# 28 MCP Tools in One Connection: A Developer's Field Guide > Source: > Published: 2026-08-02 10:55:16+00:00 Model Context Protocol (MCP) lets an AI agent call structured tools instead of guessing from raw text dumped into a context window. Fine in theory — but most MCP integrations just expose "read file" and "search," which barely improves on copy-pasting code into a chat window. The real question: what tools should an agent actually have access to, for codebase work specifically? Spiderbrain's MCP server exposes 28 tools, split into three functional groups: Structural queries a flat context window literally cannot answer: ``` blast_radius(path) // reach, callers, transitive impact score_summary() // keystones, blindspots, node scores communities() // clusters, boundary edges, paths insights(area) // summaries, diffs, navigation, search ``` Access to the Memory Tree — a project's accumulated decisions and constraints, persisted across sessions: ``` memory_recall(files) // scoped brief for current context memory_search(query) // semantic search over the full tree memory_add(node) // write with explicit user ratification memory_browse(scope) // browse by scope or recency spiderbrain_blueprint_read() // current nodes, edges, annotations spiderbrain_blueprint_draw() // AI proposes canvas edits — requires human acceptance ``` Don't call all 28 on every turn — that's noise, not context. Here's the practical dispatch table: | Situation | Call | |---|---| | New project | `score_summary()` + `top_spikescore(10)` | | Before editing a file | `node(path)` + `blast_radius(path)` | | Session start | `memory_recall(files)` | | Planning a refactor | `communities()` + `boundary_edges()` | | Onboarding to unfamiliar code | `blueprint_read()` + `insights(area)` | This mapping matters more than tool count. An agent with 28 tools and no dispatch logic will either call none of them or call all of them — both are worse than an agent with 5 tools it actually reaches for at the right moment. The pattern that generalizes beyond this specific server: **structure your MCP tools around the moments in a workflow, not around your data model.** "New project," "before editing," "session start," "refactor," and "onboarding" are moments a developer or agent actually hits. "Get node," "get edge," "get community" are just database operations wearing a tool-call costume. Link : [https://spiderbrain.ai/](https://spiderbrain.ai/) Linkedin : [https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiderbrain](https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiderbrain) Discuss: has anyone else settled on a "moment-based" tool dispatch pattern for their own MCP servers? Curious what situations you gate on.