Codealive MCP vs Smithsonian MCP Server

In-depth architectural comparison of the Codealive MCP and Smithsonian MCP Server 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.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Codealive MCP when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore Codealive MCP Details

Choose Smithsonian MCP Server when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore Smithsonian MCP Server Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Codealive MCP Developer Tools	Smithsonian MCP Server Developer Tools
Summary	Semantic code search and analysis from CodeAlive for AI assistants and agents.	Search 19.4M Smithsonian Open Access objects, get CC0 images, find cross-collection connections.
Category & Scope	Developer Tools	Developer Tools

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

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).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "codealive-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "skills"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "smithsonian-mcp-server": {
      "command": "bunx",
      "args": [
        "@cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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