Short answer: A generated server shows exactly which operation and schema produced each tool, and surfaces the operations it skipped because their metadata was incomplete. A catalog server is opaque: you trust the author and discover weak tools at runtime. Provenance is the difference between a tool you can audit and a black box.

What provenance gives you

Every tool traces to an operation, its operationId, and the request schema. When an agent calls a tool, you can see the exact endpoint behind it. That is the level of confidence you need for a service you own.

Why skipped tools matter more than missing ones

A skipped tool is visible: the studio tells you an operation was not compiled, usually because it lacks an operationId or has ambiguous metadata. You can fix the contract and regenerate. A silently weak tool is worse — it exists, the agent calls it, and it fails because its parameters were guessed.

The contrast with a catalog

PropertyCatalog serverGenerated server
Tool originTrust the authorVisible per tool
Weak toolsFound at runtimeSurfaced at build
FixWait on the authorEdit the spec, regenerate

The discipline

Review the tool list and the skipped entries before pointing an agent at the server. The skipped tools are a punch list for the contract, not a defect to ignore.

This is part of the Powerduck vs Smithery comparison. Finish with registry vs local-first.