lazy-tool

The more MCP servers you connect, the more tool schemas get dumped into every prompt. The model reads all of them, picks the wrong one more often, and you pay for every token. This is a known problem — the pattern that solves it (search before invoke) is well-established.

Most implementations of that pattern require a Python stack, a vector database, Docker, or a cloud service. lazy-tool does it as a single Go binary with a local SQLite catalog. No containers, no API keys for the tool layer, no infrastructure.

make build → import --write → reindex → serve

That's it. One binary, reads your existing IDE config, indexes everything locally, serves as an MCP endpoint.

	Direct MCP	Through lazy-tool
Input tokens per turn	1,701	915 (−46%)
Latency per turn	0.232s	0.158s (−32%)
Tools in agent context	47	5

^{llama-3.1-8b-instant, 20 repeats per task. Methodology}

Where it fits

Several projects address MCP tool sprawl in different ways: RAG-MCP (Python + vector DB), MetaMCP (Docker), AWS AgentCore Gateway (managed cloud), and Claude Code's built-in tool search (client-side, Claude-only).

lazy-tool occupies a specific niche: local-first, zero-dependency, single binary.

No infrastructure. One Go binary, local SQLite. No Docker, no vector DB service, no cloud account.
IDE auto-import. Reads your Claude Desktop, Cursor, or VS Code MCP config. No manual YAML unless you want it.
Three modes in one tool. Direct mode (transparent proxy) for simple setups and smaller models, search mode (5 meta-tools) for large catalogs with strong models, hybrid for both. Switch with a flag.
Provider-agnostic. Not tied to Anthropic, OpenAI, or any specific client. Anything that speaks MCP over stdio or HTTP.
Reliability built in. Circuit breaking, caching, session reuse, and tracing handled at the proxy layer.

If you're already inside Claude Code and only use Claude, the built-in tool search may cover your needs. If you want something that works across providers, runs locally without dependencies, and aggregates multiple MCP servers — that's the space lazy-tool is in.

Install

Quick install (pre-built binary)

curl -sSfL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rpgeeganage/lazy-tool/main/install.sh | sh

Override the install directory (default ./bin):

INSTALL_DIR=/usr/local/bin curl -sSfL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rpgeeganage/lazy-tool/main/install.sh | sh

Go install

go install github.com/rpgeeganage/lazy-tool/cmd/lazy-tool@latest

Build from source

Requires Go 1.25+.

make build            # development build → bin/lazy-tool
make build-release    # optimized, stripped, version-stamped

Get started

If you already have MCP servers in Claude Desktop, Cursor, or VS Code:

./lazy-tool import --write   # reads your IDE config, generates lazy-tool config
./lazy-tool reindex          # indexes every tool, prompt, and resource
./lazy-tool serve            # agent connects here instead of directly to MCP servers

Point your agent at lazy-tool serve. It searches for tools instead of receiving them all in context.

No IDE config? Write a YAML file manually — see Configuration.

When to use which mode

Direct mode — every cataloged tool is exposed by name. The agent sees real schemas, lazy-tool routes transparently. Best for smaller/cheaper models (Haiku, GPT-4.1-mini, local Ollama) that struggle with multi-step reasoning. They get a simple tool list and call tools directly — one step, no search overhead. Also good for strong models that benefit from single-endpoint aggregation, circuit breaking, and caching.
Search mode (default) — the agent sees 5 meta-tools and discovers capabilities through search. Best for strong models (Claude, GPT-4, Llama 70B+) working with large tool catalogs (50+ tools) where dumping every schema into context wastes tokens and degrades selection accuracy. Requires the model to handle a two-step search→invoke pattern.
Hybrid mode — both search and direct tools available. Useful for gradual migration or mixed workloads.

lazy-tool serve                  # search (default)
lazy-tool serve --mode direct    # direct
lazy-tool serve --mode hybrid    # both

