Zell Liew • 4/12/2026

Eliminating MCP Token Costs in Claude

This article explains how to reduce unnecessary MCP (Model Context Protocol) token costs in Claude, which can add up to 10k+ tokens even when tools aren't used. It provides a solution for Claude Code users on Sonnet and Opus models: enabling MCP lazy loading via Tool Search by setting the environment variable ENABLE_TOOL_SEARCH to true. This reduces MCP token costs to zero until tools are actually loaded. The article notes that this feature is not available on Haiku, which loads all MCP tools regardless. A practical tip for configuring this through Claude itself is included.

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#mcp #lazy loading #Claude Code