What is the key difference between Arc Control (macOS) and Claude Task Master?

Arc Control (macOS) belongs to the Developer Tools category with local stdio execution, while Claude Task Master belongs to the Developer Tools category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Arc Control (macOS) or Claude Task Master 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 Arc Control (macOS) and Claude Task Master free or paid?

Arc Control (macOS) operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). Claude Task Master operates under a BYOK (Pay Provider Direct) model (API Key required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Arc Control (macOS) lists 25 tools with 0 views and 0 GitHub stars. Claude Task Master lists 6 tools with 8 views and 28,061 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Arc Control (macOS) and Claude Task Master 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

Arc Control (macOS) vs Claude Task Master

In-depth architectural comparison of the Arc Control (macOS) and Claude Task Master 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

Arc Control (macOS)

Developer Tools · Local stdio

Quality: 52/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required

Claude Task Master

Developer Tools · Local stdio

Quality: 61/100 (Good) | Auth: API Key required

Verdict Summary: Choose Arc Control (macOS) if you need specialized Developer Tools tools running via a local process. Choose Claude Task Master if your workspace requires Developer Tools integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Arc Control (macOS) when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: list_tabs, get_current_tab, switch_to_tab.

Explore Arc Control (macOS) Details

Choose Claude Task Master when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (BYOK (Pay Provider Direct)).
You have access to required keys: ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, OPENAI_API_KEY, GOOGLE_API_KEY, PERPLEXITY_API_KEY, XAI_API_KEY, OPENROUTER_API_KEY, MISTRAL_API_KEY, TASK_MASTER_TOOLS.
Primary tools included: PRD parsing, Task expansion, Task dependencies.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	A Arc Control (macOS) Developer Tools	Claude Task Master eyaltoledano Developer Tools
Summary	macOS-only MCP server for the Arc browser: tabs, navigation, page reading, DOM, scripting	AI-powered task management system for AI-driven development. Features PRD parsing, task expansion, multi-provider support (Claude, OpenAI, Gemini, Perplexity, xAI), and selective tool loading for optimized context usage.
Category & Scope	Developer Tools

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Arc Control (macOS) Tools (25)

list_tabs

Every tab, or narrow with `scope: "own"`, `query`, `space`, `window_id`. Rows are flagged `mine` and `isActive`.

get_current_tab

The tab a call with no `tab_id` would act on.

switch_to_tab

Make a tab active in its window. `activate` also brings Arc to the front.

close_tab

Close one tab.

close_own_tabs

Close every tab this agent opened, leaving the user's alone. `include_stale` also closes tabs leaked by a dead previous run of the same label.

arc_status

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).

Arc Control (macOS) Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "arc-control-macos": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "arc-control-mcp@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude Task Master Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "eyaltoledano-claude-task-master": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "task-master-ai"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "YOUR_ANTHROPIC_API_KEY_HERE",
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENAI_API_KEY_HERE",
        "GOOGLE_API_KEY": "YOUR_GOOGLE_API_KEY_HERE",
        "PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "YOUR_PERPLEXITY_API_KEY_HERE",
        "XAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_XAI_API_KEY_HERE",
        "OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENROUTER_API_KEY_HERE",
        "MISTRAL_API_KEY": "YOUR_MISTRAL_API_KEY_HERE",
        "TASK_MASTER_TOOLS": "YOUR_TASK_MASTER_TOOLS_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Arc Control (macOS) is categorized under Developer Tools and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Claude Task Master belongs to Developer Tools using local stdio subprocess. Select Arc Control (macOS) when you need capabilities focused on developer tools and Claude Task Master when you require tools for developer tools.

More alternatives to Arc Control (macOS)More alternatives to Claude Task Master Developer Tools category hub