How it works

1. You configure MCP sources (or auto-import from your IDE)
2. lazy-tool reindex fetches every tool, prompt, and resource
3. The catalog is stored locally in SQLite with full-text search
4. Agents connect to lazy-tool via stdio or HTTP
5. The agent searches → finds → invokes — lazy-tool proxies to the real upstream

sequenceDiagram
    participant Agent
    participant LazyTool
    participant Catalog
    participant Upstream MCP

    Agent->>LazyTool: search_tools("echo")
    LazyTool->>Catalog: lexical + optional vector search
    Catalog-->>LazyTool: ranked results with scores
    LazyTool-->>Agent: proxy_tool_name + input example + next step

    Agent->>LazyTool: invoke_proxy_tool(name, input)
    LazyTool->>Upstream MCP: tools/call (original name)
    Upstream MCP-->>LazyTool: result
    LazyTool-->>Agent: response

The agent sees 5 tools regardless of how many exist upstream:

Tool	Purpose
`search_tools`	Find capabilities by keyword or description
`inspect_capability`	Get full schema before calling
`invoke_proxy_tool`	Call an upstream tool through the proxy
`get_proxy_prompt`	Fetch an upstream prompt
`read_proxy_resource`	Read an upstream resource

Reference

Table of contents (click to expand)

Install
Detailed setup
Auto-import from IDE configs
CLI reference
Configuration
Search algorithm
Reliability features
Response cache
Web UI and TUI
Benchmarks
Current limitations
Documentation map
Contributing

Detailed setup

Prerequisites

Go 1.25+
At least one local MCP server or gateway running

1. Build

make build
# or: go build -o bin/lazy-tool ./cmd/lazy-tool

2. Configure

Option A: Auto-import from your IDE (recommended)

# Discovers MCP servers from Claude Desktop, Cursor, and VS Code
./bin/lazy-tool import --write
export LAZY_TOOL_CONFIG=~/.lazy-tool/config.yaml

Option B: Write config manually

cp configs/example.yaml my-config.yaml
export LAZY_TOOL_CONFIG=$PWD/my-config.yaml

Minimal config:

app:
  name: my-tools

storage:
  sqlite_path: ./data/lazy-tool.db

sources:
  - id: my-gateway
    type: gateway
    transport: http
    url: http://localhost:8811/mcp

  - id: my-stdio-server
    type: server
    transport: stdio
    command: npx
    args: ["-y", "@your-scope/your-server"]
    env:
      API_KEY: "your-key"

3. Index the catalog

./bin/lazy-tool reindex
./bin/lazy-tool sources --status

4. Search

./bin/lazy-tool search "echo" --limit 5
./bin/lazy-tool search "file management" --explain-scores

5. Serve as MCP

# Search mode (default): 5 meta-tools, search-first workflow
./bin/lazy-tool serve

# Direct mode: all cataloged tools exposed as first-class MCP tools
./bin/lazy-tool serve --mode direct

# HTTP transport: serve over HTTP instead of stdio
./bin/lazy-tool serve --mode direct --transport http --addr :8080

Point your agent or IDE at lazy-tool serve as an MCP server. In HTTP mode, connect Claude Desktop to http://localhost:8080/mcp.

6. Optional UIs

./bin/lazy-tool web --addr 127.0.0.1:8765   # browser UI
./bin/lazy-tool tui                           # terminal UI

Auto-import from IDE configs

lazy-tool can automatically discover MCP server configurations from Claude Desktop, Cursor, and VS Code — no manual YAML writing needed.

# Preview what would be imported (prints YAML to stdout)
lazy-tool import

# Import from a specific IDE
lazy-tool import --from claude
lazy-tool import --from cursor
lazy-tool import --from vscode

# Write config directly
lazy-tool import --write
lazy-tool import --write --output my-config.yaml

Supported config file locations:

Claude Desktop: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS), %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows)
Cursor: ~/.cursor/mcp.json
VS Code: ~/.vscode/mcp.json

CLI reference

Command	Description
`serve`	Run as MCP server (stdio or HTTP) with mode selection
`search <query>`	Search the catalog from CLI (JSON output)
`reindex`	Fetch upstream capabilities and rebuild the local catalog
`inspect <proxy_tool_name>`	Show full details for one indexed capability
`import`	Auto-discover MCP servers from Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code
`health`	Verify config and report basic status
`sources`	List configured MCP sources
`web`	Launch the browser-based UI
`tui`	Launch the interactive terminal UI
`pin add\|remove\|list`	Manage favorite capabilities (boosted in search)
`catalog export\|import\|set-summary`	Catalog management and manual summary overrides
`cache-clear`	Clear the response cache
`version`	Print version and git commit

All commands accept --config <path> or read from LAZY_TOOL_CONFIG.

