What is the key difference between Genai Toolbox and Midplane?

Genai Toolbox belongs to the Databases category with local stdio execution, while Midplane belongs to the Databases category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Genai Toolbox or Midplane 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 Midplane free or paid?

Genai Toolbox operates under a Free / Open Source model (API Key required). Midplane operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Genai Toolbox lists 6 tools with 4 views and 16,242 GitHub stars. Midplane lists 0 tools with 0 views and 4 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Genai Toolbox and Midplane 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 Midplane

In-depth architectural comparison of the Genai Toolbox and Midplane 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: API Key required

Midplane

Databases · Local stdio

Quality: 41/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required

Verdict Summary: Choose Genai Toolbox if you need specialized Databases tools running via a local process. Choose Midplane 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: API Key required (Free / Open Source).
You have access to required keys: DATABASE_URL, GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS, TOOLBOX_LOG_LEVEL, OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT, OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS.
Primary tools included: Prebuilt generic database tools for instant use, Custom tools framework for production-grade AI database tools, Supports structured queries, semantic search, and NL2SQL.

Explore Genai Toolbox Details

Choose Midplane 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 Midplane Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Genai Toolbox googleapis Databases	M Midplane Databases
Summary	Open source MCP server specializing in easy, fast, and secure tools for Databases.	Safe-by-default SQL guardrails for AI agents: AST-checked queries, per-table policy, audit log.
Category & Scope	Databases	Databases

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Genai Toolbox Tools (6)

Prebuilt generic database tools for instant use

Custom tools framework for production-grade AI database tools

Supports structured queries, semantic search, and NL2SQL

Connection pooling and integrated IAM authentication

End-to-end observability with OpenTelemetry metrics and tracing

SDKs available for Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Go, and Java

Midplane Tools (0)

No explicit tool names declared in metadata yet. Check project README on main listing page.

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"
      ],
      "env": {
        "DATABASE_URL": "YOUR_DATABASE_URL_HERE",
        "GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS": "YOUR_GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS_HERE",
        "TOOLBOX_LOG_LEVEL": "YOUR_TOOLBOX_LOG_LEVEL_HERE",
        "OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT": "YOUR_OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT_HERE",
        "OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS": "YOUR_OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Midplane Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

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

Frequently Asked Questions

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

More alternatives to Genai Toolbox More alternatives to Midplane Databases category hub