What is the key difference between MCP Apple Music and Ani MCP?

MCP Apple Music belongs to the Art & Culture category with local stdio execution, while Ani MCP belongs to the Art & Culture category with local stdio execution.

How do I install MCP Apple Music or Ani MCP in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are MCP Apple Music and Ani MCP free or paid?

MCP Apple Music operates under a BYOK (Pay Provider Direct) model (API Key required). Ani MCP operates under a Free / Open Source model (API Key required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

MCP Apple Music lists 5 tools with 2 views and 42 GitHub stars. Ani MCP lists 55 tools with 2 views and 3 GitHub stars.

Can I use both MCP Apple Music and Ani MCP together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

MCP Apple Music vs Ani MCP

In-depth architectural comparison of the MCP Apple Music and Ani MCP 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

MCP Apple Music

Art & Culture · Local stdio

Quality: 36/100 (Fair) | Auth: API Key required

Ani MCP

Art & Culture · Local stdio

Quality: 61/100 (Good) | Auth: API Key required

Verdict Summary: Choose MCP Apple Music if you need specialized Art & Culture tools running via a local process. Choose Ani MCP if your workspace requires Art & Culture integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose MCP Apple Music when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Art & Culture domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (BYOK (Pay Provider Direct)).
You have access to required keys: APPLE_TEAM_ID, APPLE_KEY_ID, APPLE_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH.
Primary tools included: Search Apple Music catalog and personal library, List library songs, albums, artists, and playlists, Create playlists and add tracks from catalog or library.

Explore MCP Apple Music Details

Choose Ani MCP when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Art & Culture domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (Free / Open Source).
You have access to required keys: ANILIST_USERNAME, ANILIST_TOKEN, ANILIST_TITLE_LANGUAGE, ANILIST_SCORE_FORMAT, ANILIST_NSFW, ANILIST_MOOD_CONFIG, MCP_TRANSPORT, MCP_PORT.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	MCP Apple Music Cifero74 Art & Culture	Ani MCP gavxm Art & Culture
Summary	Full Apple Music integration for Claude via MCP — search catalog, manage library & playlists	MCP server for AniList with taste-aware recommendations, watch analytics, social tools, and full list management.
Category & Scope	Art & Culture

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

MCP Apple Music Tools (5)

Search Apple Music catalog and personal library

List library songs, albums, artists, and playlists

Create playlists and add tracks from catalog or library

Get recently played items and personalized recommendations

Automatic developer token generation and secure user token storage

Ani MCP Tools (55)

anilist_search

Search for anime or manga by title with optional filters. Use when the user wants to find an anime/manga by name, discover titles in a genre, or find what aired in a specific year. Supports common abbreviations (aot, jjk, csm). Returns ranked list with title, format, year, score, genres, episode count, studios, and AniList URL.

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).

MCP Apple Music Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cifero74-mcp-apple-music": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "cifero74-mcp-apple-music"
      ],
      "env": {
        "APPLE_TEAM_ID": "YOUR_APPLE_TEAM_ID_HERE",
        "APPLE_KEY_ID": "YOUR_APPLE_KEY_ID_HERE",
        "APPLE_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH": "YOUR_APPLE_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Ani MCP Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gavxm-ani-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "ani-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ANILIST_USERNAME": "YOUR_ANILIST_USERNAME_HERE",
        "ANILIST_TOKEN": "YOUR_ANILIST_TOKEN_HERE",
        "ANILIST_TITLE_LANGUAGE": "YOUR_ANILIST_TITLE_LANGUAGE_HERE",
        "ANILIST_SCORE_FORMAT": "YOUR_ANILIST_SCORE_FORMAT_HERE",
        "ANILIST_NSFW": "YOUR_ANILIST_NSFW_HERE",
        "ANILIST_MOOD_CONFIG": "YOUR_ANILIST_MOOD_CONFIG_HERE",
        "MCP_TRANSPORT": "YOUR_MCP_TRANSPORT_HERE",
        "MCP_PORT": "YOUR_MCP_PORT_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

MCP Apple Music is categorized under Art & Culture and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Ani MCP belongs to Art & Culture using local stdio subprocess. Select MCP Apple Music when you need capabilities focused on art & culture and Ani MCP when you require tools for art & culture.

More alternatives to MCP Apple Music More alternatives to Ani MCP Art & Culture category hub