# MCP or API: which one lets an AI agent do the work? Where a product has both, its MCP server usually reaches less of it than its API. Agent access, step by step: [Find](https://agentdrives.com/access/find.md) · [Get in](https://agentdrives.com/access/get-in.md) · [Use](https://agentdrives.com/access/use.md) · [Pay](https://agentdrives.com/access/pay.md) · [Leave](https://agentdrives.com/access/leave.md) · All five: https://agentdrives.com/access Source: https://agentdrives.com/access/use/mcp-and-api · our drives, 1 Oct 2026 to 1 Nov 2026 · JSON: https://agentdrives.com/access/use/mcp-and-api.json · CC BY 4.0 **108 of 123** products with both an API and an MCP server reach less of the product over MCP. (https://agentdrives.com/data/facts?via=md#route.mcp_fewer) ## The numbers - Products an agent can reach over both an API and MCP: 123 of 201 (https://agentdrives.com/data/facts?via=md#route.both) - Our agent finished a task over MCP, of the products where it ran one: 24 of 50 (https://agentdrives.com/data/facts?via=md#route.mcp_done_any) ## Products where our agent finished a task over MCP - [AgentMail](https://agentdrives.com/tools/agentmail.md?via=md): L5 - [Airtable](https://agentdrives.com/tools/airtable.md?via=md): L4 - [Attio](https://agentdrives.com/tools/attio.md?via=md): L4 - [Browserless](https://agentdrives.com/tools/browserless.md?via=md): L4 - [Cloudinary](https://agentdrives.com/tools/cloudinary.md?via=md): L4 - [Couchbase](https://agentdrives.com/tools/couchbase.md?via=md): L4 - [Formbricks](https://agentdrives.com/tools/formbricks.md?via=md): L4 - [Kit](https://agentdrives.com/tools/kit.md?via=md): L4 - [monday.com](https://agentdrives.com/tools/monday.md?via=md): L4 - [MotherDuck](https://agentdrives.com/tools/motherduck.md?via=md): L4 - [NocoDB](https://agentdrives.com/tools/nocodb.md?via=md): L4 - [Penpot](https://agentdrives.com/tools/penpot.md?via=md): L4 - [Prisma Postgres](https://agentdrives.com/tools/prisma.md?via=md): L4 - [Sentry](https://agentdrives.com/tools/sentry.md?via=md): L4 - [Twenty](https://agentdrives.com/tools/twenty.md?via=md): L4 - [Upstash](https://agentdrives.com/tools/upstash.md?via=md): L4 - [Weaviate](https://agentdrives.com/tools/weaviate.md?via=md): L4 - [Intercom](https://agentdrives.com/tools/intercom.md?via=md): L3 - [Mixpanel](https://agentdrives.com/tools/mixpanel.md?via=md): L3 - [Parallel](https://agentdrives.com/tools/parallel.md?via=md): L3 - [Shopify](https://agentdrives.com/tools/shopify.md?via=md): L3 - [Stripe](https://agentdrives.com/tools/stripe.md?via=md): L3 - [Exa](https://agentdrives.com/tools/exa.md?via=md): L2 - [Webflow](https://agentdrives.com/tools/webflow.md?via=md): L2 ## How an agent talks to a product - [MCP](https://agentdrives.com/standards/mcp.md): A server that turns a product's actions into tools an agent can call. 174 of 201 products we drove offer it (https://agentdrives.com/data/facts?via=md#mcp.any). - [OpenAPI](https://agentdrives.com/standards/openapi.md): A machine-readable description of every route of an API. 103 of 201 products we drove offer it (https://agentdrives.com/data/facts?via=md#surface.openapi). ## Everything on MCP and API ### Research and data - 1 Nov 2026: [MCP or API: how much of a product can an AI agent run through each?](https://agentdrives.com/findings/mcp-vs-api.md?via=md). At 108 of 123 products with both an API and an MCP server, an AI agent can reach fewer of the product's features through MCP than through the API. - 1 Nov 2026: [MCP servers everywhere, agents nowhere](https://agentdrives.com/findings/mcp-without-access.md?via=md). 105 of 174 products with an MCP server keep an AI agent out. - 1 Nov 2026: [Sign-up decides: llms.txt, OpenAPI and MCP don't get an AI agent in](https://agentdrives.com/findings/agent-files-vs-sign-up.md?via=md). 81 of 86 products with a sign-up an agent can complete let our agent in (94%), against fewer than 5 of 115 where sign-up needed a person or a bot check stopped it. With the sign-up held equal, no file for agents moved that by more than 6 points. ### Articles - 31 Oct 2026: [Does an MCP server mean an AI agent can use your product?](https://agentdrives.com/blog/why-we-drive-software-with-agents.md?via=md). Neon, Cloudinary and Apify handed our agent a working credential through their own routes, with no sign-up form in its way. ### Protocols and specs - 1 Nov 2026: [MCP](https://agentdrives.com/standards/mcp.md). A server that turns a product's actions into tools an agent can call. - 1 Nov 2026: [OpenAPI](https://agentdrives.com/standards/openapi.md). A machine-readable description of every route of an API. ### Fix guides - 1 Nov 2026: [MCP sign-in an AI agent can finish: OAuth and CIMD](https://agentdrives.com/guides/mcp-sign-in-agents-can-finish.md?via=md). OAuth metadata, CIMD or DCR, and a way to approve without a browser on the agent's side. Every product where it did real work: https://agentdrives.com/explore?checkpoint=first_action&outcome=passed ## Fix guides - [MCP sign-in an AI agent can finish: OAuth and CIMD](https://agentdrives.com/guides/mcp-sign-in-agents-can-finish.md?via=md)