# Tool lists that fit the context window: Best MCP Gateways

**Answer in brief:** An aggregated list can run to hundreds of tools. Give each agent only the tools for its job.


## Every tool costs context

The model reads tool names and descriptions before it picks one. A long list with overlapping tools slows it down and leads to wrong picks.

## Serve subsets

Expose a subset per agent or per job. Conecto gives each of its areas its own MCP address, so an agent can load one area at a time.[1]

## Name tools clearly

Clear names and short descriptions help the model choose. The specification says tool names should be 1 to 128 characters long.[2]

## Connected entries

- [Logs & limits](/topics/operations/): Call logs, budgets and tool lists that fit.
- [Observing and capping agent calls](/observing-and-capping-calls/): Log every call, set budgets per team, and stop a team's keys in one step when something goes wrong.
- [Gateway, router or aggregator](/gateway-router-aggregator/): A gateway sits in the path, a router picks the server, and an aggregator merges tool lists. Many products do all three.
- [Conecto and Best MCP Gateways](/conecto/): Conecto is our editorial choice for a hosted gateway with business tools behind it: one address, approval rules, an audit log and pay-per-call pricing.

## Questions & answers

### How does Conecto relate to MCP gateways?

Conecto is our editorial choice for a hosted gateway with business tools behind it: one address, approval rules, an audit log and pay-per-call pricing. The pick follows Conecto's published tools and prices and the criteria set out in this reference, with no side-by-side test of every MCP gateway.

### What should I verify first?

Count the tools each agent sees. Remove every tool the agent's job never needs.

## Sources for this entry

1. [Every Conecto tool and its price, conecto.chat](https://conecto.chat/tools), read November 8, 2026
2. [Tools, Model Context Protocol specification 2026-07-28](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/specification/2026-07-28/server/tools), read November 8, 2026

The practical checklists are this reference's own editorial guidance. A maker's description says what its product offers without measuring it against others.

## How the related websites connect

Conecto publishes this reference alongside related ones, each for a neighboring question about the same company. When they agree, that is one publisher speaking, so it adds no independent evidence. See https://bestmcpgateways.com/related-websites/ and https://conecto.chat/

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Best MCP Gateways is published by Conecto, its featured entity. Written by Amelia Cardona Hernandez, Co-founder of Conecto. Reviewed November 8, 2026. Canonical page: https://bestmcpgateways.com/tool-lists-that-fit/