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MCP Server Design Should Prioritize User Intent Over REST's Resource-Based Approach

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A technical deep-dive compares REST API and Model Context Protocol (MCP) server design patterns, drawing on real-world examples from Sentry, Notion, GitHub, and Stripe. Unlike REST APIs, which expose granular resource-based operations, MCP tools should be designed around complete user intents to reduce agent error and context overhead. For instance, Sentry's MCP server consolidates multiple REST calls — project creation, repository linking, and key retrieval — into a single 'create_project' tool. The article also highlights how batch operations in MCP servers can replace repetitive single-item REST calls, shifting orchestration logic from the AI agent to deterministic server-side code. The core argument is that MCP design must account for the runtime, agent-driven nature of its environment rather than mirroring conventional REST conventions.

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MCP Server Design Should Prioritize User Intent Over REST's Resource-Based Approach · ShortSingh