A side-by-side look at the Clinicaltrialsgov MCP Server and Cms MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Clinicaltrialsgov MCP Server for biology & bioinformatics work as a local process; choose Cms for biology & bioinformatics as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
clinicaltrials_search_studies, clinicaltrials_get_study_record, clinicaltrials_get_study_count.search_datasets, get_dataset, dataset_info.Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Biology & Bioinformatics | Biology & Bioinformatics |
| Quality signal | 63/100 · Good | 56/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | No auth required | No auth required |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 99 | 1 |
| Directory activity | 3 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 7 | 3 |
| Full listing | View Clinicaltrialsgov MCP Server | View Cms |
clinicaltrials_search_studiesSearch studies with full-text and field-specific queries, status/phase/geographic filters, pagination, sorting, and field selectionclinicaltrials_get_study_recordFetch a single study by NCT ID — full protocol record with optional location/outcome/reference capsclinicaltrials_get_study_countFast total study count for a query, without fetching dataclinicaltrials_get_field_valuesDiscover valid values for API fields, with per-value study countsclinicaltrials_get_field_definitionsResolve valid field names — keyword search, path drill-down, or top-level overviewclinicaltrials_get_study_resultsFetch posted results — outcomes, adverse events, participant flow, baseline — for completed studiesclinicaltrials_find_eligibleMatch patient demographics and conditions to candidate recruiting trials, without checking inclusion/exclusion criteriasearch_datasetsFind CMS dataset IDs + titles by keyword. CMS publishes Medicare/Medicaid open data (provider data, spending, enrollment, drug pricing, quality measures, hospitals, nursing homes, ACOs, etc.). Searches the CMS DCAT catalog client-side over each dataset title/description/keywords. Returns the datase…get_datasetPull rows from a CMS dataset by datasetId (UUID from search_datasets). Returns an array of row objects whose keys are the dataset columns. Supports paging (size/offset), full-text keyword search across the dataset, and exact-match column filters via filters: {COLUMN: VALUE} (column names match the…dataset_infoMetadata for a CMS dataset by datasetId: title, description, total row count, last-modified date, themes/keywords, and downloadable resources (CSV files, data dictionaries). Use after search_datasets to inspect a dataset before pulling rows.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.
{
"mcpServers": {
"clinicaltrialsgov-mcp-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"clinicaltrialsgov-mcp-server"
]
}
}
}
{
"mcpServers": {
"cms-3": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-cms"
]
}
}
}