From REST to MCP (2/2): The Design Shift

Short summary

This article contrasts REST API design with MCP (Model Context Protocol) server design, arguing MCP tools should be built around user intents rather than resources. Using real examples from Sentry, Notion, GitHub, and Stripe, it shows how multi-step REST workflows become single MCP tools and why batch operations matter when agents, not humans, orchestrate calls. The core insight: pushing deterministic orchestration server-side reduces agent context consumption and error rates.

• •MCP tools should be designed around user intents, not REST-style resources
• •Real examples from Sentry, Notion, GitHub, and Stripe show multi-step REST workflows collapsing into single MCP tools
• •Batch operations and server-side orchestration reduce agent context usage and error probability

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