What is the key difference between MCP Airflow and JoinLayer?

MCP Airflow belongs to the Data Platforms category with local stdio execution, while JoinLayer belongs to the Data Platforms category with cloud HTTP/SSE execution.

How do I install MCP Airflow or JoinLayer in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are MCP Airflow and JoinLayer free or paid?

MCP Airflow operates under a Free / Open Source model (other). JoinLayer operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

MCP Airflow lists 7 tools with 1 views and 2 GitHub stars. JoinLayer lists 0 tools with 1 views and 0 GitHub stars.

Can I use both MCP Airflow and JoinLayer together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

MCP Airflow vs JoinLayer

In-depth architectural comparison of the MCP Airflow and JoinLayer MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.

At a Glance & Executive Verdict

MCP Airflow

Data Platforms · Local stdio

Quality: 53/100 (Good) | Auth: other

JoinLayer

Data Platforms · Remote HTTP/SSE

Quality: 44/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required

Verdict Summary: Choose MCP Airflow if you need specialized Data Platforms tools running via a local process. Choose JoinLayer if your workspace requires Data Platforms integration with remote web transport. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose MCP Airflow when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Data Platforms domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: other (Free / Open Source).
You have access to required keys: AIRFLOW_BASE_URL, AIRFLOW_USERNAME, AIRFLOW_PASSWORD.
Primary tools included: list_dags, get_dag_runs_today, get_dag_run_status.

Explore MCP Airflow Details

Choose JoinLayer when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Data Platforms domain.
You prefer remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore JoinLayer Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	MCP Airflow antonio-mello-ai Data Platforms	JoinLayer Data Platforms
Summary	Manage Apache Airflow through its REST API — list DAGs, inspect DAG runs and task instances, trigger runs, and check failed-DAG and scheduler/metadatabase health. 7 tools, built with FastMCP. Install: uvx mcp-airflow.	Operate secure JoinLayer data pipelines through delegated OAuth.
Category & Scope	Data Platforms

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

MCP Airflow Tools (7)

list_dags

List all DAGs with paused/active status

get_dag_runs_today

Get all DAG runs from today with status

get_dag_run_status

Get the latest run status for a specific DAG

trigger_dag_run

Trigger a manual DAG run

get_task_instances

Get task instances for a specific DAG run

check_failed_dags

Check for failed DAGs in the last 24 hours

Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations

Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).

MCP Airflow Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "antonio-mello-ai-mcp-airflow": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-airflow"
      ],
      "env": {
        "AIRFLOW_BASE_URL": "YOUR_AIRFLOW_BASE_URL_HERE",
        "AIRFLOW_USERNAME": "YOUR_AIRFLOW_USERNAME_HERE",
        "AIRFLOW_PASSWORD": "YOUR_AIRFLOW_PASSWORD_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

JoinLayer Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "joinlayer": {
      "url": "https://mcp.joinlayer.app/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

MCP Airflow is categorized under Data Platforms and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, JoinLayer belongs to Data Platforms using remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport. Select MCP Airflow when you need capabilities focused on data platforms and JoinLayer when you require tools for data platforms.

More alternatives to MCP Airflow More alternatives to JoinLayer Data Platforms category hub