 420 0.7%
TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_LISTS_BY_ID_BOARD Read 412 0.6%
TRELLO_ADD_LISTS Write 389 0.6%
TRELLO_ADD_CARDS_STICKERS_BY_ID_CARD Write 352 0.6%
TRELLO_GET_ORGANIZATIONS_MEMBERSHIPS_BY_ID_ORG Read 348 0.5%
TRELLO_ADD_CARDS_LABELS_BY_ID_CARD Write 346 0.5%
TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_MEMBERS_BY_ID_BOARD Read 344 0.5%
TRELLO_GET_ORGANIZATIONS_MEMBERS_BY_ID_ORG Read 338 0.5%
TRELLO_ADD_CHECKLISTS Write 338 0.5%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_ORGANIZATIONS_BY_ID_MEMBER Read 333 0.5%
TRELLO_ADD_CARDS_ATTACHMENTS_BY_ID_CARD Write 319 0.5%
TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_MEMBERSHIPS_BY_ID_BOARD Read 307 0.5%
TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_MEMBERSHIPS_BY_ID_BOARD_BY_ID_MEMBERSHIP Read 300 0.5%
TRELLO_GET_ORGANIZATIONS_MEMBERSHIPS_BY_ID_ORG_BY_ID_MEMBERSHIP Read 296 0.5%
TRELLO_ADD_MEMBERS_SAVED_SEARCHES_BY_ID_MEMBER Write 280 0.4%
TRELLO_GET_ORGANIZATIONS_MEMBERS_INVITED_BY_ID_ORG Read 276 0.4%
TRELLO_ADD_MEMBERS_BOARD_BACKGROUNDS_BY_ID_MEMBER Write 272 0.4%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_DELTAS_BY_ID_MEMBER Read 261 0.4%
TRELLO_GET_CARDS_ATTACHMENTS_BY_ID_CARD_BY_ID_ATTACHMENT Read 259 0.4%
TRELLO_ADD_CARDS_CHECKLIST_CHECK_ITEM_BY_ID_CARD_BY_ID_CHECKLIST Write 259 0.4%
TRELLO_ADD_TOKENS_WEBHOOKS_BY_TOKEN Write 259 0.4%
TRELLO_GET_CARDS_STICKERS_BY_ID_CARD_BY_ID_STICKER Read 258 0.4%
TRELLO_GET_NOTIFICATIONS_MEMBER_CREATOR_BY_ID_NOTIFICATION Read 254 0.4%
TRELLO_ADD_CHECKLISTS_CHECK_ITEMS_BY_ID_CHECKLIST Write 253 0.4%
TRELLO_ADD_LABELS Write 245 0.4%
TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_ORGANIZATION_BY_ID_BOARD Read 243 0.4%
TRELLO_GET_NOTIFICATIONS_CARD_BY_ID_NOTIFICATION Read 242 0.4%
TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_LABELS_BY_ID_BOARD Read 237 0.4%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBER_CUSTOM_EMOJI Read 237 0.4%
TRELLO_CONVERT_CHECKLIST_ITEM_TO_CARD Destructive 235 0.4%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBER_CUSTOM_STICKER Read 234 0.4%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBER_CUSTOM_BG Read 233 0.4%
TRELLO_ADD_MEMBERS_CUSTOM_BOARD_BACKGROUNDS_BY_ID_MEMBER Write 233 0.4%
TRELLO_GET_CARDS_MEMBERS_BY_ID_CARD Read 231 0.4%
TRELLO_GET_CARDS_MEMBERS_VOTED_BY_ID_CARD Read 231 0.4%
TRELLO_GET_CARDS_BOARD_BY_ID_CARD Read 230 0.4%
TRELLO_GET_NOTIFICATIONS_MEMBER_BY_ID_NOTIFICATION Read 229 0.4%
TRELLO_ADD_BOARDS_LISTS_BY_ID_BOARD Write 226 0.4%
TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_MEMBERS_INVITED_BY_ID_BOARD Read 225 0.4%
TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_LABELS_BY_ID_BOARD_BY_ID_LABEL Read 218 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_CARDS_ATTACHMENTS_BY_ID_CARD Read 218 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_BOARDS_INVITED_BY_ID_MEMBER Read 218 0.3%
TRELLO_DELETE_CARDS_ATTACHMENTS_BY_ID_CARD_BY_ID_ATTACHMENT Destructive 215 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_ACTIONS_MEMBER_CREATOR_BY_ID_ACTION Read 211 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_NOTIFICATIONS_ORGANIZATION_BY_ID_NOTIFICATION Read 211 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_ACTIONS_MEMBER_BY_ID_ACTION Read 209 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_LABELS_BOARD_BY_ID_LABEL Read 207 0.3%
TRELLO_ADD_MEMBERS_AVATAR_BY_ID_MEMBER Write 207 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_ACTIONS_ORGANIZATION_BY_ID_ACTION Read 206 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_ACTIONS_CARD_BY_ID_ACTION Read 205 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_LISTS_BOARD_BY_ID_LIST Read 205 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_CARDS_CHECK_ITEM_STATES_BY_ID_CARD Read 204 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_CARDS_STICKERS_BY_ID_CARD Read 203 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_NOTIFICATIONS_BOARD_BY_ID_NOTIFICATION Read 203 0.3%
