Codex Delegate vs Openclaw MCP
A side-by-side look at the Codex Delegate and Openclaw MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Codex Delegate for coding agents work as a local process; choose Openclaw MCP for coding agents as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Codex Delegate when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Coding Agents domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
delegate, cancel, doctor.
Choose Openclaw MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Coding Agents domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
OPENCLAW_URL, OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN, OPENCLAW_AGENT_ID, OPENCLAW_MODEL, OPENCLAW_TIMEOUT_MS, AUTH_ENABLED, MCP_CLIENT_ID, MCP_CLIENT_SECRET. - You want tools like
openclaw_chat, openclaw_status, openclaw_chat_async.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Coding Agents | Coding Agents |
| Quality signal | 63/100 · Good | 68/100 · Great |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | API key required |
| Pricing | Not declared | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | OPENCLAW_URLOPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKENOPENCLAW_AGENT_IDOPENCLAW_MODELOPENCLAW_TIMEOUT_MSAUTH_ENABLEDMCP_CLIENT_IDMCP_CLIENT_SECRET |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 2 | 188 |
| Directory activity | 4 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 8 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 3 | 7 |
| Full listing | View Codex Delegate | View Openclaw MCP |
Tools & capabilities
Codex Delegate tools 3
delegateDelegate a coding task to OpenAI Codex. Never run codex from the shell — use this tool. Check status before trusting result — a run that spawns then fails returns normally. Keep model, reasoningEffort and fast at their defaults unless the user asks. See the delegate skill.cancelCancel active runs. delegationId selects one (announced in progress before spawn — the only handle if a run wedges at startup), threadId all on its thread, neither all. Waits for settlement; if a process tree survives the kill deadline, it still returns and the delegate result warns. Status: cancelled, nothing-active, or not-found (no active run with this ID).doctorDiagnose plugin/CLI/login, recursion, and workspace (default: server cwd). deep adds no-quota help and model-catalog checks.
Openclaw MCP tools 7
openclaw_chatSend a message to OpenClaw and get a responseopenclaw_statusGet OpenClaw gateway status and health informationopenclaw_chat_asyncSend a message to OpenClaw asynchronously. Returns a task_id immediately that can be polled for results. Use this for potentially long-running conversations.openclaw_task_statusCheck the status of an async task. Returns status, and result if completed.openclaw_task_listList all tasks. Optionally filter by status, session, or instance.openclaw_task_cancelCancel a pending task. Only works for tasks that haven't started yet.openclaw_instancesList all configured OpenClaw instances. Shows instance names, URLs, and which is the default. Use instance names in other tools to target a specific OpenClaw gateway.
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.
Codex Delegate
{
"mcpServers": {
"codex-delegate": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"codex-delegate-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Openclaw MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"freema-openclaw-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"openclaw-mcp"
],
"env": {
"OPENCLAW_URL": "YOUR_OPENCLAW_URL_HERE",
"OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN": "YOUR_OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN_HERE",
"OPENCLAW_AGENT_ID": "YOUR_OPENCLAW_AGENT_ID_HERE",
"OPENCLAW_MODEL": "YOUR_OPENCLAW_MODEL_HERE",
"OPENCLAW_TIMEOUT_MS": "YOUR_OPENCLAW_TIMEOUT_MS_HERE",
"AUTH_ENABLED": "YOUR_AUTH_ENABLED_HERE",
"MCP_CLIENT_ID": "YOUR_MCP_CLIENT_ID_HERE",
"MCP_CLIENT_SECRET": "YOUR_MCP_CLIENT_SECRET_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Codex Delegate is categorized under Coding Agents and uses a local stdio subprocess. Openclaw MCP belongs to Coding Agents and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Codex Delegate for coding agents work and Openclaw MCP for coding agents.
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.
Codex Delegate has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Openclaw MCP is listed as free. Auth: api key required. 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 codex-delegate and freema-openclaw-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Codex Delegate has a quality signal of 63/100 (Good) with 4 views, 0 installs and 2 GitHub stars. Openclaw MCP has 68/100 (Great) with 8 views, 0 installs and 188 GitHub stars.