Consult MCP vs DesktopCommanderMCP
A side-by-side look at the Consult MCP and DesktopCommanderMCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Consult MCP for coding agents work as a local process; choose DesktopCommanderMCP 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 Consult MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Coding Agents domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You want tools like
agent, model, effort.
Choose DesktopCommanderMCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Coding Agents domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Coding Agents | Coding Agents |
| Quality signal | 61/100 · Good | 56/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | No auth required | No auth required |
| Pricing | Not declared | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 1 | 10,105 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 3 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 5 | Not listed |
| Full listing | View Consult MCP | View DesktopCommanderMCP |
Tools & capabilities
Consult MCP tools 5
agent`claude`, `codex`, `grok` or `agy` (Antigravity, Gemini models).modelpassed through to that CLI (`opus`, `gpt-6-astra`, `grok-4.7`, `gemini-3.1-pro-high`, …). Omit it to use the CLI's default.effort`low`, `medium` or `high`.session_idcontinues an earlier conversation with the same advisor.cwdthe directory the advisor can read. Defaults to the directory the host agent started the server in, which is normally its repo.
DesktopCommanderMCP 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.
Consult MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"consult-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"consult-mcp@latest"
]
}
}
}
DesktopCommanderMCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"wonderwhy-er-desktopcommandermcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander@latest"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Consult MCP is categorized under Coding Agents and uses a local stdio subprocess. DesktopCommanderMCP belongs to Coding Agents and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Consult MCP for coding agents work and DesktopCommanderMCP 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.
Consult MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Auth: no auth required. DesktopCommanderMCP is listed as free. Auth: no auth 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 consult-mcp and wonderwhy-er-desktopcommandermcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Consult MCP has a quality signal of 61/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 1 GitHub stars. DesktopCommanderMCP has 56/100 (Good) with 3 views, 0 installs and 10,105 GitHub stars.