What is the key difference between Genai Toolbox and MCP Server Bigquery?

Genai Toolbox belongs to the Databases category with local stdio execution, while MCP Server Bigquery belongs to the Databases category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Genai Toolbox or MCP Server Bigquery 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 Genai Toolbox and MCP Server Bigquery free or paid?

Genai Toolbox operates under a Free / Open Source model (other). MCP Server Bigquery operates under a BYOK (Pay Provider Direct) model (API Key required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Genai Toolbox lists 6 tools with 5 views and 16,408 GitHub stars. MCP Server Bigquery lists 3 tools with 1 views and 130 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Genai Toolbox and MCP Server Bigquery 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

Genai Toolbox vs MCP Server Bigquery

In-depth architectural comparison of the Genai Toolbox and MCP Server Bigquery 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

Genai Toolbox

Databases · Local stdio

Quality: 56/100 (Good) | Auth: other

MCP Server Bigquery

Databases · Local stdio

Quality: 53/100 (Good) | Auth: API Key required

Verdict Summary: Choose Genai Toolbox if you need specialized Databases tools running via a local process. Choose MCP Server Bigquery if your workspace requires Databases integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Genai Toolbox when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Databases domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: other (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: Prebuilt database tools, Custom YAML-defined tools, Multi-database source support.

Explore Genai Toolbox Details

Choose MCP Server Bigquery when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Databases domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (BYOK (Pay Provider Direct)).
You have access to required keys: BIGQUERY_PROJECT, BIGQUERY_LOCATION, BIGQUERY_DATASETS, BIGQUERY_KEY_FILE, BIGQUERY_TIMEOUT.
Primary tools included: execute-query, list-tables, describe-table.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Genai Toolbox googleapis Databases	MCP Server Bigquery LucasHild Databases
Summary	Open source MCP server specializing in easy, fast, and secure tools for Databases.	BigQuery database integration with schema inspection and query capabilities
Category & Scope	Databases

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Genai Toolbox Tools (6)

Prebuilt database tools

Custom YAML-defined tools

Multi-database source support

Toolset-based capability selection

IAM authentication and connection pooling

OpenTelemetry metrics and tracing

MCP Server Bigquery Tools (3)

execute-query

Executes a SQL query using BigQuery dialect

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).

Genai Toolbox Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "googleapis-genai-toolbox": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@toolbox-sdk/server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

MCP Server Bigquery Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "lucashild-mcp-server-bigquery": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "lucashild-mcp-server-bigquery"
      ],
      "env": {
        "BIGQUERY_PROJECT": "YOUR_BIGQUERY_PROJECT_HERE",
        "BIGQUERY_LOCATION": "YOUR_BIGQUERY_LOCATION_HERE",
        "BIGQUERY_DATASETS": "YOUR_BIGQUERY_DATASETS_HERE",
        "BIGQUERY_KEY_FILE": "YOUR_BIGQUERY_KEY_FILE_HERE",
        "BIGQUERY_TIMEOUT": "YOUR_BIGQUERY_TIMEOUT_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Genai Toolbox is categorized under Databases and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, MCP Server Bigquery belongs to Databases using local stdio subprocess. Select Genai Toolbox when you need capabilities focused on databases and MCP Server Bigquery when you require tools for databases.

More alternatives to Genai Toolbox More alternatives to MCP Server Bigquery Databases category hub