Dev Tools · 2h ago
MCP Agents Burn 17x More Tokens Than Direct API Calls
A benchmark found MCP agents use 6,047 tokens per SerpApi search vs 351 for a CLI script, a 17x overhead. The extra tokens come from injecting all tool schemas into every message, even unused ones. Overhead ranges from 4x to 32x depending on server size and task complexity.
Meridian48 take
The convenience of standardized tool registration comes with a hidden token tax that could break budgets at scale.
Read the full reporting
I Measured MCP vs Direct API Calls: The Token Math No One Tells You →
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mcptoken-efficiency