Filesystem vs Nasa Cmr
A side-by-side look at the Filesystem and Nasa Cmr MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Filesystem for file systems work as a local process; choose Nasa Cmr for aerospace & astrodynamics as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Filesystem when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the File Systems domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You want tools like
path, head, tail.
Choose Nasa Cmr when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Aerospace & Astrodynamics domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
search_collections, get_collection, search_granules.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | File Systems | Aerospace & Astrodynamics |
| Quality signal | 85/100 · Excellent | 51/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | No auth required | Not declared |
| Pricing | Free | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Verified | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 91,540 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 11 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 17 | 3 |
| Full listing | View Filesystem | View Nasa Cmr |
Tools & capabilities
Filesystem tools 17
pathheadtailpathscontenteditsoldTextnewTextdryRunsortBysourcedestination- +5 more on the listing page
Nasa Cmr tools 3
search_collectionsSearch NASA's Common Metadata Repository for Earth-science dataset collections by keyword, platform (satellite/mission), instrument, time range, or bounding box. ~10k collections covering MODIS, Landsat, Sentinel, VIIRS, GPM, and every NASA DAAC. Sorted by usage. Keyless.get_collectionGet full metadata for one NASA Earth-science collection by its CMR concept ID — summary, DOI/landing page, spatial coverage, temporal range, and access links. Keyless.search_granulesList the individual data files (granules) of a NASA collection — newest first, with timestamps, file size, and direct download URLs. Filter by time range or bounding box. Keyless.
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.
Filesystem
{
"mcpServers": {
"filesystem": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem"
]
}
}
}
Nasa Cmr
{
"mcpServers": {
"nasa-cmr": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-nasa-cmr"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Filesystem is categorized under File Systems and uses a local stdio subprocess. Nasa Cmr belongs to Aerospace & Astrodynamics and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Filesystem for file systems work and Nasa Cmr for aerospace & astrodynamics.
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.
Filesystem is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. Nasa Cmr 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 filesystem and nasa-cmr as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Filesystem has a quality signal of 85/100 (Excellent) with 11 views, 0 installs and 91,540 GitHub stars. Nasa Cmr has 51/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.