A side-by-side look at the Claude Task Master and SpecStream MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Claude Task Master for developer tools work as a local process; choose SpecStream for developer tools as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, OPENAI_API_KEY, GOOGLE_API_KEY, PERPLEXITY_API_KEY, XAI_API_KEY, OPENROUTER_API_KEY, MISTRAL_API_KEY, TASK_MASTER_TOOLS.SPECSTREAM_API_KEY.Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools | Developer Tools |
| Quality signal | 61/100 · Good | 36/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | API key required | Not declared |
| Pricing | BYOK (pay the provider) | Not declared |
| Required env vars | ANTHROPIC_API_KEYOPENAI_API_KEYGOOGLE_API_KEYPERPLEXITY_API_KEYXAI_API_KEYOPENROUTER_API_KEYMISTRAL_API_KEYTASK_MASTER_TOOLS | SPECSTREAM_API_KEY |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 28,227 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 9 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | Not listed | Not listed |
| Full listing | View Claude Task Master | View SpecStream |
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
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.
{
"mcpServers": {
"eyaltoledano-claude-task-master": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"task-master-ai"
],
"env": {
"ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "YOUR_ANTHROPIC_API_KEY_HERE",
"OPENAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENAI_API_KEY_HERE",
"GOOGLE_API_KEY": "YOUR_GOOGLE_API_KEY_HERE",
"PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "YOUR_PERPLEXITY_API_KEY_HERE",
"XAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_XAI_API_KEY_HERE",
"OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENROUTER_API_KEY_HERE",
"MISTRAL_API_KEY": "YOUR_MISTRAL_API_KEY_HERE",
"TASK_MASTER_TOOLS": "YOUR_TASK_MASTER_TOOLS_HERE"
}
}
}
}
{
"mcpServers": {
"specstream": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"specstream-mcp-stdio"
],
"env": {
"SPECSTREAM_API_KEY": "YOUR_SPECSTREAM_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}