Openclaw MCP vs Ocular
A side-by-side look at the Openclaw MCP and Ocular MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Openclaw MCP for coding agents work as a local process; choose Ocular for coding agents as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Openclaw MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Coding Agents domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
OPENCLAW_URL, OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN, OPENCLAW_AGENT_ID, OPENCLAW_MODEL, OPENCLAW_TIMEOUT_MS, AUTH_ENABLED, MCP_CLIENT_ID, MCP_CLIENT_SECRET. - You want tools like
openclaw_chat, openclaw_status, openclaw_chat_async.
Choose Ocular when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Coding Agents domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
OCULAR_BASE_URL, OCULAR_API_KEY, OCULAR_MODEL. - You want tools like
analyze_image, extract_text_from_image, analyze_ui_screenshot.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Coding Agents | Coding Agents |
| Quality signal | 68/100 · Great | 60/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | API key required | Not declared |
| Pricing | Free | Not declared |
| Required env vars | OPENCLAW_URLOPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKENOPENCLAW_AGENT_IDOPENCLAW_MODELOPENCLAW_TIMEOUT_MSAUTH_ENABLEDMCP_CLIENT_IDMCP_CLIENT_SECRET | OCULAR_BASE_URLOCULAR_API_KEYOCULAR_MODEL |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 188 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 8 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 7 | 8 |
| Full listing | View Openclaw MCP | View Ocular |
Tools & capabilities
Openclaw MCP tools 7
openclaw_chatSend a message to OpenClaw and get a responseopenclaw_statusGet OpenClaw gateway status and health informationopenclaw_chat_asyncSend 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_statusCheck the status of an async task. Returns status, and result if completed.openclaw_task_listList all tasks. Optionally filter by status, session, or instance.openclaw_task_cancelCancel a pending task. Only works for tasks that haven't started yet.openclaw_instancesList all configured OpenClaw instances. Shows instance names, URLs, and which is the default. Use instance names in other tools to target a specific OpenClaw gateway.
Ocular tools 8
analyze_imageAnalyze a general image and return structured JSON for a coding agent.extract_text_from_imageExtract OCR text from screenshots, documents, tables, terminal output, or code images.analyze_ui_screenshotAnalyze a webpage, app, UI, or design mockup screenshot for frontend implementation work.diagnose_error_screenshotAnalyze error, terminal, console, browser, or build failure screenshots.compare_ui_screenshotsCompare two UI screenshots and return implementation-useful visual differences.extract_table_from_imageExtract visible table data from an image as structured JSON, Markdown, or CSV-oriented output.analyze_chart_imageAnalyze a chart image and return labels, trends, approximate values, and limitations.create_upload_sessionReturns upload instructions for the binary side channel (use this to analyze LOCAL image files without base64 corruption). Before uploading, verify the local file exists and is non-empty with Bash (e.g. `ls -la <path>` or `test -f <path> && stat -c %s <path>`). Then PUT the raw bytes to the returned upload_url with curl --data-binary (NOT base64); the response gives a file_id to pass to any vision tool. Stateless -- call once to learn the endpoint.
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.
Openclaw MCP
{
"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"
}
}
}
}
Ocular
{
"mcpServers": {
"ocular": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"ocular-mcp"
],
"env": {
"OCULAR_BASE_URL": "YOUR_OCULAR_BASE_URL_HERE",
"OCULAR_API_KEY": "YOUR_OCULAR_API_KEY_HERE",
"OCULAR_MODEL": "YOUR_OCULAR_MODEL_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Openclaw MCP is categorized under Coding Agents and uses a local stdio subprocess. Ocular belongs to Coding Agents and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Openclaw MCP for coding agents work and Ocular for coding agents.
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.
Openclaw MCP is listed as free. Auth: api key required. Ocular 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 freema-openclaw-mcp and ocular as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Openclaw MCP has a quality signal of 68/100 (Great) with 8 views, 0 installs and 188 GitHub stars. Ocular has 60/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.