Tool Restraint

Loading an agent with 14 MCP servers "just in case" makes it slower and dumber, not more capable — tool-use agents hit sharp capability cliffs as cognitive load rises.

• Enable only the servers the current work actually uses. Remove the rest.
• Prefer official servers for credentialed tools; never install five speculatively.
• Each tool's description eats context on every turn — fewer, sharper tools beat a junk drawer.
• Before adding a write-scoped server, add a hook that logs every call. If the agent picks the wrong tool or thrashes, the fix is usually fewer tools with clearer descriptions, not a smarter model.