TRELLO_DELETE_MEMBERS_BOARD_STARS_BY_ID_MEMBER_BY_ID_BOARD_STAR Destructive 202 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_CARDS_LIST_BY_ID_CARD Read 202 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_ORGANIZATIONS_DELTAS_BY_ID_ORG Read 202 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_ACTIONS_BOARD_BY_ID_ACTION Read 201 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_CHECKLISTS_CHECK_ITEMS_BY_ID_CHECKLIST Read 201 0.3%
TRELLO_ADD_CARDS_ID_LABELS_BY_ID_CARD Write 201 0.3%
TRELLO_ADD_CARDS_MEMBERS_VOTED_BY_ID_CARD Write 198 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_CHECK_ITEM_BY_ID Read 197 0.3%
TRELLO_ADD_BOARDS_LABELS_BY_ID_BOARD Write 193 0.3%
TRELLO_DELETE_CARDS_LABELS_BY_ID_CARD_BY_COLOR Destructive 192 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_CHECKLISTS_BOARD_BY_ID_CHECKLIST Read 190 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_ACTIONS_BY_ID_ACTION_BY_FIELD Read 189 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_DELTAS_BY_ID_BOARD Read 189 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_BOARD_STARS_BY_ID_MEMBER_BY_ID_BOARD_STAR Read 188 0.3%
TRELLO_ADD_MEMBERS_BOARD_STARS_BY_ID_MEMBER Write 187 0.3%
TRELLO_DELETE_ORGANIZATIONS_MEMBERS_ALL_BY_ID_ORG_BY_ID_MEMBER Destructive 186 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBER_BOARD_BACKGROUND Read 186 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_ORGANIZATIONS_INVITED_BY_ID_MEMBER Read 185 0.3%
TRELLO_DELETE_BOARDS_POWER_UPS_BY_ID_BOARD_BY_POWER_UP Destructive 184 0.3%
TRELLO_DELETE_CARDS_MEMBERS_VOTED_BY_ID_CARD_BY_ID_MEMBER Destructive 184 0.3%
TRELLO_ADD_LISTS_MOVE_ALL_CARDS_BY_ID_LIST Destructive 179 0.3%
TRELLO_DELETE_CARDS_ACTIONS_COMMENTS_BY_ID_CARD_BY_ID_ACTION Destructive 179 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_CARDS_LIST_BY_ID_CARD_BY_FIELD Read 178 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_CHECKLISTS_BY_ID_CHECKLIST_BY_FIELD Read 178 0.3%
TRELLO_ADD_MEMBERS_CUSTOM_STICKERS_BY_ID_MEMBER Write 178 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_CARDS_BY_ID_CARD_BY_FIELD Read 177 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_NOTIFICATIONS_CARD_BY_ID_NOTIFICATION_BY_FIELD Read 176 0.3%
TRELLO_ADD_CARDS_ACTIONS_COMMENTS_BY_ID_CARD Write 176 0.3%
TRELLO_ADD_BOARDS_CHECKLISTS_BY_ID_BOARD Write 175 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_ACTIONS_LIST_BY_ID_ACTION Read 174 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_BATCH Read 174 0.3%
TRELLO_DELETE_CARDS_ID_LABELS_BY_ID_CARD_BY_ID_LABEL Destructive 172 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_ACTIONS_ORGANIZATION_BY_ID_ACTION_BY_FIELD Read 171 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_BOARDS_INVITED_BY_ID_MEMBER_BY_FIELD Read 169 0.3%
TRELLO_ADD_CARDS_ID_MEMBERS_BY_ID_CARD Write 169 0.3%
TRELLO_DELETE_BOARDS_MEMBERS_BY_ID_BOARD_BY_ID_MEMBER Destructive 167 0.3%
TRELLO_DELETE_CARDS_CHECKLISTS_BY_ID_CARD_BY_ID_CHECKLIST Destructive 167 0.3%
TRELLO_DELETE_CARDS_ID_MEMBERS_BY_ID_CARD_BY_ID_MEMBER Destructive 167 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_CHECKLISTS_BOARD_BY_ID_CHECKLIST_BY_FIELD Read 165 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_BOARDS_BY_ID_MEMBER_BY_FILTER Read 164 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_NOTIFICATIONS_BY_ID_NOTIFICATION_BY_FIELD Read 164 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_NOTIFICATIONS_LIST_BY_ID_NOTIFICATION_BY_FIELD Read 161 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_LISTS_BOARD_BY_ID_LIST_BY_FIELD Read 160 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_CARDS_BY_ID_MEMBER_BY_FILTER Read 160 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_ORGANIZATIONS_BOARDS_BY_ID_ORG_BY_FILTER Read 160 0.3%
TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_CARDS_BY_ID_BOARD_BY_FILTER Read 159 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_CHECKLISTS_CARDS_BY_ID_CHECKLIST_BY_FILTER Read 159 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_ORGANIZATIONS_MEMBERS_BY_ID_ORG_BY_FILTER Read 159 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_CARDS_BOARD_BY_ID_CARD_BY_FIELD Read 158 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_ORGANIZATIONS_BY_ID_ORG_BY_FIELD Read 157 0.2%
TRELLO_ADD_MEMBERS_CUSTOM_EMOJI_BY_ID_MEMBER Write 157 0.2%
TRELLO_DELETE_CHECKLIST_ITEM Destructive 156 0.2%
TRELLO_DELETE_MEMBER_BOARD_BACKGROUND Destructive 156 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBER_SAVED_SEARCH Read 156 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_BY_ID_MEMBER_BY_FIELD Read 156 0.2%
TRELLO_DELETE_CARDS_STICKERS_BY_ID_CARD_BY_ID_STICKER Destructive 155 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_BOARD_BACKGROUNDS_BY_ID_MEMBER Read 155 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_CUSTOM_STICKERS_BY_ID_MEMBER Read 154 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_NOTIFICATIONS_BY_ID_MEMBER_BY_FILTER Read 154 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_LABELS_BOARD_BY_ID_LABEL_BY_FIELD Read 153 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_ACTIONS_CARD_BY_ID_ACTION_BY_FIELD Read 151 0.2%
TRELLO_ADD_BOARDS_POWER_UPS_BY_ID_BOARD Write 147 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_BOARD_STARS_BY_ID_BOARD Read 146 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_ORGANIZATIONS_MEMBERS_INVITED_BY_ID_ORG_BY_FIELD Read 142 0.2%
TRELLO_DELETE_ORG_ASSOCIATED_DOMAIN Destructive 141 0.2%
TRELLO_DELETE_ACTIONS_BY_ID_ACTION Destructive 140 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_ACTIONS_BOARD_BY_ID_ACTION_BY_FIELD Read 140 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_LISTS_BY_ID_LIST_BY_FIELD Read 138 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_CUSTOM_BOARD_BACKGROUNDS_BY_ID_MEMBER Read 138 0.2%
TRELLO_DELETE_ORGANIZATIONS_MEMBERS_BY_ID_ORG_BY_ID_MEMBER Destructive 136 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_MEMBERS_INVITED_BY_ID_BOARD_BY_FIELD Read 136 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_BY_ID_BOARD_BY_FIELD Read 133 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_LISTS_BY_ID_BOARD_BY_FILTER Read 133 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_NOTIFICATIONS_LIST_BY_ID_NOTIFICATION Read 133 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_ORGANIZATION_BY_ID_BOARD_BY_FIELD Read 132 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_NOTIFICATION_ORG_FIELD Read 132 0.2%
TRELLO_ADD_ORGANIZATIONS_LOGO_BY_ID_ORG Write 132 0.2%
TRELLO_DELETE_ORGANIZATIONS_LOGO_BY_ID_ORG Destructive 131 0.2%
TRELLO_DISMISS_MEMBER_MESSAGE Read 131 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_LISTS_CARDS_BY_ID_LIST_BY_FILTER Read 130 0.2%
TRELLO_DELETE_ORGANIZATIONS_PREFS_ORG_INVITE_RESTRICT_BY_ID_ORG Destructive 127 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_LABELS_BY_ID_LABEL Read 126 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_SAVED_SEARCHES_BY_ID_MEMBER Read 126 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_NOTIFICATIONS_MEMBER_BY_ID_NOTIFICATION_BY_FIELD Read 126 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_ORGANIZATIONS_BY_ID_MEMBER_BY_FILTER Read 125 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_TOKENS_BY_ID_MEMBER Read 124 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_NOTIFICATIONS_DISPLAY_BY_ID_NOTIFICATION Read 124 0.2%
