The Token Problem

Loading all MCP tool schemas upfront burns context window every turn

❌ Today: All schemas upfront
~50
tool schemas in every request
Unused
Actually called
Every turn pays for schemas the agent never uses. Most conversations touch 2–3 tools.
✅ Better: 3 meta-tools
3
tools in context — search, list, call
Meta-tools
On-demand
Agent discovers and invokes tools lazily. Context stays clean regardless of how many servers are registered.

ODR as MCP Gateway

Clippy connects to ODR directly via the SDK. No intermediary CLI. Three meta-tools.

Clippy
→ MCP →
ODR
→
N servers
Single MCP connection — ODR routes internally to backend servers
1
User: "Send an email to my boss"
Agent has 3 tools in context. Calls search.
// Agent calls ODR's search tool
search({ query: "send email" })
// → [{ server: "outlook", tool: "send_email", schema: {...} }]
2
Agent calls call_tool with discovered schema
ODR launches server in sandbox, invokes tool, returns result. One shot.
call_tool({ server: "outlook", tool: "send_email",
  args: { to: "[email protected]", body: "..." } })
// → { success: true, messageId: "..." }

ODR Today vs. The Gap

Two of three meta-tools already ship. One unlock needed.

🔍
search
Find servers/tools by keyword query. Exposed as both CLI and MCP tool.
Shipped
📋
list
Browse all registered MCP servers. Exposed as both CLI and MCP tool.
Shipped
⚡
call_tool
One-shot invoke: launch server in sandbox → call tool → return result → tear down.
Needed
💡 The Unlock
ODR already knows how to proxy servers (odr mcp --proxy). call_tool is the same machinery as a one-shot request/response instead of a persistent pipe. With it, ODR becomes a complete MCP gateway — lazy discovery + sandboxed invocation through a single connection.
ALSO SHIPPED
Sandboxing · IT admin policies · Entra ID auth · Audit logging
FREE WITH CALL_TOOL
Every tool call inherits sandboxing + policy + auth. Zero extra work for Clippy.
⚠️ Scope: This pattern solves MCP tool call scaling. MCP prompts, resources, and subscriptions still require direct server connections — those capabilities aren't addressable through meta-tools alone.

Platform Strategy

Best tool for each platform — complementary, not competing

Windows
ODR Gateway
  • ✓ One MCP connection to ODR
  • ✓ 3 meta-tools: search, list, call_tool
  • ✓ Sandboxed server lifecycle
  • ✓ IT admin policy controls
  • ✓ Entra ID auth (WAM)
  • ✓ Audit trail on every call
Cross-Platform / Shell-Out
mcp-cli (Go)
  • ✓ Same lazy discovery pattern
  • ✓ Shell-out agents on any OS (Copilot CLI, Claude Code, etc.)
  • ✓ Stdio + SSE transports
  • ✓ Stateful session persistence
  • ✓ Custom OAuth flow
  • ✓ Self-contained Go binary, no OS dependency
Same pattern, platform-native implementation. ODR adds managed infrastructure on Windows via native SDK integration. mcp-cli provides the portable path for shell-out agents on any platform.