What is the key difference between MCP Airflow and Airflow MCP Server?

MCP Airflow belongs to the Data Platforms category with local stdio execution, while Airflow MCP Server belongs to the Data Platforms category with local stdio execution.

How do I install MCP Airflow or Airflow MCP Server 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 Airflow MCP Server free or paid?

MCP Airflow operates under a Free / Open Source model (other). Airflow MCP Server operates under a Free / Open Source model (API Key required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

MCP Airflow lists 7 tools with 1 views and 2 GitHub stars. Airflow MCP Server lists 7 tools with 3 views and 2 GitHub stars.

Can I use both MCP Airflow and Airflow MCP Server 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 Airflow MCP Server

In-depth architectural comparison of the MCP Airflow and Airflow MCP Server 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: 55/100 (Good) | Auth: other

Airflow MCP Server

Data Platforms · Local stdio

Quality: 56/100 (Good) | Auth: API Key required

Verdict Summary: Choose MCP Airflow if you need specialized Data Platforms tools running via a local process. Choose Airflow MCP Server if your workspace requires Data Platforms integration with local subprocess execution. 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 Airflow MCP Server when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Data Platforms domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (Free / Open Source).
You have access to required keys: AIRFLOW_API_URL, AIRFLOW_USERNAME, AIRFLOW_PASSWORD, AIRFLOW_ALLOW_WRITE, AIRFLOW_TOOLS, AIRFLOW_DISABLE, MCP_TRANSPORT.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	MCP Airflow antonio-mello-ai Data Platforms	Airflow MCP Server us-all 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.	Airflow REST API — 7 tools (DAG list, runs, task instances, log tails, trigger, clear). dag-health-rollup aggregation. Airflow 3.x /api/v2 + JWT (SimpleAuthManager); pin 0.1.x for Airflow 2.x. Read-only by default; trigger/clear write-gated.
Category & Scope

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"
      }
    }
  }
}

Airflow MCP Server Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "us-all-airflow-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@us-all/airflow-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "AIRFLOW_API_URL": "YOUR_AIRFLOW_API_URL_HERE",
        "AIRFLOW_USERNAME": "YOUR_AIRFLOW_USERNAME_HERE",
        "AIRFLOW_PASSWORD": "YOUR_AIRFLOW_PASSWORD_HERE",
        "AIRFLOW_ALLOW_WRITE": "YOUR_AIRFLOW_ALLOW_WRITE_HERE",
        "AIRFLOW_TOOLS": "YOUR_AIRFLOW_TOOLS_HERE",
        "AIRFLOW_DISABLE": "YOUR_AIRFLOW_DISABLE_HERE",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT": "YOUR_MCP_TRANSPORT_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

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

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