First MCP call: Runway whoami vs Sume account_me and mcp_health

Make a read-only call first, and on Sume make two: mcp_health to see the endpoint, the auth source and the safety posture, then account_me to see which workspace the session is acting for. Runway's equivalent is whoami on its developer MCP. None of these starts paid work.

Checking the connection before generation catches the two most common setup mistakes: the wrong server and the wrong account.

The first-call tools

What to look for on Sume

With OAuth, mcp_health should report authenticated.auth_source as mcp_oauth. If Write was left off at consent, tools_list shows only the read-only tools, and a write or paid call returns insufficient_scope. That is the default state, not a fault. With an API key the full tool set appears.

A cheap checklist

• Call mcp_health and read the auth source.
• Call account_me and confirm the workspace is the one you expect to be billed.
• Call tools_list and check that generate_image and generate_video are present if you need them.
• Call tools_schema with name generate_image before the first paid call, and read idempotency_key and dry_run.
• Then use dry_run=true or generation_admission_preview to see cost and queue behaviour before you submit.

Why it matters with two vendors

If you have both Runway and Sume servers configured, an agent can easily call the wrong one. Make the verification call part of your onboarding script for each server, and write down the expected answer. A mismatch costs nothing on a read call and can cost real credits on a generation call. See the tools and gates docs for Sume hosted MCP for the playbooks.