filter tools of a server in mcp.json (and friends)

[jexp]

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Question Category

• Protocol Specification
• SDK Usage
• Server Implementation
• General Implementation
• Documentation
• Other

Your Question

I haven't found anything in the spec or the server configs, how it would be possible for a user to filter the tools/resources provided by a server.

Most MCP Hosts allow to filter tools by UI (checkboxes or switches)
And Agent Frameworks like ADK allow filtering of tools for a server that's added as well.

But nothing specified for claude_desktop_config.json or mcp.json?

Any thought son that?

[bdoyle0182]

Filtering tools as a feature is something that can be implemented generically in a client as you mention to not overwhelm the LLM on what is exposed client side. However, what the server offers in regards to filtering list tools / specification should be up to the server's implementation as there could be cross tool dependency or dynamic tool registration such that one tool could be dependent on another or enable other tools.