Discourse MCP vs Ethora MCP Cli
A side-by-side look at the Discourse MCP and Ethora MCP Cli MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Discourse MCP for communication work as a local process; choose Ethora MCP Cli for communication as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Discourse MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Communication domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You want tools like
discourse_select_site, discourse_search, discourse_filter_topics.
Choose Ethora MCP Cli when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Communication domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: OAuth 2.0.
- You have the keys it needs:
ETHORA_API_URL, ETHORA_APP_JWT, ETHORA_B2B_TOKEN, ETHORA_MCP_TRANSPORT, ETHORA_MCP_AUTH_ISSUER. - You want tools like
ethora-status, ethora-help, ethora-app-select.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Communication | Communication |
| Quality signal | 87/100 · Excellent | 65/100 · Great |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | API key required | OAuth 2.0 |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | ETHORA_API_URLETHORA_APP_JWTETHORA_B2B_TOKENETHORA_MCP_TRANSPORTETHORA_MCP_AUTH_ISSUER |
| Verified owner | Verified | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 77 | 6 |
| Directory activity | 5 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 16 | 24 |
| Full listing | View Discourse MCP | View Ethora MCP Cli |
Tools & capabilities
Discourse MCP tools 16
discourse_select_siteValidate and select a Discourse site. Returns JSON with site URL and title.discourse_searchSearch site content. Returns JSON object with results array of matching topics (id, slug, title) and meta (total, has_more).discourse_filter_topicsDiscover topics through a filtered, top, or hot view. Filtered uses Discourse TopicsFilter syntax; top uses Discourse's authoritative top score and defaults to weekly; hot is defined exactly as daily top (not sentiment, controversy, or real-time velocity). Returns a uniform rich topic projection and truthful pagination metadata.discourse_read_topicRead topic metadata and posts. Large post limits can require multiple upstream requests. For moderation queues, prefer reviewable list/detail evidence instead of fanning this tool out across flagged topics.discourse_read_postRead a specific post. Returns JSON with id, topic_id, post_number, username, created_at, and raw content.discourse_read_topic_postsRead exact, earliest, latest, around-post, or username-filtered topic evidence. Selection is bounded to 50 posts and reports the visible stream size without claiming the entire topic was loaded.discourse_search_postsSearch post-level evidence with Discourse query syntax. Unlike discourse_search, this preserves matched posts, highlighted blurbs, authors, topics, categories, and truthful bounded continuation. This is keyword search, not Discourse AI semantic search.discourse_get_userGet user info. Returns JSON with id, username, name, trust_level, created_at, bio, admin, and moderator.discourse_list_user_postsGet paginated list of user posts/replies. Returns JSON object with posts array (id, topic_id, post_number, slug, title, created_at, excerpt, category_id) and meta (page, limit, has_more).discourse_list_usersList users via admin API. Requires admin API key. Returns ~100 users per page (Discourse's fixed page size). Returns JSON with users array and pagination meta.discourse_get_chat_messagesGet messages from a chat channel. Returns JSON object with channel_id, messages array (id, username, created_at, message, edited, thread_id, in_reply_to_id), and meta.discourse_get_draftRetrieve a specific draft by key. Returns JSON with draft_key, sequence, and parsed data (title, reply, categoryId, tags, action).- +4 more on the listing page
Ethora MCP Cli tools 24
ethora-statusReport the current Ethora MCP session state: configured API URL, active auth mode, which credentials are present (booleans like `hasAppJwt` — values never echoed), the selected appId/agentId, and `hosted`/`sessionId` on the hosted (Streamable HTTP) server. Auth: none required. Errors: effectively none. Related: `ethora-doctor` for an active connectivity check.ethora-helpTask-oriented orientation for this MCP server: explains the three Ethora auth modes (user / app-token / B2B) and recommends next tool calls + recipes based on current session state. Auth: none required — inspects state, no API calls. Errors: effectively none. Related: pass a recommended recipe id to `ethora-recipe-run`.ethora-app-selectSet the current app context for this session so app-scoped tools can omit their `appId` argument. Stores `currentAppId` and, if given, `appToken` (which defaults the auth mode to app-token unless `authMode` overrides). Auth: none required to set the context. Errors: effectively none — a non-existent `appId` is not validated here; the first app-scoped API call surfaces the 404. Related: pairs with `ethora-auth-mode-set`.ethora-source-site-crawl-waitCrawl a website URL and wait for the crawl to finish: enqueues the job, then polls it until it reports `completed` or `failed`. Returns `{ done, status, jobId, polls, durationMs, result }`; `done: false` with a `note` means the budget ran out while the job was still running (it usually finishes server-side anyway). Requires: a selected app (`ethora-app-select`) or an explicit `appId`. Auth: app-token mode OR B2B mode with an explicit `appId`. Errors: 401/403 wrong auth; 400 malformed `url`; 504/timeout if it takes longer than `timeoutMs` (the job may still complete server-side — check with `ethora-source-site-list`).ethora-source-doc-uploadUpload documents (1–5; PDF, text, etc.) into an app's RAG sources (app-token / B2B variant of `ethora-source-doc-upload-legacy`). Async — content becomes queryable once indexing finishes; files passed as base64, 50MB max each. Requires: a selected app (`ethora-app-select`) or an explicit `appId`. Auth: app-token mode OR B2B mode with an explicit `appId`. Errors: 401/403 