Feature Request: disabled option for MCP servers in .mcp.json
Status Closed — not planned
Maintainer reply None cached
Activity 6 comments · opened Jan 13, 2026 · closed Mar 6, 2026
Problem
All configured MCP servers load their tool schemas into context at session start, consuming tokens even when unused.
Users must choose between:
- Keep servers configured → waste context on unused tools
- Remove servers → lose access when needed
Proposed Solution
Add disabled option to MCP server config:
{
"mcpServers": {
"serena": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["--from", "git+https://github.com/oraios/serena", "serena-mcp-server"],
"disabled": true
},
"deepwiki": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://mcp.deepwiki.com/mcp"
}
}
}
Expected Behavior
disabled: true→ Server not connected, tools not loaded into contextdisabled: falseor omitted → Current behavior (connected at session start)- Optional enhancement: Enable at runtime via
/mcp enable serena
Benefits
- Keep configurations without context overhead
- Easy toggle without
claude mcp remove/add - Similar pattern to VS Code extension disable
Use Case
Power users with 5+ MCP servers configured only need 1-2 per session. Currently forced to remove unused servers or accept ~3000+ tokens of tool schemas loaded every session.
This issue has 6 comments on GitHub. Read the full discussion on GitHub ↗