Esa vs MCP Server
A side-by-side look at the Esa and MCP Server MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Esa for workplace & productivity work as a local process; choose MCP Server for workplace & productivity. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Esa when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Workplace & Productivity domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
ESA_ACCESS_TOKEN, LANG. - You want tools like
esa_get_teams, esa_get_team_stats, esa_get_team_tags.
Choose MCP Server when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Workplace & Productivity domain.
- You have the keys it needs:
CONVO_API_KEY. - You want tools like
meetings.list, meetings.get_transcript, meetings.get_summary.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Workplace & Productivity | Workplace & Productivity |
| Quality signal | 67/100 · Great | 41/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Not confirmed yet |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | — |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | ESA_ACCESS_TOKENLANG | CONVO_API_KEY |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 62 | 1 |
| Directory activity | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 22 | 12 |
| Full listing | View Esa | View MCP Server |
Tools & capabilities
Esa tools 22
esa_get_teamsRetrieves a list of esa teams that the user has access to.esa_get_team_statsRetrieves team statistics including member count, posts count (total/WIP/shipped), comments, stars, watches, and daily/weekly/monthly active usersesa_get_team_tagsRetrieves all tags used in posts within a team, along with the count of posts for each tagesa_get_team_membersRetrieves all members of a team with their roles and profile informationesa_get_postRetrieves a specific post from an esa team by post number, with optional comments included.esa_search_postsSearch for posts in esa.ioesa_create_postCreates a new post in an esa team with optional tags, category, and WIP status.esa_update_postUpdates an existing post in an esa team by post number. You can update the title, content, tags, category, and WIP status. To ship a post (mark as complete), set wip to false - this is preferred over using esa_ship_post when updating other fields simultaneously.esa_get_commentRetrieves a specific comment by comment ID, with optional stargazers included.esa_create_commentCreates a new comment on an existing post in an esa team.esa_update_commentUpdates an existing comment in an esa team by comment ID.esa_delete_commentDeletes a comment from an esa team by comment ID.- +10 more on the listing page
MCP Server tools 12
meetings.listList and search your meetingsmeetings.get_transcriptGet full meeting transcriptmeetings.get_summaryGet key points, decisions, action itemsmeetings.get_feedbackGet coaching feedback and scoresmeetings.askAsk any question about a meetingmeetings.draft_emailGenerate a follow-up emailmeetings.shareCreate a shareable meeting linkcalendar.upcomingView upcoming calendar eventsaccount.infoCheck your plan and API usageintelligence.prepareGet a briefing from all past meetings with a person or companyintelligence.weekly_digestConsolidated digest of all meetings over a time periodintelligence.find_action_itemsFind all action items across meetings, filter by owner
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.
Esa
{
"mcpServers": {
"esa": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@esaio/esa-mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"ESA_ACCESS_TOKEN": "YOUR_ESA_ACCESS_TOKEN_HERE",
"LANG": "YOUR_LANG_HERE"
}
}
}
}
MCP Server
No confirmed install command for MCP Server yet — follow the setup steps linked from its listing page rather than a guessed package name.
Frequently asked questions
Esa is categorized under Workplace & Productivity and uses a local stdio subprocess. MCP Server belongs to Workplace & Productivity and uses an install path we have not confirmed yet. Pick Esa for workplace & productivity work and MCP Server for workplace & productivity.
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. MCP Server has no confirmed install command yet — follow its own setup instructions.
Esa has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. MCP Server 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 esa and mcp-server-128 as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Esa has a quality signal of 67/100 (Great) with 2 views, 0 installs and 62 GitHub stars. MCP Server has 41/100 (Fair) with 1 views, 0 installs and 1 GitHub stars.