A side-by-side look at the Magic MCP and GateCore Marketplace 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 developer tools work as a local process; choose GateCore Marketplace for developer tools over a hosted endpoint. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
TWENTY_FIRST_API_KEY, API_KEY_21ST.discover_listings, get_listing, procure.Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools | Developer Tools |
| Quality signal | 53/100 · Good | 55/100 · Good |
| 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 | 5,997 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 16 views 1 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | Not listed | 8 |
| Full listing | View Magic MCP | View GateCore Marketplace |
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
discover_listingsDiscover governed GateCore marketplace capabilities with machine-readable pricing,
required scopes, and minimum trust terms. Results preserve the marketplace's organic order.get_listingFetch one governed marketplace listing and its machine-enforceable contract terms:
price, required scopes, minimum trust, target, and data classification.procureRequest governed procurement for a listing. In public full mode, identity comes from
the MCP access key, trust comes from GateCore's baseline, and the result is a PROCURE,
REVIEW, or DENY decision with gateway delegation when eligible.authorize_accessAuthorize signed access to a governed listing. Purpose is forwarded unchanged when
present; policy at the gateway decides whether the declared purpose is allowed.complete_accessHash seller output locally, attest completion with the buyer agent key, and return
the terminal signed receipt. Seller output itself is never forwarded or returned.list_procurementsList procurement decisions for the credential tenant in public modes.request_listing_accessSubmit an idempotent listing-access request for the credential's tenant and agent.submit_leadSubmit a consented consumer lead to a supported published listing.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.
{
"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"
}
}
}
}
{
"mcpServers": {
"gatecore-marketplace": {
"url": "https://mcp.gatecoreai.com/mcp"
}
}
}