Agent Swarm vs Codex Delegate

A side-by-side look at the Agent Swarm and Codex Delegate MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.

Agent Swarm logoAgent SwarmCoding AgentsFull Agent Swarm API and MCP server with local SQLite storage for multi-agent orchestration.41FairAuth: not declaredCodex Delegate logoCodex DelegateCoding Agents · Local subprocess (stdio)Bridge AI coding hosts to the OpenAI Codex CLI for delegated implementation.63GoodAuth: not declared

Verdict: choose Agent Swarm for coding agents work; choose Codex Delegate for coding agents as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.

Which MCP server should you choose?

Agent Swarm logoChoose Agent Swarm when

  • You need dedicated capabilities in the Coding Agents domain.
  • You have the keys it needs: API_KEY, HARNESS_PROVIDER.
Explore Agent Swarm

Codex Delegate logoChoose Codex Delegate when

  • You need dedicated capabilities in the Coding Agents domain.
  • You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
  • You want tools like delegate, cancel, doctor.
Explore Codex Delegate

Feature & specification comparison

Rows where the two servers differ are marked.

SpecAgent Swarm logoAgent SwarmCodex Delegate logoCodex Delegate
CategoryCoding AgentsCoding Agents
Quality signal41/100 · Fair63/100 · Good
Install commandNot confirmed yetConfirmed
Transport—Local subprocess (stdio)
AuthNot declaredNot declared
PricingNot declaredBYOK (pay the provider)
Required env varsAPI_KEYHARNESS_PROVIDERNone listed
Verified ownerCommunity listingCommunity listing
GitHub stars9292
Directory activity 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes 4 views 0 installs 0 upvotes
ToolsNot listed3

Tools & capabilities

Agent Swarm tools

No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.

Codex Delegate tools 3

  • delegateDelegate a coding task to OpenAI Codex. Never run codex from the shell — use this tool. Check status before trusting result — a run that spawns then fails returns normally. Keep model, reasoningEffort and fast at their defaults unless the user asks. See the delegate skill.
  • cancelCancel active runs. delegationId selects one (announced in progress before spawn — the only handle if a run wedges at startup), threadId all on its thread, neither all. Waits for settlement; if a process tree survives the kill deadline, it still returns and the delegate result warns. Status: cancelled, nothing-active, or not-found (no active run with this ID).
  • doctorDiagnose plugin/CLI/login, recursion, and workspace (default: server cwd). deep adds no-quota help and model-catalog checks.

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.

Agent Swarm

No confirmed install command for Agent Swarm yet — follow the setup steps linked from its listing page rather than a guessed package name.

Codex Delegate

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "codex-delegate": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "codex-delegate-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Frequently asked questions

Agent Swarm is categorized under Coding Agents and uses an install path we have not confirmed yet. Codex Delegate belongs to Coding Agents and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Agent Swarm for coding agents work and Codex Delegate for coding agents.

Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client. Agent Swarm has no confirmed install command yet — follow its own setup instructions.

Agent Swarm has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Codex Delegate is bring-your-own-key: usage is billed by the API provider you supply a key for. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.

Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add agent-swarm and codex-delegate as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.

On AllMCPs, Agent Swarm has a quality signal of 41/100 (Fair) with 2 views, 0 installs and 929 GitHub stars. Codex Delegate has 63/100 (Good) with 4 views, 0 installs and 2 GitHub stars.