Cairn vs Md Log MCP
A side-by-side look at the Cairn and Md Log MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Cairn for file systems work as a local process; choose Md Log MCP for file systems as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Cairn when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the File Systems domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
list_dir, get_file_tree, read_detail.
Choose Md Log MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the File Systems domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
MDLOG_API_BASE_URL. - You want tools like
upload_asset, append_to_markdown, edit_markdown.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | File Systems | File Systems |
| Quality signal | 59/100 · Good | 56/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | MDLOG_API_BASE_URL |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 2 | 3 |
| Directory activity | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 48 | 16 |
| Full listing | View Cairn | View Md Log MCP |
Tools & capabilities
Cairn tools 48
list_dirList files and folders directly under a workspace-relative directory.get_file_treeReturn the nested file/folder tree under a directory (default: whole workspace).read_detailRead a file. For .uni docs returns HTML content, flattened text, and tags; for text/.md files returns raw text plus any YAML frontmatter tags & metadata.search_filesFind files/folders whose name contains `query` (case-insensitive).grepSearch file contents for `pattern`; returns {path, line, text} matches.get_file_tagsReturn a document's tags — from a .uni's tags array or a text file's YAML frontmatter.get_tag_treeReturn {tag: [file paths]} aggregated across the workspace.find_by_metaFind documents whose metadata matches all `filters` (exact, not fuzzy). Reads .uni JSON fields and .md YAML frontmatter alike. Scalar fields match case-insensitively; `tags` (or any list field) matches when every requested value is present. Example: {"status": "to-read", "project": "amazon"}.list_tasksList tasks (documents with `category: task`), sorted by due date. A task is an ordinary frontmatter note with a lifecycle; this is the task view over it. `status` defaults to the open set (todo/doing/blocked) — pass "all" to include done, or a specific status / comma-separated list. `project` and `context` (e.g. "@errand") are exact case-insensitive filters; `due_before` (YYYY-MM-DD) keeps only tasks due before that date. Each result carries derived `overdue` and `today` flags relative to the current date.digest_workspaceReturn a token-efficient map of the workspace: one entry (title, date, tags, summary) per document, grouped by `folder`, `tag`, or a metadata field like `status`/`project`. Read this before loading individual files.list_templatesList available document templates (built-ins + workspace .cairn/templates).semantic_retrieveReturn the documents most relevant to `query`. Uses embeddings when an embedding endpoint is configured (env), else lexical scoring.- +36 more on the listing page
Md Log MCP tools 16
upload_assetUpload one image (reserve → presigned PUT → complete) and return an `asset://<key>` reference to embed as ``. Provide the image as **either** `data_base64` (inline base64) **or** `file_path` (a local file the server reads) — exactly one; with `file_path`, `filename` defaults to…append_to_markdownAppend to an existing file with optimistic concurrency (GET current → concat → conditional PUT with `base_version_no`). Auto-retries once on conflict, then surfaces `CONFLICT`. Accepts `commit_message` — a recommended 1-2 line change summary shown in the version history.edit_markdownChange PART of a file by exact literal replacement (read → apply → conditional PUT with `base_version_no`; auto-retries once on conflict, re-applying every edit). Pass several changes at once as **`edits: [{old_string, new_string, replace_all?}, …]`** (max 50, applied in order) — they land as **one…update_markdownReplace a file's ENTIRE content. Pass `expected_version` for optimistic concurrency (mismatch → `CONFLICT`); omit it to force LWW. Passing `expected_version` for a path that does **not** exist now returns `CONFLICT` (`detail.server_version_no` = `0`), not a silent create. For a partial change use `…restore_versionRoll a file back to an earlier `version_no` (from `list_versions`): that version's content becomes a NEW current version — history is immutable, so the rollback is itself undoable. Restoring the version the file is already on is an accepted no-op. Accepts `commit_message`.get_markdownRead a file's content by path (materializes inline content or a presigned content URL for large docs). Pass `version` (a `version_no` from `list_versions`) to read an old immutable version.list_versionsList a file's immutable version history, newest first (`version_no`, `commit_message`, author, `registered_at`, size).delete_markdownSoft-delete a file. Requires `confirm:true` (otherwise `VALIDATION`); resolves the path to a document key first.create_foldermkdir -p` — create every missing segment; already-existing folders count as success.list_foldersReturn the full folder tree.list_filesList the documents and immediate subfolders inside a folder path.search_markdownSearch by TITLE (substring) + BODY full-text (current versions; whole-word match, ranked, body hits include a snippet).- +4 more on 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.
Cairn
{
"mcpServers": {
"cairn-4": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"cairn-mcp-server"
]
}
}
}
Md Log MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"md-log-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"md-log-mcp"
],
"env": {
"MDLOG_API_BASE_URL": "YOUR_MDLOG_API_BASE_URL_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Cairn is categorized under File Systems and uses a local stdio subprocess. Md Log MCP belongs to File Systems and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Cairn for file systems work and Md Log MCP for file systems.
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.
Cairn has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Md Log MCP 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 cairn-4 and md-log-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Cairn has a quality signal of 59/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 2 GitHub stars. Md Log MCP has 56/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 3 GitHub stars.
