Understanding usage: MCP

Workato calculates MCP usage in MCP calls. An MCP call is a request processed by an API collection configured as an MCP server. Both API recipe collections and API proxy collections can serve as MCP servers.

Usage calculation rules

MCP usage calculations follow the general usage calculation rules, where successfully executed operations count towards usage and failed operations are excluded.

Workato uses the following additional rules to calculate MCP calls:

• MCP calls made by a genie or non-genie clients are billable.
• An MCP call is counted when an API request is successfully processed.
• Each full-cycle execution of an API recipe or API proxy counts as one MCP call.
• The job must execute completely without internal errors.
• Jobs that return expected errors, such as 4xx or 5xx responses, defined in the recipe logic are still considered successful.

Usage counting

The total MCP usage of a recipe job is one MCP call per successful execution. If an MCP recipe involves IDP (Intelligent Document Processing) or Event streams capabilities, Pages processed or Events processed is calculated in addition to MCP calls.

Example usage calculations

The following examples demonstrate how Workato calculates usage for different types of MCP operations:

MCP call from an API recipe

API recipe configured for MCP

API recipes configured as an MCP server contribute to MCP calls, with each execution of the recipe counting as one MCP call.

API recipes configured for MCP don't contribute to Business actions, even if the recipe contains steps that would otherwise be considered eligible.

However, if an API recipe configured for MCP contains an IDP or Event streams operation, the API recipe can also contribute to Pages or Events processed, in addition to the MCP call.

Usage totals

• MCP calls: 1
• Total usage per job: 1 MCP call

API proxy recipe, configured as an MCP server

API Proxy recipe configured for MCP

API proxy recipes configured as MCP servers contribute to MCP calls, with each execution of the recipe counting as one MCP call.

API proxy recipes configured for MCP don't contribute to Business actions, even if the recipe contains steps that would otherwise be considered eligible.

However, if an API proxy recipe configured for MCP contains an IDP or Event streams operation, the recipe can also contribute to Pages or Events processed, in addition to the MCP call.

Usage totals

• MCP calls: 1
• Total usage per job: 1 MCP call

API recipe with IDP, configured as an MCP server

API recipe with IDP configured for MCP

API recipes configured as MCP servers contribute to MCP calls, with each execution of the recipe counting as one MCP call.

API recipes configured as MCP don't contribute to Business actions, even if the recipe contains steps that would otherwise be considered eligible.

However, if an API recipe configured as MCP contains an IDP or Event streams operation, the recipe can also contribute to Pages or Events processed, in addition to the API call.

In this example, the IDP operation processes a multi-page document containing two pages, so the total usage is the MCP call + Total Pages processed.

Usage totals

• MCP calls: 1
• Pages processed: 2
• Total usage per job: 1 MCP call, 2 Pages processed

API recipe with a synchronous recipe function call, configured as an MCP server

API recipe configured as MCP calls recipe function synchronously

Child recipe called synchronously from an API recipe configured as MCP

In this example, the parent API recipe is configured as an MCP Server and calls a recipe function synchronously. Workato treats the child recipe as an extension of the parent MCP call, so it doesn't contribute another MCP call. Additionally, the steps within the child recipe function don't count towards Business actions.

The total usage for both recipes is 1 MCP call. Similar to an API recipe, if a synchronous recipe function contains IDP or Events Streams, recipe usage can also include Pages processed or Events processed, in addition to the MCP call.

Usage totals

• Parent API recipe:
  • MCP calls: 1
  • Business actions: 0
• Child recipe function called synchronously:
  • MCP calls: 0
  • Business actions: 0
• Total usage per job: 1 MCP call

API Recipe with an asynchronous recipe function call, configured as an MCP Server

API recipe configured as MCP calls recipe function asynchronously

Child recipe called asynchronously

In this example, the parent API recipe is configured as an MCP server and calls a recipe function asynchronously. Workato treats the child recipe as a Workflow recipe, so it contributes to Business actions.

The total usage includes one MCP call from the parent recipe and all Business actions in the child recipe. If the child recipe includes IDP or Event streams operations, Workato also counts Pages processed or Events processed in addition to Business actions.

Usage totals

• Parent API recipe:
  • MCP calls: 1
  • Business actions: 0
• Child recipe function called asynchronously:
  • MCP calls: 0
  • Business actions: 8
• Total usage per job: 1 MCP call, 8 Business actions