How many MCP tools is too many? Rewriting descriptions as 'use this when' helps
AryanBulandi · reddit · 2026-11-04
A Reddit practitioner found agents get worse at tool selection as MCP servers add more tools—skipping the best match for something approximate. Their fix: rewrite tool descriptions as "Use this when..." statements (e.g., "Use this when you have an order ID and need status or line items. Not for refunds."), which helped noticeably. The thread also discusses prefixed names, splitting servers, and on-demand tool loading as other mitigations.
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