Codex Subagent vs Baton
A side-by-side look at the Codex Subagent and Baton MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
C
Codex SubagentCoding Agents · Local subprocess (stdio)Delegate coding tasks to the OpenAI Codex CLI, installed separately, with explicit model and effort.52GoodAuth: not declaredVerdict: choose Codex Subagent for coding agents work as a local process; choose Baton 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?
CChoose Codex Subagent when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Coding Agents domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
codex_doctor, list_codex_models, codex_recommend.
Choose Baton when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Coding Agents domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | C Codex Subagent | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Coding Agents | Coding Agents |
| Quality signal | 52/100 · Good | 45/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | BYOK (pay the provider) | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing |
Tools & capabilities
Codex Subagent tools 8
codex_doctorCheck the Codex CLI installation and report how to fix it; opt in with `extended: true` for a slow, networked `config.load` report.list_codex_modelsList available models and their reasoning-effort levels.codex_recommendSuggest a model and effort for a described task.codex_delegateRun a task, blocking or in the background, optionally returning JSON that matches a schema.codex_follow_upContinue a previous delegation using its `thread_id`, with or without a schema.codex_job_statusCheck a background delegation.codex_job_resultRead a finished background delegation's output.codex_job_cancelStop a running background delegation.
Baton tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
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 Subagent
{
"mcpServers": {
"codex-subagent": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"codex-subagent-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Baton
{
"mcpServers": {
"baton-2": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@kasabeh/baton-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Codex Subagent is categorized under Coding Agents and uses a local stdio subprocess. Baton belongs to Coding Agents and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Codex Subagent for coding agents work and Baton 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 Subagent is bring-your-own-key: usage is billed by the API provider you supply a key for. Baton has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. 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-subagent and baton-2 as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Codex Subagent has a quality signal of 52/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Baton has 45/100 (Fair) with 1 views, 0 installs and 27 GitHub stars.
