MCP tool naming: short generic verbs vs explicit prefixes for LLM tool selection
skvark · reddit · 2026-09-20
An MCP server developer asks how to name tools while simplifying the tool surface and reducing context overhead. The product splits into Code (search/grep/list/read/getexample), Docs, and package intelligence (pkginfo/pkgvulns/pkgdeps/pkgchangelog/pkgupgradereview).
The tradeoff: consolidating explicit names like coderead → read shrinks tokens but moves semantics into descriptions/schemas. Open questions: keep the pkg prefix or trust the schema; how to name getexample, which spans code and docs; and whether explicit namespacing materially improves tool selection on servers with large tool surfaces.
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