Directus vs Webflow

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.

Webflow

The Data API has a public OpenAPI 3.1 spec with 140 operations, scoped OAuth and site tokens, and CMS items that stay drafts until a separate publish call. The MCP server loads 34 multi-action tools and can't create new localised CMS items. The free plan holds 50 CMS items, and the activity log needs the $2,500 Team plan.

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

Webflow

1. Send the token as Authorization: Bearer to https://api.webflow.com/v2. Ask for cms:read and cms:write only, plus sites:write if the task publishes
2. Create or update items first, then call Publish Items or Publish Site. An item with isDraft true and a lastPublished date is live with unpublished changes
3. Stay under 60 requests a minute on Starter and Basic and 120 on Premium, read X-RateLimit-Remaining, and wait for Retry-After on 429
4. Page item lists with limit (maximum 100) and offset, and filter with filter[<fieldSlug>][<operator>], up to 10 terms
5. Upload an asset in two steps (create the asset with a file hash, then POST the bytes to the presigned URL). Write localised content with the item's cmsLocaleId