Pi adds built-in MCP in version 0.99.0 and routes it through Codemode

AI coding tool Pi has formally added built-in support for MCP in version 0.99.0, while also changing the wording on its website from "No MCP" to "Now with MCP+Codemode." The move stands out because Pi had previously criticized the standard way MCP is commonly connected to models. Mario Zechner, the author cited in the report, said tests he ran last year showed that the descriptions for 21 tools in Playwright MCP used about 13,700 tokens, while 26 tools in Chrome DevTools MCP used about 18,000 tokens. In his view, exposing too many tools wastes context, makes composition harder, and pushes large volumes of returned content directly into the model context. Pi's new setup keeps the general MCP interface but changes how tools are surfaced. Instead of exposing all MCP tools to the model by default, Pi hands them to Codemode. The model can then write JavaScript to call tools in parallel, combine and filter them, and send back only the results that are needed. Tools can also be loaded later instead of being declared up front. Pi team member Earendil has not withdrawn the earlier criticism, saying many MCP servers still pack in large numbers of tools and text outputs, and that the tool-combination issue has not been fully solved.