Dev Tools · 8h ago
MCP servers add up to 62K tokens per session in Claude Code
Adding MCP servers to Claude Code injects tool definitions into every turn, costing 80–150 tokens per tool. The official GitHub server adds ~3,100 tokens per turn, totaling 62,000 tokens over 20 turns. In long agentic loops, overhead can reach 6.2M tokens, costing $18.60 in input fees alone.
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The token cost of MCP servers is a hidden tax on agentic workflows that most developers overlook until the bill arrives.
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I added MCP servers to Claude Code. Here's what they cost in tokens. →
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