Contents
- The "MCP-Ready" Checkbox Problem
- KanseiLink's 3-Tier Agent Readiness Framework
- The verified Tier: The Official-MCP × Handshake-Verified Club
- The connectable Tier: Wide-Ranging Early Data
- Grade × Readiness Matrix: The Surprising Misalignments
- Enterprise Procurement Guide: 5 Questions That Actually Matter
- For SaaS Vendors: How to Earn verified Status
- FAQ
The "MCP-Ready" Checkbox Problem
As AI agent adoption accelerates through 2026, "MCP-ready" is becoming a new line item in enterprise SaaS procurement evaluation. Vendors announce MCP server availability in press releases; procurement teams check the box and move on to the next criterion.
KanseiLink's Agent Readiness data from 225+ services shows this approach is fundamentally broken.
"Are you MCP-ready?" is the wrong question. The right question is: "What Agent Readiness tier are you, and what is your actual success rate?"
KanseiLink Agent Readiness Data Summary (April 2026)
across verified tier
within connectable tier
verified status
that are connectable or below
KanseiLink's 3-Tier Agent Readiness Framework
KanseiLink evaluates MCP service Agent Readiness across 3 tiers. This classification is independent from the AEO grade (AAA/AA/A/BBB etc.) — they measure different dimensions.
An official MCP server is available and the service has passed KanseiLink's MCP handshake verification. Major error patterns and known workarounds are documented. A recommended starting point for agent workflow integration.
An official MCP server or sufficient API exists and is technically connectable, but KanseiLink's MCP handshake verification has not been completed. "Can connect" and "verified" are two different things.
No MCP server exists; API access is limited or absent. KanseiLink can provide basic service information (overview, category, pricing tier) but the service is not operable by agents.
Agent Readiness tier changes over time. Providing an official MCP and passing the handshake verification promotes a service from connectable to verified. Conversely, MCP withdrawal or a failing handshake can demote a service from verified to connectable. KanseiLink data is continuously updated.
The verified Tier: The Official-MCP × Handshake-Verified Club
As of April 2026, KanseiLink's verified tier contains 6 services — every one of them carrying an AAA AEO grade. Their per-service success rates are still being observed as KanseiLink accumulates measured data.
| Service | AEO Grade | Success Rate | Sample (n) | Avg Latency | Agent Readiness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify Japan | AAA | observing | n=50+ | — | 🟢 verified |
| Money Forward Cloud | AAA | observing | n=50+ | — | 🟢 verified |
| Slack | AAA | observing | n=113 | 163ms | 🟢 verified |
| freee | AAA | observing | n=98+ | — | 🟢 verified |
| Backlog | AAA | observing | n=50+ | — | 🟢 verified |
| Notion | AAA | observing | n=50+ | — | 🟢 verified |
Per-service success rates for the verified tier are still being observed as KanseiLink accumulates measured data. All six have an official MCP and a passed MCP handshake verification — the starting profile for building agent workflows against.
All 6 hold AAA AEO grade, publish official MCP servers as npm packages, have accumulated substantial real-world usage data, and invest in documenting their known error patterns and workarounds. The formula: official MCP server × sustained agent usage × quality management.
The connectable Tier: Wide-Ranging Early Data
connectable means "official MCP exists but the handshake is unverified" — but the tier is anything but uniform. KanseiLink's early data suggests a wide spread.
| Service | AEO Grade | Success Rate | Sample (n) | Top Errors | Agent Readiness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Teams | A | observing | small | — | 🟡 connectable |
| LINE Messaging | A | observing | small | — | 🟡 connectable |
| PostgreSQL MCP | A | observing | small | — | 🟡 connectable |
| kintone | AA | observing | n=50+ | api_error, invalid_input | 🟡 connectable |
| Asana | AA | observing | moderate | api_error | 🟡 connectable |
| Garoon | AA | observing | moderate | api_error | 🟡 connectable |
| Chatwork | AA | observing | n=123 | api_error (24x), search_miss (10x) | 🟡 connectable |
| Sansan | AA | observing | n=36 | api_error (9x), search_miss (5x) | 🟡 connectable |
| Zapier | A | observing | n=9 | search_miss (7x) | 🟡 connectable |
Within the same connectable tier, early data suggests a wide gap in real-world results (success rates observing). Treating connectable as a uniform category means treating a stumble-prone service and a seemingly stable one identically.
