# Most Common MCP Tools: 15,624 Tools From 630 Servers
> Analysis of 15,624 individual MCP tools: the most common tool names, how many tools only read data, and how many servers can create, change, delete, or send.
Canonical: https://www.mcpfolio.com/research/most-common-mcp-tools
Last updated: 2026-11-11
Across 15,624 tools listed by 630 MCP servers, 63.1% of recognisable tools read data. 323 of 630 servers (51.3%) list at least one tool that creates, updates, deletes, or sends.

## Key findings

- The most common tool name is `search`, listed by 26 servers.
- 14,391 distinct tool names appear across 15,624 tools.
- 4,432 recognisable tools (33.9%) create, update, delete, or send. 307 servers list no such tool.

## Data

**Tool names listed by the most servers**

| Tool name | Servers listing it |
| --- | --- |
| search | 26 |
| get_operation | 16 |
| send_message | 14 |
| search_contacts | 11 |
| search_docs | 11 |
| create_draft | 10 |
| execute_sql | 10 |
| list_events | 10 |
| list_messages | 10 |
| search_conversations | 10 |
| search_files | 10 |
| update_doc | 10 |
| copy_file | 9 |
| get_message | 9 |
| search_messages | 9 |

**What tools do, by the action in the tool name**

| Action | Tools | Share of recognised tools | Servers with at least one |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Read (get, list, search, find) | 8,266 | 63.1% | 577 |
| Create (create, add, upload, write) | 1,787 | 13.6% | 276 |
| Update (update, edit, set, move) | 1,462 | 11.2% | 228 |
| Delete (delete, remove, archive) | 1,079 | 8.2% | 206 |
| Execute (run, execute, trigger, navigate) | 394 | 3.0% | 175 |
| Send (send, reply, share, notify) | 104 | 0.8% | 64 |

## Method

- Source: the MCPfolio catalog release published 2026-11-11, 659 server listings. Figures update when a new catalog release is published.
- Covers the 630 servers whose individual tools are listed in the catalog. A server with only a partial tool list contributes only the tools that are listed.
- Tool names are compared in lowercase. Servers that list a tool with the same name are counted together, even though the tools may behave differently.
- Each tool is assigned an action by the first verb recognised in its name (for example get, list, create, delete, send, run). 2,532 tools have no recognisable verb and are left out of the action shares. A tool named for one action can still do more than its name says.
- “Write-capable” means a server lists at least one create, update, delete, or send tool. Execute-type tools are shown separately and are not counted as write-capable.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the most common MCP tool?

`search`, listed by 26 of 630 servers with tool lists.

### Can most MCP servers change data?

323 of 630 servers with tool lists (51.3%) list at least one tool that creates, updates, deletes, or sends. Check each server's tools and the permissions you grant before connecting.


## Related

- [MCP server research](https://www.mcpfolio.com/research)
- [MCP Server Tool Counts: Median 11 Across 242 Servers](https://www.mcpfolio.com/research/mcp-server-tool-counts)
- [Remote vs Local MCP Servers: 51.9% Remote, 26.4% Local](https://www.mcpfolio.com/research/remote-vs-local-mcp-servers)