Filesystem vs Openaq
A side-by-side look at the Filesystem and Openaq 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 Openaq for environment & nature 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 Openaq when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Environment & Nature domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
air_quality_near, find_stations, get_latest.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | File Systems | Environment & Nature |
| Quality signal | 85/100 · Excellent | 55/100 · 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 | 91,512 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 9 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 17 | 4 |
| Full listing | View Filesystem | View Openaq |
Tools & capabilities
Filesystem tools 17
pathheadtailpathscontenteditsoldTextnewTextdryRunsortBysourcedestination- +5 more on the listing page
Openaq tools 4
air_quality_nearGet the latest air-quality readings (PM2.5, PM10, O3, NO2, SO2, CO, etc.) at the monitoring station NEAREST to a latitude/longitude. PREFER for "air quality near me", "what is the air quality at <coordinates>", "is the air bad in <place> right now". Returns the nearest station with its most recent pollutant values, plus other nearby stations.find_stationsFind OpenAQ air-quality monitoring stations by location: a city or place name, coordinates+radius (nearest first), a country (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code), or a bounding box. Returns station id, name, country, coordinates, and the pollutants each measures (with sensor ids), plus resolved_place echoing the coordinates a city name resolved to. This is the first step for a historical series: find the station here, then pass its sensor_id to get_measurements. At least one location argument is required — the tool will not return an unfiltered global list.get_latestGet the latest reading for every pollutant at a specific OpenAQ station (by location id from find_stations). Returns each parameter (PM2.5, O3, NO2, etc.) with its value, units, and measurement time.get_measurementsGet the most recent time series (hourly or daily aggregates) for a single OpenAQ sensor (sensor id from find_stations), newest first. Use for pollutant trends over time at one station/parameter. Returns the sensor's LAST `limit` readings — note that many OpenAQ sensors are archived and stopped reporting years ago, so "most recent" can legitimately be several years old: always read the returned timestamps rather than assuming the data is current. Use find_stations or get_latest to pick a sensor that is still reporting.
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"
]
}
}
}
Openaq
{
"mcpServers": {
"openaq": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-openaq"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Filesystem is categorized under File Systems and uses a local stdio subprocess. Openaq belongs to Environment & Nature and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Filesystem for file systems work and Openaq for environment & nature.
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. Openaq 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 openaq 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 9 views, 0 installs and 91,512 GitHub stars. Openaq has 55/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.