Carbon vs Hands for Agents
A side-by-side look at the Carbon and Hands for Agents MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
C
CarbonIndustrial & IoTOpen-source manufacturing ERP, MES and QMS. Quoting, MRP, inventory, shop floor, quality and lot/serial traceability on one Postgres schema, with a REST API and MCP server. Self-host or use Carbon Cloud.51GoodAuth: not declaredVerdict: choose Carbon for industrial & iot work; choose Hands for Agents for industrial & iot as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
CChoose Carbon when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Industrial & IoT domain.
- You have the keys it needs:
CARBON_API_KEY.
Choose Hands for Agents when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Industrial & IoT domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
list_services, request_quote, create_task.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | C Carbon | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Industrial & IoT | Industrial & IoT |
| Quality signal | 51/100 · Good | 55/100 · Good |
| Install command | Not confirmed yet | Confirmed |
| Transport | — | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Free | Not declared |
| Required env vars | CARBON_API_KEY | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 2,737 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | Not listed | 5 |
| Full listing | View Carbon | View Hands for Agents |
Tools & capabilities
Carbon tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Hands for Agents tools 5
list_servicesThe seven services, the refused categories, seven example prices, the payment rules and the key contract terms. Byte for byte the same document as `/services.json`.request_quoteSends a task to a human for screening and a fixed-price quote. Not an order, not binding, nothing charged. Returns `quote_id`, `access_token`, `response_due_at` and `nda_url`. A human answers within 24 hours.create_taskAccepts a quote and the terms of service. Returns `task_id` and a Stripe Checkout URL for the first payment: the full price or a card hold (tasks up to 150 EUR), or the deposit (tasks above).get_statusReads a quote or a task back: the quote with its payment schedule or the refusal reason, later the task status, payments, evidence files and tracking numbers, and the Checkout URL for the balance when it is due.confirm_deliveryaccepted=true` closes the task; `accepted=false` with a reason opens a dispute, answered by a human within 2 business days. Without either, the task counts as accepted 7 days after delivery.
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.
Carbon
No confirmed install command for Carbon yet — follow the setup steps linked from its listing page rather than a guessed package name.
Hands for Agents
{
"mcpServers": {
"hands-for-agents": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"handsforagents-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Carbon is categorized under Industrial & IoT and uses an install path we have not confirmed yet. Hands for Agents belongs to Industrial & IoT and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Carbon for industrial & iot work and Hands for Agents for industrial & iot.
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. Carbon has no confirmed install command yet — follow its own setup instructions.
Carbon is listed as free. Hands for Agents 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 carbon-2 and hands-for-agents as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Carbon has a quality signal of 51/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 2,737 GitHub stars. Hands for Agents has 55/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.