# OpenRouter measures how MCP, CLI, and skills cost agent context tokens

> Original title: MCP vs CLI vs Skills: What Each Costs in Context

- Source: OpenRouter Blog
- Published: 2026-11-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Bad Influence: https://badinfluence.news/items/t6ne9q0fan599usrqz65h8kuk
- Original: https://openrouter.ai/blog/insights/mcp-vs-cli-vs-skills/

## Summary

OpenRouter measured input tokens for one GitHub task across a CLI, a skill, and the GitHub MCP server on several models. The default 46-tool MCP server used 59,417 input tokens on Claude Sonnet 5.5, against 1,421 for the gh CLI. The post shows how to count tool-definition tokens and how its Tool Search server tool reduces up-front cost, with results that vary by model.

## Why it matters

The post measures what MCP servers, CLIs, and skills each add to context and shows how Tool Search and result scoping change the token cost.