Genai Toolbox vs Mako

In-depth architectural comparison of the Genai Toolbox and Mako 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.

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 Mako when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Databases domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore Mako Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Genai Toolbox googleapis Databases	Mako Databases
Summary	Open source MCP server specializing in easy, fast, and secure tools for Databases.	Explore your databases, validate SQL, and build & publish data apps in your Mako workspace.
Category & Scope	Databases	Databases

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

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).

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mako": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mako"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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