MCP Pointer vs Native DevTools

In-depth architectural comparison of the MCP Pointer and Native DevTools 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.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose MCP Pointer when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
• Primary tools included: Option+Click to select DOM elements in Chrome, Extracts text content, CSS classes, HTML attributes, position, and styling, Dynamic control of text detail and CSS styling levels per MCP call.

Explore MCP Pointer Details

N

Choose Native DevTools when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
• Primary tools included: android_list_devices, android_connect, android_disconnect.

Explore Native DevTools Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	MCP Pointer etsd-tech Developer Tools	N Native DevTools Developer Tools
Summary	Visual DOM element selector for agentic coding tools. Chrome extension + MCP server bridge for Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf etc. Option+Click to capture elements.	MCP server for desktop, browser (CDP), and Android automation. Screenshot, OCR, click, type.
Category & Scope	Developer Tools

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

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).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "etsd-tech-mcp-pointer": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@mcp-pointer/server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "native-devtools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "native-devtools-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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