How to Reduce MCP Token Usage in 2026
The fastest way to reduce MCP token usage is to stop loading every tool definition into context on every turn. Each MCP server you connect injects its full tool catalog into the model before it reads a single word of your prompt. Cut what gets loaded, and you cut the bill.
Why MCP burns tokens before you even ask a question
Every connected MCP server advertises its tools as JSON schemas. The model has to hold all of them in context to know what it can call. One tool schema runs roughly 200 to 500 tokens. Connect ten servers with 150 tools between them, and you spend tens of thousands of input tokens per session on tool definitions alone, whether or not the agent ever uses those tools.
That cost repeats. Long agent runs re-send context turn after turn, so the same schemas get paid for again and again across a session.
The three levers that actually move the number
| Lever | What it does | Typical effect |
|---|---|---|
| Load tools on demand | Serve only the tool schemas the task needs, not all of them | Removes the biggest fixed cost |
| Recall results instead of re-calling | Reuse a stored result rather than run the same tool call twice | Fewer round-trips per session |
| Carry memory across sessions | Start from distilled context instead of rebuilding it | Shorter prompts on every follow-up |
The common thread is a memory layer. A gateway that remembers can serve a relevant subset of tools, recall past results, and hand the model a distilled summary instead of a raw dump.
A quick worked example
Ten servers, 150 tools, an average of 350 tokens per schema is about 52,500 tokens loaded before the first prompt. If a task genuinely needs eight of those tools, loading only those eight is roughly 2,800 tokens. That is the same session, minus the dead weight you were paying for on every turn.
What Tulimoa does about it
Tulimoa is an MCP gateway with a memory layer built in. It federates your servers behind one endpoint and serves context on demand instead of dumping every schema into every turn. That is the whole pitch: the memory layer that shrinks your token bill. It is in early beta and EU hosted in Frankfurt.
Frequently asked questions
Does connecting more MCP servers always cost more tokens?
By default, yes. Every server adds its tool schemas to context. A gateway that loads tools on demand breaks that link, so adding a server no longer means paying for it on every turn.
What is the single biggest source of MCP token waste?
Tool definition bloat. The model pays for every tool schema it holds in context, even for tools it never calls in that session.
Can I reduce MCP token usage without dropping servers?
Yes. The goal is to load fewer definitions per turn, not to connect fewer tools. On-demand loading and cross-session memory do this without removing capability.