Article · · 1 min read
What an AI gateway actually costs to run
The operational bill for one gateway in front of a dozen tool servers, including the costs nobody budgets for.
Topic
MCP
7 entries and 1 reference.
In the glossary: MCP (Model Context Protocol), what each means and how to say it in a review
Part of Integration: all Integration entries · the Integration lens on the map
Entries
Deep dive · · 5 min read
One MCP server is an integration. Thirty is why you need a gateway
Notes from building an MCP gateway. The protocol standardised how agents call tools, then stayed silent about credentials, context budgets and who may call what. That silence gets expensive as the servers multiply.
Comparison · · 1 min read
When MCP earns its overhead, and when a direct API is better
One question settles most of these arguments: will more than one AI application need this capability?
Explainer · · 1 min read
A clean connector does not make a reliable agent
Connector correctness and agent behaviour are separate problems. Most teams only test the first one.
Explainer · · 1 min read
Tools, resources and prompts are not interchangeable
Choosing the wrong primitive hands the model authority a person was supposed to hold.
Explainer · · 2 min read
Where your MCP server runs is a production decision
Transport looks like a technical detail during the demo. It is really a choice about ownership, reachability and trust.
Explainer · · 1 min read
What the MCP protocol actually standardises
It settles how capabilities are described and discovered. Every decision about whether to trust them is still yours.
References
- Read
Model Context Protocol
Anthropic · Useful reference · The specification agents and tool servers must agree on. Read before building any gateway.