TRELLO_ADD_BOARDS_MARK_AS_VIEWED_BY_ID_BOARD Write 124 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_ACTIONS_MEMBER_CREATOR_BY_ID_ACTION_BY_FIELD Read 122 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_ACTIONS_ENTITIES_BY_ID_ACTION Read 121 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_ORGANIZATIONS_INVITED_BY_ID_MEMBER_BY_FIELD Read 120 0.2%
TRELLO_DELETE_LABELS_BY_ID_LABEL Destructive 116 0.2%
TRELLO_ADD_BOARDS_EMAIL_KEY_GENERATE_BY_ID_BOARD Write 116 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_MEMBERS_BY_ID_BOARD_BY_FILTER Read 115 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_CUSTOM_EMOJI_BY_ID_MEMBER Read 115 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_ACTIONS_MEMBER_BY_ID_ACTION_BY_FIELD Read 114 0.2%
TRELLO_DELETE_CARDS_BY_ID_CARD Destructive 113 0.2%
TRELLO_DELETE_MEMBER_CUSTOM_STICKER Destructive 113 0.2%
TRELLO_ADD_SESSIONS Write 113 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_NOTIFICATIONS_BOARD_BY_ID_NOTIFICATION_BY_FIELD Read 112 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_ACTIONS_DISPLAY_BY_ID_ACTION Read 111 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_NOTIFICATIONS_ENTITIES_BY_ID_NOTIFICATION Read 111 0.2%
TRELLO_DELETE_MEMBER_SAVED_SEARCH Destructive 109 0.2%
TRELLO_ADD_LISTS_ARCHIVE_ALL_CARDS_BY_ID_LIST Write 109 0.2%
TRELLO_DELETE_WEBHOOKS_BY_ID_WEBHOOK Destructive 106 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_NOTIF_CREATOR_FIELD Read 105 0.2%
TRELLO_DELETE_CHECKLISTS_BY_ID_CHECKLIST Destructive 102 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_MEMBERS_BOARD_STARS_BY_ID_MEMBER Read 102 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_CARDS_CUSTOM_FIELD_ITEMS_BY_ID_CARD Read 100 0.2%
TRELLO_DELETE_ORGANIZATIONS_BY_ID_ORG Destructive 96 0.2%
TRELLO_GET_BOARDS_MY_PREFS_BY_ID_BOARD Read 95 0.1%
TRELLO_DELETE_TOKENS_WEBHOOKS_BY_TOKEN_BY_ID_WEBHOOK Destructive 94 0.1%
TRELLO_ADD_BOARDS_CALENDAR_KEY_GENERATE_BY_ID_BOARD Write 87 0.1%
TRELLO_GET_ACTIONS_LIST_BY_ID_ACTION_BY_FIELD Read 83 0.1%
TRELLO_DELETE_TOKENS_BY_TOKEN Destructive 63 0.1%
TRELLO_ADD_NOTIFICATIONS_ALL_READ Destructive 50 0.1%
// SCOPED GRANT

Most agents use a handful of these tools. They pay for all 200.

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 (320 tokens each).

Grant scopeDefinition costReduction
All 200 tools (no gateway) 63,945 tokens —
3 granted tools ~959 tokens −99%
5 granted tools ~1,599 tokens −98%
10 granted tools ~3,197 tokens −95%

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

//FAQ

Trello token-cost questions.

How many tokens does the Trello MCP server use?+

Its 200 tool definitions total 63,945 tokens — 32% 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 Trello 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 Trello's token usage?+

Expose fewer tools. A PolicyLayer grant scopes Trello 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 959 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 05-06-2026 from the PolicyLayer scan database over all 200 catalogued Trello tools. Counts refresh with every site build.

THIS SERVER: All Trello tools Trello policy Token-cost calculator

Expose only the tools you use — the rest never enter your context.

A PolicyLayer grant scopes Trello to the tools you actually allow. Ungranted definitions never load, and every call that does run is checked against policy first.

SCOPE YOUR GRANT →

Free to start. No card required.

4,600+ MCP servers and 31,000+ tools scanned and risk-classified.

// GET IN TOUCH

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