Magic MCP vs Dolphin MCP Pilot
A side-by-side look at the Magic MCP and Dolphin MCP Pilot MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Magic MCP for architecture & design work as a local process; choose Dolphin MCP Pilot for data platforms over a hosted endpoint. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Magic MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Architecture & Design domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
TWENTY_FIRST_API_KEY, API_KEY_21ST.
Choose Dolphin MCP Pilot when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Data Platforms domain.
- You prefer a remote HTTP/SSE transport.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Architecture & Design | Data Platforms |
| Quality signal | 53/100 · Good | 43/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Remote HTTP/SSE |
| Auth | API key required | Not declared |
| Pricing | Paid service | Not declared |
| Required env vars | TWENTY_FIRST_API_KEYAPI_KEY_21ST | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 6,236 | 20 |
| Directory activity | 16 views 1 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | Not listed | Not listed |
| Full listing | View Magic MCP | View Dolphin MCP Pilot |
Tools & capabilities
Magic MCP tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Dolphin MCP Pilot tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Magic MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"21st-dev-magic-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@21st-dev/cli@latest"
],
"env": {
"TWENTY_FIRST_API_KEY": "YOUR_TWENTY_FIRST_API_KEY_HERE",
"API_KEY_21ST": "YOUR_API_KEY_21ST_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Dolphin MCP Pilot
{
"mcpServers": {
"dolphin-mcp-pilot": {
"url": "http://localhost:8001/mcp/"
}
}
}