Microsoft Teams, LINE Messaging, and PostgreSQL MCP look strong in early data — but this likely reflects limited data points rather than proven at-scale reliability. Small samples can look flawless before edge cases emerge at volume. This is precisely why they remain connectable rather than verified: the data hasn't accumulated to confirm sustained production performance.
Grade × Readiness Matrix: The Surprising Misalignments
Mapping AEO grade against Agent Readiness tier surfaces an important insight: AEO grade and Agent Readiness tier measure different things.
AEO grade (AAA/AA/A/BBB) reflects API design quality, documentation depth, MCP server implementation completeness, and security posture — a design-time and architecture quality score. Agent Readiness tier reflects whether an official MCP is available and has passed KanseiLink's MCP handshake verification.
A-grade Zapier is connectable, and early data shows search_miss errors standing out — a case where design quality and operational reality can diverge. A-grade Microsoft Teams is connectable and looks stable in small early samples — high design quality, insufficient data for verification (success rates observing for both). The grade tells you about the blueprint; the Readiness tier tells you about the building.
AAA + verified = Production recommended. Safe for core enterprise agent workflows.
AA/A + connectable (high-n, high success) = Adopt cautiously. Pilot before production rollout.
AA/A + connectable (low-n or low success) = Pilot only. Request AEO improvement commitment from vendor.
A + connectable (Zapier-type) = Not recommended for production at this time.
Enterprise Procurement Guide: 5 Questions That Actually Matter
Retire "Are you MCP-ready?" and replace it with these five questions.
-
What is your Agent Readiness tier? (verified / connectable / info_only)
Check KanseiLink's AEO evaluation report or ask the vendor directly. An "MCP-ready" answer confirms connectable or above — but that alone is insufficient for a production commitment. -
What is your actual success rate, and what is the sample size n?
n=9 at 100% and n=113 at 91% represent completely different confidence levels. Target n≥50 with ≥80% success as minimum thresholds for production integration. -
Are your major error patterns and workarounds documented?
verified services have known issues and remediation steps documented. Absence of this documentation means high incident response cost when things break in production. -
What are your success rate and reliability trends over the last 30 days?
API spec changes and feature launches can cause sudden success rate drops. Directional momentum matters as much as the current figure. -
Does the vendor commit to continuous AEO score improvement?
Is the vendor actively improving their verified status? KanseiLink registration and ongoing data contribution is one measurable indicator of that commitment.
For SaaS Vendors: How to Earn verified Status
From 2026 onward, enterprise procurement teams will evaluate both AEO grade and Agent Readiness tier. "MCP-ready" alone no longer differentiates. The race to verified has begun.
The path to verified:
- Publish an official MCP server as an npm package with comprehensive documentation
- Register with KanseiLink and run regular AEO score audits
- Provide test environments that enable real agent call data accumulation
- Identify major error patterns and publish official workaround documentation
- Optimize MCP tool description fields for Japanese-language agent intent patterns
FAQ
What is the difference between verified and connectable?
verified means an official MCP server is available and the service has passed KanseiLink's MCP handshake verification. connectable means an official MCP server or API exists but the handshake is unverified. April 2026: 6 verified services; per-service success rates are still being observed.
Can I trust a vendor that claims "MCP-ready"?
Not without asking for the tier and success rate. Early data suggests wide variation in real-world results even among same-tier connectable services (success rates observing). The "MCP-ready" label spans all of them. Always ask for the success rate and n.
How does a service achieve verified status?
Requirements: (1) provide an official MCP server, (2) pass KanseiLink's MCP handshake verification, (3) documented error patterns and workarounds. Practically: publish an official MCP server, make it verifiable by KanseiLink, engage KanseiLink's AEO improvement program to accelerate data collection.
Data cited in this article is from KanseiLink MCP system agent call logs. Sample sizes vary significantly by service; small-sample services (Teams, LINE Messaging, etc.) may show volatile figures that stabilize with more data. Agent Readiness tiers are updated regularly and current ratings may differ from those at time of publication. Verify current ratings via the KanseiLink MCP server.