Configuration

Full reference in configs/example.yaml. Key sections:

Sources

sources:
  - id: my-http               # unique identifier (required)
    type: gateway              # gateway | server
    transport: http            # http | stdio
    url: http://127.0.0.1:8811/mcp

  - id: my-stdio
    type: server
    transport: stdio
    command: npx
    args: ["-y", "@scope/server"]
    cwd: /path/to/project      # optional working directory
    env:                        # optional env vars for stdio process
      API_KEY: "your-key"
      NODE_ENV: "production"

  - id: disabled-source
    type: gateway
    transport: http
    url: http://127.0.0.1:9000/mcp
    disabled: true              # excluded from indexing and proxy

  - id: fallback-source
    type: gateway
    transport: http
    url: http://127.0.0.1:9001/mcp
    fallback: passthrough       # returns full catalog when search has zero results

Storage

storage:
  sqlite_path: ./data/lazy-tool.db    # required
  vector_path: ./data/vector          # optional (defaults to {sqlite_dir}/vector)
  history_path: ./data/history.log    # optional: append-only search query log

Connectors (reliability)

connectors:
  http_reuse_upstream_session: true     # reuse one HTTP session per source
  http_reuse_idle_timeout_seconds: 300  # close idle sessions after 5 min
  circuit_breaker_max_failures: 3       # trip after 3 consecutive failures (0 = disabled)
  circuit_breaker_cooldown_seconds: 30  # cooldown before half-open probe

Embeddings (optional semantic search)

embeddings:
  provider: ollama                     # noop | ollama | openai-compatible
  model: nomic-embed-text
  base_url: http://127.0.0.1:11434

Summarization (optional LLM descriptions)

summary:
  provider: openai-compatible
  model: gpt-4.1-mini
  enabled: true
  base_url: https://api.openai.com/v1
  api_key_env: OPENAI_API_KEY

Server

server:
  mcp:
    transport: stdio            # stdio | http
    mode: search                # search | direct | hybrid
    host: ""                    # for HTTP transport
    port: 8080                  # for HTTP transport

Search tuning

search:
  lexical_only: false
  anthropic_tool_refs: false    # adds anthropic.suggested_tool_use per hit
  aliases:
    k8s: "kubernetes cluster management"
  scoring:
    exact_canonical: 10         # exact match on proxy_tool_name
    exact_name: 8               # exact match on original tool name
    substring: 2                # substring match in name/summary/tags
    vector_multiplier: 6        # semantic similarity weight
    user_summary: 0.25          # boost for manually edited summaries
    favorite: 0.2               # boost for pinned capabilities
    invocation_boost: 0.5       # boost for previously invoked tools (learning signal)

Response cache

cache:
  enabled: false                # opt-in
  max_entries: 500              # LRU eviction when full
  ttl_seconds: 300              # 5 min default
  exclude_sources:              # sources that should never be cached
    - mutation-heavy-source

Search algorithm

lazy-tool uses hybrid retrieval combining lexical and optional vector search.

query("echo")
  → Tokenize
  → [Optional] Generate query embedding
  → Lexical candidates: exact name → FTS5 BM25 → substring fallback
  → Vector candidates: cosine similarity (top N)
  → Merge + deduplicate
  → Score: exact match (10) + name match (8) + substring (2) + vector (6) + history + favorites
  → Rank, normalize [0,1], return with scores and why_matched

Every result includes why_matched explaining which signals contributed. Pass --explain-scores for full numeric breakdown.

