Codealive MCP vs Xdebug

In-depth architectural comparison of the Codealive MCP and Xdebug 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 Xdebug 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 Xdebug Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Codealive MCP Developer Tools	Xdebug Developer Tools
Summary	Semantic code search and analysis from CodeAlive for AI assistants and agents.	MCP server for PHP Xdebug debugging with breakpoints, stepping, and variable inspection
Category & Scope	Developer Tools	Developer Tools
Quality signal

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": {
    "xdebug": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "xdebug-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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