wrong auth; 404 unknown `appId`; 413 too large; 422 unsupported document type. Related: `ethora-source-doc-list`, `ethora-source-doc-delete`.ethora-user-loginAuthenticate as an existing Ethora user with email + password. Stores the user session token in this MCP session and unlocks user-auth tools (`ethora-app-list`, `ethora-files-*`, `ethora-wallet-*`). Auth: user-auth mode (`ethora-auth-mode-set` first) and a configured `appJwt`. Errors: 401/403 bad credentials; 404 email not registered; 429 per-IP rate limit — retry with backoff.ethora-user-registerCreate a new Ethora user account by email + first/last name, then log in and bind the session. A password is generated when omitted and returned once. By default also mints a long-lived API key so an agent can reconnect later with `Authorization: Bearer <key>` (no human step needed). Auth: user-auth mode and a configured `appJwt` (on a hosted server this is preset). Errors: 401 no `appJwt`; 422 email already registered or password shorter than 6 chars; 429 rate limited. Related: bulk provisioning uses `ethora-user-batch-create`.ethora-api-key-createMint a long-lived, revocable API key for the currently logged-in user. The key is a user token: send it as `Authorization: Bearer <key>` to the hosted MCP endpoint (or set it in the stdio client) to skip `ethora-user-login`. Shown once. Auth: user auth (logged in). Errors: 401 not logged in; 404 on backends without API key support.ethora-feedback-submitSend feedback about Ethora to the Ethora team: something that does not work, behaves differently from what the tool description promised, is missing, or is badly documented. It reaches the team directly, so prefer it over guessing or silently giving up when a tool fails. Recent failures in this session (tool, error code, request id) are attached automatically when `includeRecentErrors` is true, which is what makes a report from here more useful than a web form: the team can join it to the server-side log. Works whether or not you are signed in, so a problem that blocks sign-up can still be reported. Do not put credentials, API keys or end-user personal data in `message`; credential-shaped values in the attached context are redacted before sending. Requires: nothing. Auth: none. Works anonymously; when the session is authenticated the report is attributed to that account. Errors: 422 if `message` is shorter than 5 characters or looks like spam; 429 if too many reports were sent from this address.ethora-widget-snippet-getGenerate the <script> tag that embeds the Ethora AI chat widget (the floating launcher + chat panel that website visitors use) for an app, plus the prerequisites that must hold before it answers. No API call; pure generator using this deployment's hosted widget URL and public API base. The widget answers with the app's ACTIVE bot: for API-created apps run `ethora-agent-create` -> `ethora-agent-invite` -> `ethora-agent-activate { agentId, chatJid }` first, otherwise `POST /v2/widget/sessions` returns 422 and the widget stays silent. Requires: an activated agent on the app (`ethora-agent-activate`); without it the widget opens but never answers. Auth: none required (uses the selected app when `appId` is omitted). Errors: effectively none; when no hosted widget is configured the snippet carries a `<WIDGET_URL>` placeholder. Related: `ethora-agent-activate`, `ethora-bot-widget-get` (legacy per-app bot only).ethora-app-listList all Ethora apps (tenants) owned by the currently logged-in user. Returns an array with `appId` (24-char hex), `displayName`, `domainName`, ownership and bot-status metadata. Credential fields (appSecret, tenantSecret, appToken, passwords) are redacted in the result; call `ethora-app-credentials-reveal { appId, confirm: true }` to reveal an app's appToken. Auth: user-auth mode, active session (`ethora-user-login` first). Errors: 401 not logged in; empty list if the user owns no apps. Related: feed `appId` into `ethora-app-update` / `ethora-app-select`.ethora-app-createCreate a new Ethora app (tenant) owned by the currently logged-in user. Allocates a fresh 24-char hex `appId` and sets the caller as owner; counts against the owner's plan limit. Returns the new app object including `appId`. The returned app has its credential fields redacted; call `ethora-app-credentials-reveal { appId, confirm: true }` when a snippet needs the appToken. Auth: user-auth mode, active session (`ethora-user-login` first). Errors: 401 not logged in; 402/403 plan limit reached; 422 invalid `displayName`. Related: server-side provisioning uses `ethora-b2b-app-create`.- +12 more on 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.
Discourse MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"discourse-discourse-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@discourse/mcp@latest"
]
}
}
}
Ethora MCP Cli
{
"mcpServers": {
"ethora-mcp-cli": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@ethora/mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"ETHORA_API_URL": "YOUR_ETHORA_API_URL_HERE",
"ETHORA_APP_JWT": "YOUR_ETHORA_APP_JWT_HERE",
"ETHORA_B2B_TOKEN": "YOUR_ETHORA_B2B_TOKEN_HERE",
"ETHORA_MCP_TRANSPORT": "YOUR_ETHORA_MCP_TRANSPORT_HERE",
"ETHORA_MCP_AUTH_ISSUER": "YOUR_ETHORA_MCP_AUTH_ISSUER_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Discourse MCP is categorized under Communication and uses a local stdio subprocess. Ethora MCP Cli belongs to Communication and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Discourse MCP for communication work and Ethora MCP Cli for communication.
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.
Discourse MCP is listed as free. Auth: api key required. Ethora MCP Cli is listed as free. Auth: oauth 2.0. 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 discourse-discourse-mcp and ethora-mcp-cli as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Discourse MCP has a quality signal of 87/100 (Excellent) with 5 views, 0 installs and 77 GitHub stars. Ethora MCP Cli has 65/100 (Great) with 2 views, 0 installs and 6 GitHub stars.