Contentstack vs Directus

Contentstack

The Content Management API has a public OpenAPI file, OAuth scopes that separate read, write and publish, read-only management tokens and a stack audit log. A free plan needs no card. The MCP server loads 78 tools by default with no annotations or read-only switch, and the limit=0 behaviour changed on 11 September 2026 without advance notice.

Directus

The built-in MCP server works under the connecting user's permissions, supports OAuth limited to the MCP endpoint and blocks deletes unless an administrator allows them. Since version 12 a licence check caps the free Core tier at 3 Studio seats, 25 collections and 5 flows, and the default tool list carries about 79 KB of instructions.

Contentstack

1. Pick the base URL for the stack's region first. North America on AWS is https://api.contentstack.io, and the other six regions use contentstack.com hosts
2. Send api_key and authorization headers on every Content Management API call. Ask for a read-only management token when the task only reads
3. Page with limit (100 at most), skip and include_count=true. limit=0 no longer returns everything
4. Stay under 10 reads and 10 writes a second per organisation, and one bulk request a second. Watch X-RateLimit-Remaining and back off on 429
5. Start the MCP server with --groups cma only, and add cma-extended when the task needs audit logs or version history. Publishing and deleting need no confirmation

Directus

1. Connect with OAuth or an Authorization: Bearer header. Don't put the token in the URL as ?access_token=, where it can be logged
2. Use /mcp?tool_mode=registry when the client loads every tool definition. Default mode sends each tool's full instructions, about 79 KB in total
3. Read the schema tool before writing. Item payloads are untyped objects, so field names and types come only from the data model
4. Publish a version with POST /versions/{id}/promote over REST. The MCP items tool refuses system collections such as directus_versions
5. Count translation and junction tables against the 25-collection Core limit before creating collections