Aria Icons vs Handover.tools
A side-by-side look at the Aria Icons and Handover.tools MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
H
Handover.toolsDeveloper ToolsHand work between AI agents across devices and vendors: one-shot links or an E2EE channel.53GoodAuth: no auth requiredVerdict: choose Aria Icons for developer tools work as a local process; choose Handover.tools for developer tools. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Aria Icons when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
HChoose Handover.tools when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You want tools like
handoff_put, handoff_get, handoff_revoke.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | H Handover.tools | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools | Developer Tools |
| Quality signal | 49/100 · Fair | 53/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Not confirmed yet |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | — |
| Auth | No auth required | No auth required |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner |
Tools & capabilities
Aria Icons tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Handover.tools tools 8
handoff_putStore a piece of context and get back a short code. The person gives the link handover.tools/<code> to an agent on another device and it can fetch the content — no copy-paste of long text. The code is 8 letters, easy to type on a phone. NOT ENCRYPTED: the server can read what you store, so never put credentials, tokens, or private data in it. Content becomes unreadable after the TTL expires, and by default it can only be fetched once. The response also returns a revoke_key — keep it for the rest of this session so you can destroy the content immediately with handoff_revoke if the person changes their mind. Writes are limited to a small number per day; reads are not.handoff_getFetch content stored by handoff_put using its 8-character code. The code is case-insensitive and hyphens are ignored, so 'kvmtrhxp' and 'KVMT-RHXP' are the same; the person may give it as a link like handover.tools/kvmtrhxp, and passing that is fine too. Return the content to the person verbatim and complete: it can be fetched only once. If the code is unknown, already fetched, or expired, content is null with a reason — these cases are deliberately indistinguishable.handoff_revokeDestroy content stored by handoff_put right now, before its TTL runs out and whether or not it has been fetched. Requires the revoke_key returned by handoff_put — the person fetching with the short code cannot revoke, only the writer can. Use this the moment someone says they sent the wrong thing, or changed their mind. Revoking an already gone item is not an error: the outcome is reported as 'already_gone'.channel_openStart pairing two agents on different machines for a multi-round exchange (e.g. one explores, the other studies and asks follow-up questions). Use the local client at https://handover.tools/client/channel.py — do not call this by hand. The client generates a secret password locally, and this call returns only a 3-character nameplate; the person gives nameplate + password (8 letters) to the other machine. The server never sees the password, so it cannot impersonate either side (SPAKE2). The person stays in the loop: send only after they approve, fetch only when they ask. Counts as one write against the daily write quota.
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.
Aria Icons
{
"mcpServers": {
"aria-icons": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"aria-icons@latest"
]
}
}
}
Handover.tools
No confirmed install command for Handover.tools yet — follow the setup steps linked from its listing page rather than a guessed package name.
Frequently asked questions
Aria Icons is categorized under Developer Tools and uses a local stdio subprocess. Handover.tools belongs to Developer Tools and uses an install path we have not confirmed yet. Pick Aria Icons for developer tools work and Handover.tools for developer tools.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client. Handover.tools has no confirmed install command yet — follow its own setup instructions.
Aria Icons is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. Handover.tools is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add aria-icons and handover-tools as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Aria Icons has a quality signal of 49/100 (Fair) with 2 views, 0 installs and 87 GitHub stars. Handover.tools has 53/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.