DatoCMS vs Directus

DatoCMS

The Content Management API publishes a JSON Hyper-Schema for 202 operations, 100 documented error codes and rate-limit headers, and the hosted MCP server adds OAuth with three access levels. There are no idempotency keys, the only official client library is JavaScript, audit logs are Enterprise only, and prices are in euros with no machine payment route.

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.

DatoCMS

1. Send X-Api-Version: 3 and Accept: application/json on every request, with Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json on writes
2. Records are items, models are item_types and assets are uploads in every path and payload
3. Save a record, then call the publish endpoint as a separate PUT. Send meta.current_version on updates and re-fetch on STALE_ITEM_VERSION
4. Stay under 60 requests every 3 seconds. On 429 wait the seconds in x-ratelimit-reset, and retry any error whose body has transient set to true
5. Fork a sandbox environment for schema changes and promote it when checked. Use POST /items/validate to test a payload without saving it

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