Blacksmith vs REA
A side-by-side look at the Blacksmith and REA MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Blacksmith for developer tools work as a local process; choose REA 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 Blacksmith when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
BLACKSMITH_ORG, BLACKSMITH_SESSION_COOKIE. - You want tools like
list_orgs, get_org_status, list_runs.
Choose REA 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.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools | Developer Tools |
| Quality signal | 60/100 · Good | 56/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | No auth required |
| Pricing | Not declared | Free |
| Required env vars | BLACKSMITH_ORGBLACKSMITH_SESSION_COOKIE | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 6 | 385,218 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 15 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 21 | Not listed |
| Full listing | View Blacksmith | View REA |
Tools & capabilities
Blacksmith tools 21
list_orgsList all Blacksmith organizations accessible to your account. Use this first to see available orgs.get_org_statusGet the status of the current organization (personal org, onboarding, runner region).list_runsList workflow runs with filtering. Filter by status (success/failure/cancelled/skipped/in_progress), branch, workflow name, actor, or PR number. Example: list_runs(status="failure") to find failed runs.get_runGet details of a specific workflow run by ID. Includes list of jobs.list_jobsList all jobs for a specific workflow run. Use this to get job IDs for get_job, get_job_logs, and get_job_tests.get_jobGet details of a specific job including steps, runner info, and timing.get_job_logsGet the logs for a specific job. Returns raw log output.get_job_testsGet test results for a job. Optionally filter by status (pass/fail/skip).get_failed_testsGet failed tests for a job with full error details. Use error_lines param to control stack trace length. Returns all failures by default (no limit).get_failures_by_patternGroup failed tests by error pattern (e.g., "is not a function", "Cannot read properties"). Shows count, affected suites/files, and sample error for each pattern. Best for quickly identifying root causes.compare_test_runsCompare test failures between two runs to identify regressions. Shows new failures, fixed tests, and persistent failures. If base_run_id not provided, compares against most recent prior run.get_flaky_testsDetect flaky tests by analyzing pass/fail patterns across recent runs. Returns tests that fail intermittently (e.g., "failed 3 of 10 runs"). Killer feature for CI stability.- +9 more on the listing page
REA 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.
Blacksmith
{
"mcpServers": {
"blacksmith": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"blacksmith-mcp"
],
"env": {
"BLACKSMITH_ORG": "YOUR_BLACKSMITH_ORG_HERE",
"BLACKSMITH_SESSION_COOKIE": "YOUR_BLACKSMITH_SESSION_COOKIE_HERE"
}
}
}
}
REA
{
"mcpServers": {
"rea": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"rea-agents"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Blacksmith is categorized under Developer Tools and uses a local stdio subprocess. REA belongs to Developer Tools and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Blacksmith for developer tools work and REA 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.
Blacksmith has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. REA 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 blacksmith and rea as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Blacksmith has a quality signal of 60/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 6 GitHub stars. REA has 56/100 (Good) with 15 views, 0 installs and 385,218 GitHub stars.