docs: rename Starter tools to Unoptimized #721

cursor · 2026-02-05T14:36:04Z

Component name inconsistent with displayed content

Low Severity

The component StarterToolInfo and file starter-tool-info.tsx now display content about "Unoptimized MCP Server" and "Unoptimized tools", creating a naming mismatch. This component is imported across 8+ pages in the codebase. Developers searching for "unoptimized" related code won't find this file. Consider renaming to UnoptimizedToolInfo or similar for consistency.

I think this is acceptable for now. I didn't want to introduce a bigger diff, and we still refer to them in code as starter in some places as well. The "optimized" term is just a user-facing change.

teallarson · 2026-02-02T14:50:16Z

how Arcade designs them

This was a vale suggestion, but I think we have some community contributions so this isn't quite true always? Except maybe it is because the Optimized ones are optimized by us?

This is a good discussion to have now. The community toolkits was an idea where we would show non-arcade toolkits in our docs, kind of like a marketplace. We are not doing that, and with MCP servers, I think we will not do it in the short term, so I'm not sure if it's valid to keep that category.

Ah, cool, then I don't think this suggestion is an issue :)

teallarson · 2026-02-02T14:52:44Z

I don't think we want to back-edit the changelog...

Umm, I think it's ok.

-Original file line number
+Diff line change
@@ Expand Up @@
         <p>
           {toolkitName} is a{" "}
           <u>
-            <a href="/guides/create-tools/improve/types-of-tools#starter-tools">
-              Starter MCP Server
+            <a href="/guides/create-tools/improve/types-of-tools#unoptimized-tools">
+              Unoptimized MCP Server
             </a>
           </u>
           : each tool mirrors one HTTP endpoint and offers LLMs a way to interact
@@ Expand All @@
               Optimized MCP Servers
             </a>
           </u>
-          , Starter tools are heavily influenced by the original API design, which
-          is not usually optimized for LLM usage. For this reason, we recommend
-          thoroughly evaluating the tools with your Agents or chatbots before using
-          it in production.{" "}
+          , Unoptimized tools are heavily influenced by the original API design,
+          which is not usually optimized for LLM usage. For this reason, we
+          recommend thoroughly evaluating the tools with your Agents or chatbots
+          before using it in production.{" "}
           <a href="/guides/create-tools/improve/types-of-tools">Read more</a> about
-          Optimized vs Starter tools.
+          Optimized vs Unoptimized tools.
         </p>
       </Callout>
     );
@@ Expand Down @@

-Original file line number
+Diff line change
@@ -1,16 +1,16 @@
     ---
     title: "Types of Tools"
-    description: "Learn about Optimized and Starter tools"
+    description: "Learn about Optimized and Unoptimized tools"
     ---
     # Types of Tools
     Arcade offers two types of tools:
-    - Starter tools
+    - Unoptimized tools
     - Optimized tools
-    The distinction is merely a matter of how they are designed. Both types of tools can be used seamlessly in the same way. There is no difference in their interfaces, the way they are called, or how you interact with them through the Arcade [Dashboard](https://api.arcade.dev/dashboard/) or the Arcade [SDK clients](/references).
+    The distinction is merely a matter of how Arcade designs them. Both types of tools can be used seamlessly in the same way. No difference exists in their interfaces, the way they are called, or how you interact with them through the Arcade [Dashboard](https://api.arcade.dev/dashboard/) or the Arcade [SDK clients](/references).
     Before we understand the two types, let's first understand the background for why we need to differentiate between them.
@@ Expand Down Expand Up @@
     Optimized tools dramatically improve the speed, reliability and cost-effectiveness of AI Agents and chatbots.
-    Since they require careful design and evaluation, Optimized tools take time and effort to build. We understand that your Agent or chatbot project might need capabilities not yet covered by our Optimized MCP Servers. For this reason, we also offer low-level Starter MCP Servers.
+    Since they require careful design and evaluation, Optimized tools take time and effort to build. Arcade understands that your Agent or chatbot project might need capabilities not yet covered by Arcade's Optimized MCP Servers. For this reason, Arcade also offers low-level Unoptimized MCP Servers (formerly known as Starter MCP Servers).
-    ## Starter tools
+    ## Unoptimized tools
-    To provide your Agent or chatbot with more freedom to interact with the upstream services, we offer Starter MCP Servers.
+    To provide your Agent or chatbot with more freedom to interact with upstream services, we offer Unoptimized MCP Servers.
-    Starter tools are heavily influenced by the original API design. Each tool mirrors one HTTP endpoint.
+    Unoptimized tools are heavily influenced by the original API design. Each tool mirrors one HTTP endpoint.
-    Although we redesign the tool name and argument descriptions to make them more suitable for LLMs, Starter tools are still not optimized for LLM usage. Also, they are not subject to evaluation suites like Optimized tools. For those reasons, we recommend thoroughly evaluating each Starter tool with your Agents or chatbots before using it in production.
+    Although we redesign the tool name and argument descriptions to make them more suitable for LLMs, Unoptimized tools are still not optimized for LLM usage. Also, they are not subject to evaluation suites like Optimized tools. For those reasons, we recommend thoroughly evaluating each Unoptimized tool with your Agents or chatbots before using it in production.
-    When your Agent's needs are covered by an Optimized tool, we recommend using it instead of a Starter one. Use Starter tools as a complement. Carefully engineer your prompts to ensure your Agent can call them safely.
+    When an Optimized tool covers your Agent's needs, we recommend using it instead of an Unoptimized one. Use Unoptimized tools as a complement. Carefully engineer your prompts to ensure your Agent can call them safely.

