Substack MCP vs X MCP AI
A side-by-side look at the Substack MCP and X MCP AI MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Substack MCP for social media work as a local process; choose X MCP AI for social media as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Substack MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Social Media domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: other.
- You have the keys it needs:
SUBSTACK_PUBLICATION_URL, SUBSTACK_SESSION_TOKEN, SUBSTACK_USER_ID, SUBSTACK_MCP_HOME. - You want tools like
get_subscriber_count, list_published_posts, list_drafts.
Choose X MCP AI when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Social Media domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
X_MCP_AUTH_MODE, X_MCP_CLIENT_ID, X_MCP_CLIENT_SECRET, X_MCP_BEARER_TOKEN, X_MCP_TOKEN_FILE, X_MCP_POLICY, X_MCP_CREDIT_BUDGET, X_MCP_BUDGET_MODE.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Media | Social Media |
| Quality signal | 68/100 · Great | 44/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | other | Not declared |
| Pricing | Free | Not declared |
| Required env vars | SUBSTACK_PUBLICATION_URLSUBSTACK_SESSION_TOKENSUBSTACK_USER_IDSUBSTACK_MCP_HOME | X_MCP_AUTH_MODEX_MCP_CLIENT_IDX_MCP_CLIENT_SECRETX_MCP_BEARER_TOKENX_MCP_TOKEN_FILEX_MCP_POLICYX_MCP_CREDIT_BUDGETX_MCP_BUDGET_MODE |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 44 | 1 |
| Directory activity | 6 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 14 | Not listed |
| Full listing | View Substack MCP | View X MCP AI |
Tools & capabilities
Substack MCP tools 14
get_subscriber_countGet the current subscriber count for your Substack publication. Returns `precision`: 'exact' when the API reports a true count, 'approximate' when only Substack's rounded value is available (the real number is that or higher — render it hedged, e.g. '1,000+'), or 'unavailable' with count -1. Never treat an approximate value as exact.list_published_postsList published posts with pagination. Returns title, date, slug, and URL for each post.list_draftsList draft posts. Returns title, creation date, and audience for each draft.get_postGet the full content of a published post by ID. Returns title, body HTML, metadata.get_draftGet the full content of a draft post by ID. Returns title, body, metadata.get_post_commentsGet comments on a published post. Returns commenter name, comment body, date, and reaction counts.get_sectionsList your publication's sections (categories). Returns each section's id and name. Use a section id as `section_id` when creating or updating a draft to file it under that section.get_post_analyticsGet performance stats (views, emails sent/delivered/opened, signups, subscribes, estimated value, comments, reactions) for a published post by ID. Substack has no per-post stats endpoint, so this searches your 500 most recent published posts for the ID; returns a not-found note if it isn't among them.list_scheduled_postsList posts scheduled for future publication, soonest first. Read-only visibility into what's queued — scheduling itself is done in Substack's editor (this server does not schedule, publish, or delete long-form posts). Returns id, title, audience, and scheduled time (`trigger_at`).create_draftCreate a new draft post. Accepts markdown body which is converted to Substack's format. Does NOT publish — creates a draft only.update_draftUpdate an existing draft post. Only works on unpublished drafts. Accepts markdown body.upload_imageUpload an image to Substack's CDN. Provide exactly one of `image_base64` (a base64 data URI) or `image_path` (a local file path). Returns a hosted image URL that is publicly fetchable by anyone with the link (an unlisted asset — not attributed to you or added to your feed).- +2 more on the listing page
X MCP AI 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.
Substack MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"conorbronsdon-substack-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@conorbronsdon/substack-mcp"
],
"env": {
"SUBSTACK_PUBLICATION_URL": "YOUR_SUBSTACK_PUBLICATION_URL_HERE",
"SUBSTACK_SESSION_TOKEN": "YOUR_SUBSTACK_SESSION_TOKEN_HERE",
"SUBSTACK_USER_ID": "YOUR_SUBSTACK_USER_ID_HERE",
"SUBSTACK_MCP_HOME": "YOUR_SUBSTACK_MCP_HOME_HERE"
}
}
}
}
X MCP AI
{
"mcpServers": {
"x-mcp-ai": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"x-mcp-ai@0.8.0"
],
"env": {
"X_MCP_AUTH_MODE": "YOUR_X_MCP_AUTH_MODE_HERE",
"X_MCP_CLIENT_ID": "YOUR_X_MCP_CLIENT_ID_HERE",
"X_MCP_CLIENT_SECRET": "YOUR_X_MCP_CLIENT_SECRET_HERE",
"X_MCP_BEARER_TOKEN": "YOUR_X_MCP_BEARER_TOKEN_HERE",
"X_MCP_TOKEN_FILE": "YOUR_X_MCP_TOKEN_FILE_HERE",
"X_MCP_POLICY": "YOUR_X_MCP_POLICY_HERE",
"X_MCP_CREDIT_BUDGET": "YOUR_X_MCP_CREDIT_BUDGET_HERE",
"X_MCP_BUDGET_MODE": "YOUR_X_MCP_BUDGET_MODE_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Substack MCP is categorized under Social Media and uses a local stdio subprocess. X MCP AI belongs to Social Media and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Substack MCP for social media work and X MCP AI for social media.
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.
Substack MCP is listed as free. Auth: other. X MCP AI 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 conorbronsdon-substack-mcp and x-mcp-ai as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Substack MCP has a quality signal of 68/100 (Great) with 6 views, 0 installs and 44 GitHub stars. X MCP AI has 44/100 (Fair) with 0 views, 0 installs and 1 GitHub stars.