Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison
MCP Grafana vs Byok Observability MCP
In-depth architectural comparison of the MCP Grafana and Byok Observability MCP 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
MCP Grafana
Monitoring · Local stdio
Quality: 68/100 (Great) | Auth: API Key required
Byok Observability MCP
Monitoring · Local stdio
Quality: 52/100 (Good) | Auth: API Key required
Verdict Summary: Choose MCP Grafana if you need specialized Monitoring tools running via a local process. Choose Byok Observability MCP if your workspace requires Monitoring integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's
mcpServers manifest.Which MCP Server Should You Choose?
Choose MCP Grafana when:
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Monitoring domain.
- You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
- Your security boundary fits: API Key required (Free / Open Source).
- You have access to required keys:
GRAFANA_URL, GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN. - Primary tools included: add_activity_to_incident, alerting_manage_routing, alerting_manage_rules.
Choose Byok Observability MCP when:
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Monitoring domain.
- You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
- Your security boundary fits: API Key required (Free / Open Source).
- You have access to required keys:
GRAFANA_URL, GRAFANA_TOKEN, PROMETHEUS_URL, KAFKA_UI_URL, DD_API_KEY, DD_APP_KEY.
Feature & Specification Comparison
Tools & Capabilities Breakdown
MCP Grafana Tools (65)
add_activity_to_incident
Add a note (userNote activity) to an existing incident's timeline using its ID. The note body can include URLs which will be attached as context. Use this to add context to an incident.
alerting_manage_routing
Manage Grafana alerting routing configuration, including notification policies, contact points and time intervals.
Notification policies define how alerts are grouped, routed, and which contact points receive them.
Time intervals define active/mute periods for alert notifications.
When to use:
- Understanding how alerts are routed to contact points/receivers
- Debugging why an alert went to a specific receiver
- Checking grouping, timing, or mute interval settings
When NOT to use:
- Checking alert rule configuration or state (use alerting_manage_rules)
alerting_manage_rules
Manage Grafana alert rules with full CRUD capabilities and filtering.
When to use:
- Understanding why an alert is or isn't firing
- Auditing alert rule configuration (queries, conditions, labels, notification settings)
- Finding alert rules by state, folder, group, or name
- Creating, updating, or deleting alert rules
- Comparing rule versions to see what changed
When NOT to use:
- Checking how alerts are routed to receivers (use alerting_manage_routing)
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).
MCP Grafana Configuration
Byok Observability MCP Configuration
Frequently Asked Questions
More alternatives to MCP GrafanaMore alternatives to Byok Observability MCPMonitoring category hubCanonical compare URL