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MCP context bloat is a solved problem since at least February. Both OpenAI and Anthropic support Client-side MCP tool search, which makes MCP context loading as

by Eldodi 2mo ago

MCP context bloat is a solved problem since at least February. Both OpenAI and Anthropic support Client-side MCP tool search, which makes MCP context loading as efficient as the Skills one (progressive discovery). Code mode is great but not needed anymore in 95% of use-cases.

cheema33 2mo ago
I can turn off auto invocation of a skill. It uses zero tokens when in this mode. I can still invoke it by calling it by name. How can I do that with MCP servers?
- Eldodi 2mo ago
  you can actually invoke an MCP App by name in both Codex and Claude using the @ handle
  - cheema33 2mo ago
    > you can actually invoke an MCP App by name in both Codex and Claude using the @ handle Even when it is disabled? The point is to have the skill or mcp app to not use ANY tokens until I call it by name. I can do that with a skill. Can I do that with an mcp app?
    - deleted 2mo ago
      [deleted]
- afro88 2mo ago
  You can't do that with tools either. Skills are basically prompts - they're not analogous to tools or MCPs. I'm not sure what your point is
  - cheema33 2mo ago
    [dead]
- block_dagger 2mo ago
  Use an MCP proxy.
- TrueDuality 2mo ago
  What you're describing is a harness implementation detail not something specific to the MCP protocol or even how skills behave. Both of those are effectively providing the same level of information to the harness. Harnesses have traditionally (and still generally do) exposed enabled MCP servers and their actions ahead-of-time in the system prompt directly instead of doing progressive disclosure.
msdz 2mo ago
Is it also a solved problem for smaller models, as the article mentioned?
- Eldodi 2mo ago
  it's not a question of model size, it's a question of your model API engineering. The initial problem was that the all tools schemas needed to be loaded in the model's initial system prompt, and changing the tools list in the middle of a session was busting the cache. Any model can now overcome that with a Tool Search tool implementation
deleted 2mo ago
[deleted]
mi_lk 2mo ago
Interesting, then I wonder if Pi having Skills support but not MCP support by default still makes sense
- miroljub 2mo ago
  Pi does support MCP through an excellent pi-mcp-adapter plugin.
  - mi_lk 2mo ago
    Yes, I meant the decision to not support MCP by default without plugins, like Skills, could be revisited if it’s now efficient
    - miroljub 2mo ago
      I don't see a reason to support MCPs by default. Pi is so extensive and has such a rich plugin ecosystem that MCP support is just one "pi install npm:pi-mcp-adapter" away. Or you may choose another plugin that works differently. That's the whole point of extensible systems like Pi or Emacs, you don't need to pray that maintainers will have the same vision as you, you just pick one of the many alternatives instead. Or ask pi to write one for you.
Ferret7446 2mo ago
And ironically skills also need a double layer of progressive discovery because having too many skills available can also bloat the context even if only the short description is included. So instead of including hundreds of skills in the initial context a search tool is provided...

by Eldodi 2mo ago

cheema33 2mo ago

I can turn off auto invocation of a skill. It uses zero tokens when in this mode. I can still invoke it by calling it by name. How can I do that with MCP servers?

Eldodi 2mo ago
you can actually invoke an MCP App by name in both Codex and Claude using the @ handle
- cheema33 2mo ago
  > you can actually invoke an MCP App by name in both Codex and Claude using the @ handle Even when it is disabled? The point is to have the skill or mcp app to not use ANY tokens until I call it by name. I can do that with a skill. Can I do that with an mcp app?
  - deleted 2mo ago
    [deleted]
afro88 2mo ago
You can't do that with tools either. Skills are basically prompts - they're not analogous to tools or MCPs. I'm not sure what your point is
- cheema33 2mo ago
  [dead]
block_dagger 2mo ago
Use an MCP proxy.
TrueDuality 2mo ago
What you're describing is a harness implementation detail not something specific to the MCP protocol or even how skills behave. Both of those are effectively providing the same level of information to the harness. Harnesses have traditionally (and still generally do) exposed enabled MCP servers and their actions ahead-of-time in the system prompt directly instead of doing progressive disclosure.

msdz 2mo ago

Is it also a solved problem for smaller models, as the article mentioned?

Eldodi 2mo ago
it's not a question of model size, it's a question of your model API engineering. The initial problem was that the all tools schemas needed to be loaded in the model's initial system prompt, and changing the tools list in the middle of a session was busting the cache. Any model can now overcome that with a Tool Search tool implementation

deleted 2mo ago

[deleted]

mi_lk 2mo ago

Interesting, then I wonder if Pi having Skills support but not MCP support by default still makes sense

miroljub 2mo ago
Pi does support MCP through an excellent pi-mcp-adapter plugin.
- mi_lk 2mo ago
  Yes, I meant the decision to not support MCP by default without plugins, like Skills, could be revisited if it’s now efficient
  - miroljub 2mo ago
    I don't see a reason to support MCPs by default. Pi is so extensive and has such a rich plugin ecosystem that MCP support is just one "pi install npm:pi-mcp-adapter" away. Or you may choose another plugin that works differently. That's the whole point of extensible systems like Pi or Emacs, you don't need to pray that maintainers will have the same vision as you, you just pick one of the many alternatives instead. Or ask pi to write one for you.

Ferret7446 2mo ago

And ironically skills also need a double layer of progressive discovery because having too many skills available can also bloat the context even if only the short description is included. So instead of including hundreds of skills in the initial context a search tool is provided...