ChemCP vs Ebi Ols

A side-by-side look at the ChemCP and Ebi Ols MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.

ChemCP logoChemCPBiology & Bioinformatics · Local subprocess (stdio)MCP App that renders 2D molecular structures from SMILES using RDKit.js40FairAuth: not declaredEbi Ols logoEbi OlsBiology & Bioinformatics · Local subprocess (stdio)EBI Ontology Lookup Service — 250+ biomedical ontologies59GoodAuth: not declared

Verdict: choose ChemCP for biology & bioinformatics work as a local process; choose Ebi Ols for biology & bioinformatics as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.

Which MCP server should you choose?

ChemCP logoChoose ChemCP when

  • You need dedicated capabilities in the Biology & Bioinformatics domain.
  • You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
Explore ChemCP

Ebi Ols logoChoose Ebi Ols when

  • You need dedicated capabilities in the Biology & Bioinformatics domain.
  • You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
  • You want tools like list_ontologies, get_ontology, search.
Explore Ebi Ols

Feature & specification comparison

Rows where the two servers differ are marked.

SpecChemCP logoChemCPEbi Ols logoEbi Ols
CategoryBiology & BioinformaticsBiology & Bioinformatics
Quality signal40/100 · Fair59/100 · Good
Install commandConfirmedConfirmed
TransportLocal subprocess (stdio)Local subprocess (stdio)
AuthNot declaredNot declared
PricingNot declaredNot declared
Required env varsNone listedNone listed
Verified ownerCommunity listingCommunity listing
GitHub stars20
Directory activity 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes
ToolsNot listed6

Tools & capabilities

ChemCP tools

No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.

Ebi Ols tools 6

  • list_ontologiesEMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service (OLS4) — page through every biomedical ontology loaded into OLS, such as GO, EFO, MONDO, ChEBI, HPO and UBERON. Returns each ontology's id, title, description, term count, version and status, with size/page controls. Answers which biomedical ontologies are searchable here and what the short id for one is.
  • get_ontologyOntology metadata by id (e.g. "efo", "mondo", "go").
  • searchFull-text search across all ontologies (or one).
  • get_termTerm details. Pass either iri, short_form, or obo_id (the latter two require ontology).
  • term_ancestorsTransitive ancestors of a term.
  • term_childrenDirect children of a term.

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.

ChemCP

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chemcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "cloudflared"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Ebi Ols

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ebi-ols": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@pipeworx/mcp-ebi-ols"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Frequently asked questions

ChemCP is categorized under Biology & Bioinformatics and uses a local stdio subprocess. Ebi Ols belongs to Biology & Bioinformatics and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick ChemCP for biology & bioinformatics work and Ebi Ols for biology & bioinformatics.

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.

ChemCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Ebi Ols 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 chemcp and ebi-ols as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.

On AllMCPs, ChemCP has a quality signal of 40/100 (Fair) with 1 views, 0 installs and 2 GitHub stars. Ebi Ols has 59/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.