-Original file line number
+Diff line change
@@ Expand Up / @@ -276,7 +276,7 @@ t @@
     **Toolkits**
-    - `[feature - 🚀]` Introduce [Starter Tools](/guides/create-tools/improve/types-of-tools), a new type of tool that mirrors the original HTTP API design of the upstream service.
+    - `[feature - 🚀]` Introduce [Unoptimized tools](/guides/create-tools/improve/types-of-tools), a new type of tool that mirrors the original HTTP API design of the upstream service.
     - `[feature - 🚀]` Release Slack started MCP Server which contains support for most of the Slack API.
     - `[feature - 🚀]` Include advanced error handling in the following MCP Servers: Google, Microsoft, Slack, and Asana. Learn more about handling tool errors [here](/guides/create-tools/error-handling/useful-tool-errors).
     - `[bugfix - 🐛]` [MCP Servers/MS Teams] Fix get_chat_metadata by chat's users
@@ Expand Down @@

-Original file line number
+Diff line change
@@ Expand Up @@
     [Optimized tools](/guides/create-tools/improve/types-of-tools#optimized-tools) are designed from scratch to provide the best performance for LLMs in terms of speed, reliability, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness.
-    #### Starter tools
+    #### Unoptimized tools
-    [Starter tools](/guides/create-tools/improve/types-of-tools#starter-tools) are designed to mirror the original HTTP API design of the upstream service. They are not optimized for LLM usage and are not subject to evaluation suites. We recommend thoroughly evaluating each Starter tool with your Agents or chatbots before using it in production.
+    [Unoptimized tools](/guides/create-tools/improve/types-of-tools#unoptimized-tools) are designed to mirror the original HTTP API design of the upstream service. They are not optimized for LLM usage and are not subject to evaluation suites. We recommend thoroughly evaluating each Unoptimized tool with your Agents or chatbots before using it in production.
-    Understand why [LLMs usually perform poorly](/guides/create-tools/improve/types-of-tools#why-llms-perform-poorly-when-calling-http-apis) when calling HTTP APIs.
+    Understand why [LLMs perform poorly when](/guides/create-tools/improve/types-of-tools#why-llms-perform-poorly when-calling-http-apis) calling HTTP APIs.
     ### Tool Context
@@ Expand Down @@

