What is the key difference between MCP Cyclops and Awslabs MCP?

MCP Cyclops belongs to the Cloud Platforms category with local stdio execution, while Awslabs MCP belongs to the Cloud Platforms category with local stdio execution.

How do I install MCP Cyclops or Awslabs MCP in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are MCP Cyclops and Awslabs MCP free or paid?

MCP Cyclops operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). Awslabs MCP operates under a BYOK (Pay Provider Direct) model (API Key required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

MCP Cyclops lists 7 tools with 2 views and 30 GitHub stars. Awslabs MCP lists 5 tools with 1 views and 9,716 GitHub stars.

Can I use both MCP Cyclops and Awslabs MCP together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

MCP Cyclops vs Awslabs MCP

In-depth architectural comparison of the MCP Cyclops and Awslabs MCP 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.

At a Glance & Executive Verdict

MCP Cyclops

Cloud Platforms · Local stdio

Quality: 45/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required

Awslabs MCP

Cloud Platforms · Local stdio

Quality: 48/100 (Fair) | Auth: API Key required

Verdict Summary: Choose MCP Cyclops if you need specialized Cloud Platforms tools running via a local process. Choose Awslabs MCP if your workspace requires Cloud Platforms integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose MCP Cyclops when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Cloud Platforms domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
You have access to required keys: KUBECONFIG, CYCLOPS_KUBE_CONTEXT, CYCLOPS_MODULE_NAMESPACE, CYCLOPS_HELM_RELEASE_NAMESPACE, CYCLOPS_MODULE_TARGET_NAMESPACE.
Primary tools included: create_module, get_module, list_modules.

Explore MCP Cyclops Details

Choose Awslabs MCP when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Cloud Platforms domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (BYOK (Pay Provider Direct)).
You have access to required keys: AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID, AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY, AWS_REGION.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	MCP Cyclops cyclops-ui Cloud Platforms	Awslabs MCP awslabs Cloud Platforms
Summary	An MCP server that allows AI agents to manage Kubernetes resources through Cyclops abstraction	AWS MCP servers for seamless integration with AWS services and resources.
Category & Scope	Cloud Platforms

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

MCP Cyclops Tools (7)

create_module

Create new Module. Before calling this tool, make sure to call `get_template_schema` to validate values for the given template

get_module

Fetch Module by name

list_modules

List all Cyclops Modules

update_module

Update Module by Name. Before calling this tool, make sure to call `get_template_schema` to validate values for the given template

get_template_schema

Returns JSON schema for the given template. Needs to be checked before calling `create_module` tool

get_template_store

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).

MCP Cyclops Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cyclops-ui-mcp-cyclops": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "cyclops-ui-mcp-cyclops"
      ],
      "env": {
        "KUBECONFIG": "YOUR_KUBECONFIG_HERE",
        "CYCLOPS_KUBE_CONTEXT": "YOUR_CYCLOPS_KUBE_CONTEXT_HERE",
        "CYCLOPS_MODULE_NAMESPACE": "YOUR_CYCLOPS_MODULE_NAMESPACE_HERE",
        "CYCLOPS_HELM_RELEASE_NAMESPACE": "YOUR_CYCLOPS_HELM_RELEASE_NAMESPACE_HERE",
        "CYCLOPS_MODULE_TARGET_NAMESPACE": "YOUR_CYCLOPS_MODULE_TARGET_NAMESPACE_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Awslabs MCP Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "awslabs-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "awslabs.aws-api-mcp-server@latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID": "YOUR_AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID_HERE",
        "AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY": "YOUR_AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY_HERE",
        "AWS_REGION": "YOUR_AWS_REGION_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

MCP Cyclops is categorized under Cloud Platforms and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Awslabs MCP belongs to Cloud Platforms using local stdio subprocess. Select MCP Cyclops when you need capabilities focused on cloud platforms and Awslabs MCP when you require tools for cloud platforms.

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