Research unified tool registration approach for MCP and REST API

[coderabbitai]

Background

Currently, adding a new tool to the MCP server requires registration in two separate places:

1. blockscout_mcp_server/server.py - MCP tool registration with mcp.tool()
2. blockscout_mcp_server/api/routes.py - REST API wrapper creation and route registration

This creates a 3-step process (MCP registration + REST wrapper creation + route registration) with significant maintenance burden and potential for inconsistency.

Proposed Approach

A unified registration function that handles both registrations:

register_unified_tool(mcp, tool_function, endpoint, tool_function_rest)

This would:

• Register the MCP tool with mcp.tool(structured_output=False)(tool_function)
• Register the REST route with _add_v1_tool_route(mcp, endpoint, tool_function_rest)

Research Needed

The current approach may not be ideal and requires further investigation:

• Analyze potential architectural improvements
• Consider edge cases and flexibility requirements
• Evaluate impact on existing codebase
• Design optimal API for unified registration
• Consider testing implications
• Review maintainability and developer experience

Related Discussion

• PR: Add REST API endpoints and helpers #142
• Comment: Add REST API endpoints and helpers #142 (comment)
• Requested by: @akolotov