MCP Pointer vs Ui Annotator MCP
A side-by-side look at the MCP Pointer and Ui Annotator MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose MCP Pointer for browser automation work as a local process; choose Ui Annotator MCP for browser automation as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose MCP Pointer when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Browser Automation domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
Choose Ui Annotator MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Browser Automation domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You have the keys it needs:
UI_ANNOTATOR_PORT. - You want tools like
annotate, get_elements, highlight_element.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Browser Automation | Browser Automation |
| Quality signal | 56/100 · Good | 60/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | No auth required | No auth required |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | UI_ANNOTATOR_PORT |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 597 | 21 |
| Directory activity | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | Not listed | 5 |
| Full listing | View MCP Pointer | View Ui Annotator MCP |
Tools & capabilities
MCP Pointer tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Ui Annotator MCP tools 5
annotateOpen a web page with hover annotations. Returns a proxy URL that adds interactive element labels to any page. User opens this URL in any browser to see annotations on hover.get_elementsGet all UI elements detected on the currently annotated page. Returns element names, CSS selectors, positions, and sizes. Use this to understand what the user is referring to when they describe a UI element.highlight_elementBriefly flash-highlight a specific element on the page so the user can see which element you are referring to. Useful for confirming "do you mean this element?"rescan_elementsForce the annotated page to rescan all UI elements. Use this after the page content has changed (e.g. after navigation, DOM updates, or user interaction).inspect_modeToggle inspect mode on the annotated page. When ON, the user can click any element to copy its name. When OFF, the page behaves normally. Use this to help the user copy element names for communicating design changes.
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.
MCP Pointer
{
"mcpServers": {
"etsd-tech-mcp-pointer": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@mcp-pointer/server"
]
}
}
}
Ui Annotator MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcpware-ui-annotator-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@mcpware/ui-annotator"
],
"env": {
"UI_ANNOTATOR_PORT": "YOUR_UI_ANNOTATOR_PORT_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
MCP Pointer is categorized under Browser Automation and uses a local stdio subprocess. Ui Annotator MCP belongs to Browser Automation and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick MCP Pointer for browser automation work and Ui Annotator MCP for browser automation.
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 Pointer is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. Ui Annotator MCP 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 etsd-tech-mcp-pointer and mcpware-ui-annotator-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, MCP Pointer has a quality signal of 56/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 597 GitHub stars. Ui Annotator MCP has 60/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 21 GitHub stars.