My MCP server exposes many tools. The task calls just one, but the first model request is already large. What should I inspect?
This answer refers to the version in the original report. Check the controls and behavior in your own version.
Check which tool definitions the model receives. A tool’s name, description, and parameter schema can consume input budget before any tool is called.
Use the same model and short prompt to compare first-request input tokens with the full catalog and with only the tools needed for the task. Record cache usage too. If you use PTC or deferred tools, verify the interface exposed by the active preset before concluding that the catalog was reduced.
