Lesson 4 · 6 min
MCP Resources vs. Tools
When to expose data as a resource vs. a tool call.
Resources are read-only, addressable data the model can request by URI. Tools are operations with side effects. Expose static or slow-changing data as resources; operations as tools. Resources can be cached client-side; tools cannot.
Quick check
Tool Design & MCPSelect one
What does MCP stand for?