Esa vs Skylight MCP
A side-by-side look at the Esa and Skylight MCP 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 Skylight MCP for workplace & productivity as a local process. 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 Skylight MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Workplace & Productivity domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: OAuth 2.0.
- You have the keys it needs:
SKYLIGHT_REFRESH_TOKEN, SKYLIGHT_EMAIL, SKYLIGHT_PASSWORD, SKYLIGHT_FRAME_ID, SKYLIGHT_APPLE_APP_PASSWORD, MCP_CONFIRM_MODE. - You want tools like
skylight_list_frames, skylight_get_frame, skylight_list_frame_members.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Workplace & Productivity | Workplace & Productivity |
| Quality signal | 67/100 · Great | 67/100 · Great |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | OAuth 2.0 |
| Pricing | Not declared | Free |
| Required env vars | ESA_ACCESS_TOKENLANG | SKYLIGHT_REFRESH_TOKENSKYLIGHT_EMAILSKYLIGHT_PASSWORDSKYLIGHT_FRAME_IDSKYLIGHT_APPLE_APP_PASSWORDMCP_CONFIRM_MODE |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 62 | 16 |
| Directory activity | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 22 | 114 |
| Full listing | View Esa | View Skylight MCP |
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
Skylight MCP tools 114
skylight_list_framesList Skylight frames (family hubs) on this account.skylight_get_frameGet one Skylight frame and its settings.skylight_list_frame_membersList members (frame_users) of a Skylight frame.skylight_list_devicesList physical devices attached to a Skylight frame.skylight_get_plus_accessGet Skylight Plus subscription / entitlement status.skylight_get_reward_pointsGet reward-point balances per family member (lifetime earned + current balance).skylight_get_household_configGet household configuration for the frame.skylight_set_device_albumSet which photo album a device displays.skylight_rename_deviceRename a Skylight device.skylight_update_frameUpdate Skylight frame display/sleep settings. Setting open_to_public:true makes the frame publicly reachable, so that one change asks the user to confirm first: a confirmation prompt where the client supports one; otherwise the first call returns a preview and a confirmToken, and only a repeat call with that token proceeds (see MCP_CONFIRM_MODE). Every other setting applies directly.skylight_rename_frameRename a Skylight frame.skylight_update_profileUpdate the frame profile (name, birthday).- +102 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.
Esa
{
"mcpServers": {
"esa": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@esaio/esa-mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"ESA_ACCESS_TOKEN": "YOUR_ESA_ACCESS_TOKEN_HERE",
"LANG": "YOUR_LANG_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Skylight MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"skylight-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"skylight-mcp"
],
"env": {
"SKYLIGHT_REFRESH_TOKEN": "YOUR_SKYLIGHT_REFRESH_TOKEN_HERE",
"SKYLIGHT_EMAIL": "YOUR_SKYLIGHT_EMAIL_HERE",
"SKYLIGHT_PASSWORD": "YOUR_SKYLIGHT_PASSWORD_HERE",
"SKYLIGHT_FRAME_ID": "YOUR_SKYLIGHT_FRAME_ID_HERE",
"SKYLIGHT_APPLE_APP_PASSWORD": "YOUR_SKYLIGHT_APPLE_APP_PASSWORD_HERE",
"MCP_CONFIRM_MODE": "YOUR_MCP_CONFIRM_MODE_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Esa is categorized under Workplace & Productivity and uses a local stdio subprocess. Skylight MCP belongs to Workplace & Productivity and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Esa for workplace & productivity work and Skylight MCP 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.
Esa has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Skylight MCP 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 esa and skylight-mcp 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. Skylight MCP has 67/100 (Great) with 2 views, 0 installs and 16 GitHub stars.