-Original file line number
+Diff line change
@@ Expand Up / @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ export const TYPE_CONFIG: Record< @@
         color: "text-emerald-500",
       },
       arcade_starter: {
-        label: "Arcade Starter",
+        label: "Arcade Unoptimized",
         icon: Terminal,
         color: "text-orange-500",
       },
@@ Expand Down Expand Up / @@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ export const TOOL_CARD_TYPE_CONFIG: Record< @@
       arcade_starter: {
         className:
           "border-orange-600/20 hover:border-primary bg-orange-600/[0.02] hover:bg-orange-600/[0.03]",
-        label: "Arcade Starter MCP Server",
+        label: "Arcade Unoptimized MCP Server",
         icon: Terminal,
         color: "text-orange-400",
       },
@@ Expand Down Expand Up @@
       ),
       arcade_starter: (
         <>
-          Auto-generated MCP Servers developed by Arcade that may require
-          customization.{" "}
+          Unoptimized (auto-generated) MCP Servers developed by Arcade that may
+          require customization.{" "}
           <a
             className="text-blue-600 underline decoration-blue-600/30 underline-offset-2 transition-colors hover:text-blue-700 hover:decoration-blue-700/50 dark:text-blue-400 dark:decoration-blue-400/30 dark:hover:text-blue-300 dark:hover:decoration-blue-300/50"
-            href="/guides/create-tools/improve/types-of-tools#starter-tools"
+            href="/guides/create-tools/improve/types-of-tools#unoptimized-tools"
           >
             Learn more
           </a>
@@ Expand Down @@

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-Original file line number
+Diff line change
@@ Expand Up / @@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ const TYPE_PRIORITY: Record<ToolkitType, number> = { @@
     const TYPE_LABELS: Record<ToolkitType, string> = {
       arcade: "Arcade Optimized",
-      arcade_starter: "Arcade Starter",
+      arcade_starter: "Arcade Unoptimized",
       verified: "Verified",
       community: "Community",
       auth: "Auth Provider",
@@ Expand Down @@

-Original file line number
+Diff line change
@@ Expand Up @@
     - [TrelloApi](https://docs.arcade.dev/en/resources/integrations/productivity/trello-api.md): The TrelloApi documentation provides users with a comprehensive set of tools for interacting with the Trello API, enabling efficient management of boards, cards, lists, and members. It outlines various functionalities, such as fetching and updating actions, retrieving board details,
     - [Twilio](https://docs.arcade.dev/en/resources/integrations/social-communication/twilio.md): This documentation page provides users with a comprehensive guide to using Twilio for sending SMS and WhatsApp messages through an MCP Server, including setup prerequisites and configuration details. It outlines the necessary credentials required for integration and offers practical usage examples to demonstrate the server's
     - [Twitch auth provider](https://docs.arcade.dev/en/resources/integrations/entertainment/twitch.md): The Twitch auth provider documentation page guides users in creating a custom authentication provider to access the Twitch API using their own OAuth 2.0 credentials. It outlines the steps to configure Twitch authentication within the Arcade platform, including creating a Twitch application and integrating it
-    - [Types of Tools](https://docs.arcade.dev/en/guides/create-tools/improve/types-of-tools.md): This documentation page explains the two types of tools offered by Arcade: Optimized tools and Starter tools. It highlights the differences in design and functionality, emphasizing that Optimized tools are tailored for AI-powered chat interfaces to improve performance, while Starter tools provide more
+    - [Types of Tools](https://docs.arcade.dev/en/guides/create-tools/improve/types-of-tools.md): This documentation page explains the two types of tools offered by Arcade: Optimized tools and Unoptimized tools. It highlights the differences in design and functionality, emphasizing that Optimized tools are tailored for AI-powered chat interfaces to improve performance, while Unoptimized tools provide more
     - [Understanding `Context` and tools](https://docs.arcade.dev/en/guides/create-tools/tool-basics/runtime-data-access.md): This documentation page explains the `Context` class used in Arcade tools, detailing how to access runtime capabilities and tool-specific data securely. Users will learn how to utilize the `Context` object to retrieve OAuth tokens, secrets, user information, and to log
     - [Use Arcade in Claude Desktop](https://docs.arcade.dev/en/get-started/mcp-clients/claude-desktop.md): This documentation page provides a step-by-step guide for users to connect Claude Desktop to an Arcade MCP Gateway, enabling them to utilize custom connectors. It outlines the prerequisites for setup, including creating an Arcade account and obtaining an API key, as well as detailed
     - [Use Arcade in Cursor](https://docs.arcade.dev/en/get-started/mcp-clients/cursor.md): This documentation page provides a step-by-step guide for connecting Cursor to an Arcade MCP Gateway, enabling users to utilize Arcade tools within the Cursor environment. It outlines the prerequisites for setup, including creating an Arcade account and obtaining an API key, as well as
@@ Expand Down @@

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