Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison
Cbioportal vs Interpro
In-depth architectural comparison of the Cbioportal and Interpro 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.
At a Glance & Executive Verdict
Cbioportal
Biology & Bioinformatics · Local stdio
Quality: 51/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required
Interpro
Biology & Bioinformatics · Local stdio
Quality: 53/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required
Verdict Summary: Choose Cbioportal if you need specialized Biology & Bioinformatics tools running via a local process. Choose Interpro if your workspace requires Biology & Bioinformatics integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's
mcpServers manifest.Which MCP Server Should You Choose?
Choose Cbioportal when:
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Biology & Bioinformatics domain.
- You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
- Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
- Primary tools included: search_studies, get_study, get_gene.
Choose Interpro when:
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Biology & Bioinformatics domain.
- You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
- Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
- Primary tools included: search_entries, get_entry, entries_for_protein.
Feature & Specification Comparison
Tools & Capabilities Breakdown
Cbioportal Tools (4)
search_studies
Search public cancer genomics studies in cBioPortal (TCGA, CPTAC, MSK, etc.) by keyword. Matches study name, study id, or cancer-type id (case-insensitive). Returns study ids, names, cancer types, and sample counts. Keyless, open data.
get_study
Get full details for one cBioPortal cancer study by its study id (e.g. "brca_tcga_pub", "glioma_mskcc_2019"), including description, cancer type, sample count, PMID, and citation.
get_gene
Resolve a gene to its Entrez gene id and canonical info via cBioPortal. Accepts a HUGO symbol (e.g. "TP53", "BRCA1") or an Entrez gene id. Returns entrez_gene_id, symbol, and type.
list_cancer_types
List cancer types defined in cBioPortal (id, display name, parent type). Useful for resolving cancer-type ids used by studies.
Interpro Tools (3)
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).
Cbioportal Configuration
Interpro Configuration