Arc vs Penfield MCP
A side-by-side look at the Arc and Penfield MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Arc for knowledge & memory work; choose Penfield MCP for knowledge & memory as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Penfield MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: OAuth 2.0.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | A Arc | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Knowledge & Memory | Knowledge & Memory |
| Quality signal | 37/100 · Fair | 49/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Not confirmed yet | Confirmed |
| Transport | — | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | OAuth 2.0 |
| Pricing | Not declared | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | — | 6 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 4 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | Not listed | Not listed |
| Full listing | View Arc | View Penfield MCP |
Tools & capabilities
Arc tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Penfield MCP tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
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.
Arc
No confirmed install command for Arc yet — follow the setup steps linked from its listing page rather than a guessed package name.
Penfield MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"penfieldlabs-penfield-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"mcp-remote"
]
}
}
}