Azure Boards MCP vs Azure DevOps (ADO)

In-depth architectural comparison of the Azure Boards MCP and Azure DevOps (ADO) 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.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Azure Boards MCP when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Cloud Platforms domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore Azure Boards MCP Details

A

Choose Azure DevOps (ADO) when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Cloud Platforms domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore Azure DevOps (ADO) Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Azure Boards MCP Cloud Platforms	A Azure DevOps (ADO) Cloud Platforms
Summary	Azure DevOps Boards work items over MCP (stdio). Requires Bun, org, project, and PAT.	The MCP server for Azure DevOps, bringing the power of Azure DevOps directly to your agents.
Category & Scope	Cloud Platforms	Cloud Platforms

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

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).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "azure-boards-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "azure-board-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "azure-devops-ado": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@azure-devops/mcp",
        "${input:ado_org}"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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