Audiobookshelf vs UI Beats
A side-by-side look at the Audiobookshelf and UI Beats MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Audiobookshelf for developer tools work; choose UI Beats for developer tools as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Audiobookshelf when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
- You have the keys it needs:
AUDIOBOOKSHELF_URL, AUDIOBOOKSHELF_TOKEN. - You want tools like
list_libraries, search_library, list_library_items.
Choose UI Beats when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools | Developer Tools |
| Quality signal | 41/100 · Fair | 49/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Not confirmed yet | Confirmed |
| Transport | — | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | AUDIOBOOKSHELF_URLAUDIOBOOKSHELF_TOKEN | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 1 | 234 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 12 | Not listed |
| Full listing | View Audiobookshelf | View UI Beats |
Tools & capabilities
Audiobookshelf tools 12
list_librariesList all librariessearch_librarySearch by title, author, or narratorlist_library_itemsList items with paginationget_itemGet detailed info about an audiobook or podcastget_items_in_progressGet currently listening items with progressget_listening_statsTotal listening time and daily breakdownget_listening_sessionsRecent listening sessionsget_media_progressProgress for a specific itemlist_seriesList all series in a libraryget_seriesGet series details with booksget_authorGet author details with bookslist_collectionsList collections in a library
UI Beats 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.
Audiobookshelf
No confirmed install command for Audiobookshelf yet — follow the setup steps linked from its listing page rather than a guessed package name.
UI Beats
{
"mcpServers": {
"ui-beats": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"shadcn@latest"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Audiobookshelf is categorized under Developer Tools and uses an install path we have not confirmed yet. UI Beats belongs to Developer Tools and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Audiobookshelf for developer tools work and UI Beats 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. Audiobookshelf has no confirmed install command yet — follow its own setup instructions.
Audiobookshelf has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. UI Beats has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. 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 audiobookshelf-2 and ui-beats as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Audiobookshelf has a quality signal of 41/100 (Fair) with 0 views, 0 installs and 1 GitHub stars. UI Beats has 49/100 (Fair) with 0 views, 0 installs and 234 GitHub stars.