Galaxy MCP vs Medplum MCP
A side-by-side look at the Galaxy MCP and Medplum MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Galaxy MCP for biology & bioinformatics work as a local process; choose Medplum MCP for biology & bioinformatics. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Galaxy MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Biology & Bioinformatics domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
connect, search_tools_by_name, get_tool_details.
Choose Medplum MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Biology & Bioinformatics domain.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Biology & Bioinformatics | Biology & Bioinformatics |
| Quality signal | 61/100 · Good | 41/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Not confirmed yet |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | — |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 39 | 2,760 |
| Directory activity | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 48 | Not listed |
| Full listing | View Galaxy MCP | View Medplum MCP |
Tools & capabilities
Galaxy MCP tools 48
connectConnect to Galaxy serversearch_tools_by_nameSearch Galaxy tools whose name, ID, or description contains the given query (substring match). Results are paginated. pagination.total_items is how many tools matched in total; pagination.next_offset is where the next page starts (None on the last page). RECOMMENDED WORKFLOW: 1. Use this function to find tools by name/keyword 2. Review the returned tool IDs and names 3. Call get_tool_details(tool_id) for full input parameters 4. Call run_tool() with the correct inputsget_tool_detailsGet detailed information about a specific tool including its input parameters. RECOMMENDED WORKFLOW: 1. First find tools using search_tools_by_name() or get_tool_panel() 2. Call this function with io_details=True to see all input parameters 3. Use the inputs schema to construct the inputs dict for run_tool()get_tool_run_examplesReturn the exact XML test definitions (inputs, outputs, assertions, required files) for a Galaxy tool so an LLM can study real, working run configurations.get_tool_input_templateReturn a ready-to-fill ``inputs`` skeleton for a tool, plus a compact schema. Call this before run_tool when you are unsure how to shape ``inputs``. Replace placeholders (e.g. ``<dataset_id>``) with real values. Repeats show one instance (``name_0|...``); duplicate with ``name_1|...`` to add more. The flattened-key convention is ``section|param``, ``cond|selector``, ``repeat_0|param``.get_tool_citationsGet citation information for a specific toolrun_toolRun a Galaxy tool on datasets in a history. RECOMMENDED WORKFLOW: 1. Create or select a history: create_history() or get_histories() 2. Upload data: upload_file() or upload_file_from_url() 3. Get tool parameters: get_tool_details(tool_id, io_details=True) 4. Call this function with properly formatted inputs 5. Monitor job: get_job_details() or check history contentsget_tool_panelBrowse the Galaxy tool panel (toolbox) one level at a time. The whole panel is megabytes on a production server, so it is never returned whole. Called with no arguments this lists the top-level entries - each section with the number of tools in it, plus any tools that sit outside a section. Pass section_id to list the tools in one section.create_historyCreate a new history to organize datasets and analyses. A history is the primary workspace in Galaxy. Create a new history for each distinct project or analysis to keep your work organized. RECOMMENDED WORKFLOW: 1. Create a history with a descriptive name 2. Upload your input data: upload_file() or upload_file_from_url() 3. Run tools on the data: run_tool() 4. View results: get_history_contents()update_historyUpdate an existing Galaxy history's metadata. Any combination of name, annotation, tags, deleted, and published can be updated in a single call. Fields left as None are not modified.search_tools_by_keywordsRecommend Galaxy tools based on a list of keywords. Matches on name and description first, then on accepted input formats, and keeps that order so paging is stable. Results are paginated: pagination.total_items is the full match count, pagination.next_offset is where the next page starts. Expensive: finding the format matches costs one detail lookup per tool that did not match by name, and every page repeats the whole scan. Prefer search_tools_by_name when a name or description substring will do.get_server_infoGet Galaxy server information including version, URL, and configuration details Also reports which tools this server is too old to run, in `unsupported_tools`, and whether its version could be read at all, in `version_known` -- an empty `unsupported_tools` means nothing is ruled out only when `version_known` is true. Returns: GalaxyResult with server information in data field- +36 more on the listing page
Medplum MCP tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
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.
Galaxy MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"galaxy-mcp": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"galaxy-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Medplum MCP
No confirmed install command for Medplum MCP yet — follow the setup steps linked from its listing page rather than a guessed package name.