Discovery. tools/list returns full schemas for every tool, all loaded into context at once. There is no tools/read. Resources have a two-step fetch: resources/list returns lightweight metadata, then resources/read loads one on demand.
tools/list = [full schema A, B, C, ...] // all in context resources/list = [name A, name B, name C, ...] // just the index resources/read = full content of A // one at a time
Wouldn't tool search or progressive loading solve this? That fixes the discovery problem (finding the right tool). But skills solve a different problem: process knowledge.
A tool says create_branch(name). A skill says:
- Name it
<type>/<ticket>-<slug> - Always branch from
mainunless the ticket says otherwise - Run
run_testsbefore pushing - If integration tests fail but your change is frontend-only, that's acceptable
- Open a PR using this specific template
That's team knowledge. Even with perfect tool discovery, the agent needs to know how your team uses those tools together. Tools are the verbs. Skills are the playbook.