What is the key difference between Codex Control Plane MCP and Openclaw MCP?

Codex Control Plane MCP belongs to the Coding Agents category with local stdio execution, while Openclaw MCP belongs to the Coding Agents category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Codex Control Plane MCP or Openclaw MCP 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 Codex Control Plane MCP and Openclaw MCP free or paid?

Codex Control Plane MCP operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). Openclaw MCP operates under a Free / Open Source model (API Key required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Codex Control Plane MCP lists 38 tools with 4 views and 122 GitHub stars. Openclaw MCP lists 7 tools with 3 views and 184 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Codex Control Plane MCP and Openclaw MCP 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

Codex Control Plane MCP vs Openclaw MCP

In-depth architectural comparison of the Codex Control Plane MCP and Openclaw MCP 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

Codex Control Plane MCP

Coding Agents · Local stdio

Quality: 65/100 (Great) | Auth: No auth required

Openclaw MCP

Coding Agents · Local stdio

Quality: 64/100 (Good) | Auth: API Key required

Verdict Summary: Choose Codex Control Plane MCP if you need specialized Coding Agents tools running via a local process. Choose Openclaw MCP if your workspace requires Coding Agents integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Codex Control Plane MCP when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Coding Agents domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: codex_list_projects, codex_list_project_chats, codex_list_active_chats.

Explore Codex Control Plane MCP Details

Choose Openclaw MCP when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Coding Agents domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (Free / Open Source).
You have access to required keys: OPENCLAW_URL, OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN, OPENCLAW_AGENT_ID, OPENCLAW_MODEL, OPENCLAW_TIMEOUT_MS, AUTH_ENABLED, MCP_CLIENT_ID, MCP_CLIENT_SECRET.
Primary tools included: .

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Codex Control Plane MCP aresyn Coding Agents	Openclaw MCP freema Coding Agents
Summary	Durable control plane for long-running Codex Desktop tasks. Submit tasks asynchronously, poll operation/workflow state, approve Plan Mode, recover retries, and use hook-backed SQLite history for search and diagnostics.	MCP server for OpenClaw AI assistant integration. Enables Claude to delegate tasks to OpenClaw agents with sync/async tools, OAuth 2.1 auth, and SSE transport for Claude.ai.
Category & Scope

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Codex Control Plane MCP Tools (38)

codex_list_projects

List known Codex projects from registry, hook history, transcripts, and cached Codex state. Use this before preflight or submit when you need a project reference; later tools accept projectId, project name, or project path and return canonical projectId. Next call codex_preflight_project_run for a concrete project.

codex_list_project_chats

List chats for one project from the bounded read model. Use this to find existing threads before continuation or review. Next call codex_get_chat_status, codex_get_chat, or codex_submit_task.

codex_list_active_chats

List chats that look active from tracked, hook, transcript, or cached evidence. Use this for operator inspection, not for creating retries. Next call codex_get_turn_status or codex_get_operation_status when ids are available.

codex_search_chats

Search chat history through the MCP-owned index and safe fallback sources. Use this for discovery or recovery when ids were lost. Do not use search results as proof that a turn is still active.

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).

Codex Control Plane MCP Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aresyn-codex-control-plane-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "codex-control-plane-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Openclaw MCP Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "freema-openclaw-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "openclaw-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "OPENCLAW_URL": "YOUR_OPENCLAW_URL_HERE",
        "OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN": "YOUR_OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN_HERE",
        "OPENCLAW_AGENT_ID": "YOUR_OPENCLAW_AGENT_ID_HERE",
        "OPENCLAW_MODEL": "YOUR_OPENCLAW_MODEL_HERE",
        "OPENCLAW_TIMEOUT_MS": "YOUR_OPENCLAW_TIMEOUT_MS_HERE",
        "AUTH_ENABLED": "YOUR_AUTH_ENABLED_HERE",
        "MCP_CLIENT_ID": "YOUR_MCP_CLIENT_ID_HERE",
        "MCP_CLIENT_SECRET": "YOUR_MCP_CLIENT_SECRET_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Codex Control Plane MCP is categorized under Coding Agents and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Openclaw MCP belongs to Coding Agents using local stdio subprocess. Select Codex Control Plane MCP when you need capabilities focused on coding agents and Openclaw MCP when you require tools for coding agents.

More alternatives to Codex Control Plane MCP More alternatives to Openclaw MCP Coding Agents category hub