What is the key difference between Openclaw MCP and Claude MCP Bridge?

Openclaw MCP belongs to the Coding Agents category with local stdio execution, while Claude MCP Bridge belongs to the Coding Agents category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Openclaw MCP or Claude MCP Bridge in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are Openclaw MCP and Claude MCP Bridge free or paid?

Openclaw MCP operates under a Free / Open Source model (API Key required). Claude MCP Bridge operates under a BYOK (Pay Provider Direct) model (other).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Openclaw MCP lists 7 tools with 3 views and 184 GitHub stars. Claude MCP Bridge lists 5 tools with 4 views and 6 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Openclaw MCP and Claude MCP Bridge together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

Openclaw MCP vs Claude MCP Bridge

In-depth architectural comparison of the Openclaw MCP and Claude MCP Bridge 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.

At a Glance & Executive Verdict

Openclaw MCP

Coding Agents · Local stdio

Quality: 64/100 (Good) | Auth: API Key required

Claude MCP Bridge

Coding Agents · Local stdio

Quality: 64/100 (Good) | Auth: other

Verdict Summary: Choose Openclaw MCP if you need specialized Coding Agents tools running via a local process. Choose Claude MCP Bridge if your workspace requires Coding Agents integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Openclaw MCP when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Coding Agents domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (Free / Open Source).
You have access to required keys: OPENCLAW_URL, OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN, OPENCLAW_AGENT_ID, OPENCLAW_MODEL, OPENCLAW_TIMEOUT_MS, AUTH_ENABLED, MCP_CLIENT_ID, MCP_CLIENT_SECRET.
Primary tools included: openclaw_chat, openclaw_status, openclaw_chat_async.

Explore Openclaw MCP Details

Choose Claude MCP Bridge when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Coding Agents domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: other (BYOK (Pay Provider Direct)).
Primary tools included: query, structured, search.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Openclaw MCP freema Coding Agents	Claude MCP Bridge hampsterx Coding Agents
Summary
Category & Scope	Coding Agents	Coding Agents
Quality signal

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Openclaw MCP Tools (7)

openclaw_chat

Send a message to OpenClaw and get a response

openclaw_status

Get OpenClaw gateway status and health information

openclaw_chat_async

Send a message to OpenClaw asynchronously. Returns a task_id immediately that can be polled for results. Use this for potentially long-running conversations.

openclaw_task_status

Check the status of an async task. Returns status, and result if completed.

openclaw_task_list

List all tasks. Optionally filter by status, session, or instance.

openclaw_task_cancel

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).

Openclaw MCP Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "freema-openclaw-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "openclaw-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "OPENCLAW_URL": "YOUR_OPENCLAW_URL_HERE",
        "OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN": "YOUR_OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN_HERE",
        "OPENCLAW_AGENT_ID": "YOUR_OPENCLAW_AGENT_ID_HERE",
        "OPENCLAW_MODEL": "YOUR_OPENCLAW_MODEL_HERE",
        "OPENCLAW_TIMEOUT_MS": "YOUR_OPENCLAW_TIMEOUT_MS_HERE",
        "AUTH_ENABLED": "YOUR_AUTH_ENABLED_HERE",
        "MCP_CLIENT_ID": "YOUR_MCP_CLIENT_ID_HERE",
        "MCP_CLIENT_SECRET": "YOUR_MCP_CLIENT_SECRET_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude MCP Bridge Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "hampsterx-claude-mcp-bridge": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "claude-mcp-bridge"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Openclaw MCP is categorized under Coding Agents and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Claude MCP Bridge belongs to Coding Agents using local stdio subprocess. Select Openclaw MCP when you need capabilities focused on coding agents and Claude MCP Bridge when you require tools for coding agents.

More alternatives to Openclaw MCP More alternatives to Claude MCP Bridge Coding Agents category hub