Campfire SMS vs Discourse MCP
A side-by-side look at the Campfire SMS and Discourse MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Campfire SMS for communication work as a local process; choose Discourse MCP for communication as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Campfire SMS when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Communication domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
CAMPFIRE_API_URL, CAMPFIRE_CREDENTIAL, CAMPFIRE_CONFIG_PATH, CAMPFIRE_BRIDGE_STATE_PATH. - You want tools like
campfire_open_bridge, campfire_send_message, campfire_check_messages.
Choose Discourse MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Communication domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You want tools like
discourse_select_site, discourse_search, discourse_filter_topics.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Communication | Communication |
| Quality signal | 82/100 · Excellent | 87/100 · Excellent |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | API key required | API key required |
| Pricing | Freemium | Free |
| Required env vars | CAMPFIRE_API_URLCAMPFIRE_CREDENTIALCAMPFIRE_CONFIG_PATHCAMPFIRE_BRIDGE_STATE_PATH | None listed |
| Verified owner | Verified | Verified |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 77 |
| Directory activity | 5 views 1 installs 0 upvotes | 5 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 5 | 16 |
| Full listing | View Campfire SMS | View Discourse MCP |
Tools & capabilities
Campfire SMS tools 5
campfire_open_bridgeOpen (or reuse) an SMS bridge to your verified phonecampfire_send_messageSend you a textcampfire_check_messagesRetrieve your pending replies (they repeat until acknowledged)campfire_ackAcknowledge message IDs after handling themcampfire_close_bridgeClose the bridge when the session is done
Discourse MCP tools 16
discourse_select_siteValidate and select a Discourse site. Returns JSON with site URL and title.discourse_searchSearch site content. Returns JSON object with results array of matching topics (id, slug, title) and meta (total, has_more).discourse_filter_topicsDiscover topics through a filtered, top, or hot view. Filtered uses Discourse TopicsFilter syntax; top uses Discourse's authoritative top score and defaults to weekly; hot is defined exactly as daily top (not sentiment, controversy, or real-time velocity). Returns a uniform rich topic projection and truthful pagination metadata.discourse_read_topicRead topic metadata and posts. Large post limits can require multiple upstream requests. For moderation queues, prefer reviewable list/detail evidence instead of fanning this tool out across flagged topics.discourse_read_postRead a specific post. Returns JSON with id, topic_id, post_number, username, created_at, and raw content.discourse_read_topic_postsRead exact, earliest, latest, around-post, or username-filtered topic evidence. Selection is bounded to 50 posts and reports the visible stream size without claiming the entire topic was loaded.discourse_search_postsSearch post-level evidence with Discourse query syntax. Unlike discourse_search, this preserves matched posts, highlighted blurbs, authors, topics, categories, and truthful bounded continuation. This is keyword search, not Discourse AI semantic search.discourse_get_userGet user info. Returns JSON with id, username, name, trust_level, created_at, bio, admin, and moderator.discourse_list_user_postsGet paginated list of user posts/replies. Returns JSON object with posts array (id, topic_id, post_number, slug, title, created_at, excerpt, category_id) and meta (page, limit, has_more).discourse_list_usersList users via admin API. Requires admin API key. Returns ~100 users per page (Discourse's fixed page size). Returns JSON with users array and pagination meta.discourse_get_chat_messagesGet messages from a chat channel. Returns JSON object with channel_id, messages array (id, username, created_at, message, edited, thread_id, in_reply_to_id), and meta.discourse_get_draftRetrieve a specific draft by key. Returns JSON with draft_key, sequence, and parsed data (title, reply, categoryId, tags, action).- +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.
Campfire SMS
{
"mcpServers": {
"campfire-sms": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@campfiresms/setup"
],
"env": {
"CAMPFIRE_API_URL": "YOUR_CAMPFIRE_API_URL_HERE",
"CAMPFIRE_CREDENTIAL": "YOUR_CAMPFIRE_CREDENTIAL_HERE",
"CAMPFIRE_CONFIG_PATH": "YOUR_CAMPFIRE_CONFIG_PATH_HERE",
"CAMPFIRE_BRIDGE_STATE_PATH": "YOUR_CAMPFIRE_BRIDGE_STATE_PATH_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Discourse MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"discourse-discourse-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@discourse/mcp@latest"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Campfire SMS is categorized under Communication and uses a local stdio subprocess. Discourse MCP belongs to Communication and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Campfire SMS for communication work and Discourse MCP for communication.
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.
Campfire SMS is listed as freemium — a free tier with paid plans. Auth: api key required. Discourse MCP is listed as free. Auth: api key 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 campfire-sms and discourse-discourse-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Campfire SMS has a quality signal of 82/100 (Excellent) with 5 views, 1 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Discourse MCP has 87/100 (Excellent) with 5 views, 0 installs and 77 GitHub stars.