Load tool schemas on demand to slash MCP context overhead by 47–90%
Build to Launch·medium signal
Anthropic's Tool Search loads MCP tool schemas only when needed instead of front-loading all of them, cutting one reported workflow from 51K to 8.5K tokens — a 46.9% reduction in MCP overhead alone; the open-source context-mode MCP plugin reports 50–90% cuts in tool-active sessions. Combined with planning in chat before spinning up agents, teams report 40–85% total Claude Code token reductions. Every tool definition you keep out of the window until it's actually called is reliability you buy back above the 50% fill mark.