Reliability features

Circuit breaker

Per-source circuit breaker protects against cascading failures from unhealthy upstreams.

Closed ──[max_failures]──▶ Open ──[cooldown]──▶ Half-Open
  ▲                                                │
  └──────────[success]─────────────────────────────┘

HTTP session reuse

One MCP session per source, kept until idle timeout or error. Reduces handshake overhead for frequently called sources.

Passthrough fallback

Sources with fallback: passthrough return their full catalog when search returns zero results — a safety net that prevents the agent from being completely blind.

Response cache

When enabled, lazy-tool caches upstream responses in memory (LRU + TTL). Keyed by SHA-256 of tool name + input arguments. Per-source exclusion for mutation-heavy tools. Cache hits visible in trace logs and web UI.

lazy-tool cache-clear

Web UI and TUI

./bin/lazy-tool web --addr 127.0.0.1:8765   # browser UI: search, inspect, traces
./bin/lazy-tool tui                           # terminal UI: bubbletea-based

Benchmarks

Token and latency reduction

xychart-beta
    title "No-tool baseline: average input tokens"
    x-axis ["Direct MCP", "lazy-tool"]
    y-axis "Tokens" 0 --> 1800
    bar [1701, 915]

xychart-beta
    title "No-tool baseline: average latency (seconds)"
    x-axis ["Direct MCP", "lazy-tool"]
    y-axis "Seconds" 0 --> 0.3
    bar [0.232, 0.158]

Discovery reliability

Task	Result
`search_tools_smoke`	20/20
`search_tools_resource`	18/20
`search_tools_prompt`	16/20

Multi-provider suite

Tests Groq, Anthropic, and OpenAI across all three modes (baseline, search, direct). Routed tasks verify end-to-end: search, invoke, and response validation.

make bench-strong                # full suite (auto-detects API keys)
make bench-strong-test           # unit tests (no API keys needed)

Weak-model (Ollama) suite

Tests local models (qwen2.5:3b, llama3.2:3b, phi3:mini, gemma2:2b) to prove search mode helps small models. Three tiers: basic tool-calling, search navigation, and deterministic search quality.

make bench-weak                  # full suite (needs Ollama)
make bench-weak-test             # unit tests (no Ollama needed)
make bench-weak-validate         # validate golden data

Full methodology: benchmark/README.md

Current limitations

Tool choice can still be model-sensitive on routed tasks (search mode)
Response cache is in-memory only (lost on restart)
Invocation-based learning requires enough usage data to be effective
Direct mode tool list is static until the next reindex

Documentation map

Document	Contents
This file	Value prop, quick start, reference
docs/plugging-existing-mcps.md	Connect `lazy-tool` to your existing MCP servers
benchmark/README.md	Full benchmark methodology and reproducibility
docs/benchmark-charts.html	Interactive Chart.js visualizations
configs/example.yaml	Annotated reference config
docs/README.md	Documentation hub

Contributing

Contributions are welcome, especially around:

runtime hardening and edge cases
search explainability and retrieval quality
benchmark realism and new task types
documentation quality
local integration ergonomics

Start here: CONTRIBUTING.md

Security

If you find a security issue, please do not open a public exploit issue first.

See: SECURITY.md

License

MIT. See LICENSE.

lazy-tool

Where it fits

Install

Quick install (pre-built binary)

Go install

Build from source

Get started

When to use which mode

How it works

Reference

Detailed setup

Prerequisites

1. Build

2. Configure

3. Index the catalog

4. Search

5. Serve as MCP

6. Optional UIs

Auto-import from IDE configs

CLI reference

Configuration

Sources

Storage

Connectors (reliability)

Embeddings (optional semantic search)

Summarization (optional LLM descriptions)

Server

Search tuning

Response cache

Search algorithm

Reliability features

Circuit breaker

HTTP session reuse

Passthrough fallback

Response cache

Web UI and TUI

Benchmarks

Token and latency reduction

Discovery reliability

Multi-provider suite

Weak-model (Ollama) suite

Current limitations

Documentation map

Contributing

Security

License

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