When to consolidate MCP servers
Consolidate shared tools when auth, audit, or billing starts to fragment.
Many MCP servers are fine while each one is owned by one team and rarely shared. Pain starts when every agent needs five logins and finance sees five invoices.
Signals
Duplicate secret stores. Inconsistent audit formats. No per-agent caps. Onboarding a new agent takes days of key wrangling.
What to consolidate first
Secrets, mail, search, storage, literature, and writing. Keep unique domain servers separate.
Consolidate the shared layer. Keep the domain edge.