What is the key difference between Mcp Grafana and Retro?

Mcp Grafana belongs to the Monitoring category with local stdio execution, while Retro belongs to the Monitoring category with cloud HTTP/SSE execution.

How do I install Mcp Grafana or Retro 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 Mcp Grafana and Retro free or paid?

Mcp Grafana operates under a BYOK (Pay Provider Direct) model (API Key required). Retro operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Mcp Grafana lists 65 tools with 3 views and 3,330 GitHub stars. Retro lists 0 tools with 0 views and 0 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Mcp Grafana and Retro 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.

How do I install Mcp Grafana or Retro in Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf?

Both servers follow the standard Model Context Protocol configuration format. Simply copy the JSON block from the configuration section above and paste it into your AI client's mcpServers configuration object (for instance in claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json ), then completely restart or refresh the application.

Are Mcp Grafana and Retro free to use, or do they require API keys?

Mcp Grafana is listed under a BYOK (Pay Provider Direct) model with API Key required . Retro operates under a Free / Open Source model with No auth required . If environment variables are required (such as API keys), be sure to define them under the env key in your MCP client's configuration file.

Can I run both Mcp Grafana and Retro at the same time in my AI client?

Yes! MCP clients support multi-server orchestration. You can include both grafana-mcp-grafana and retro as distinct keys inside the single mcpServers object in your configuration file. Your AI assistant will automatically select and call the appropriate tool from either server during chat sessions.

Which MCP server has higher directory engagement and quality ratings?

On AllMCPs, Mcp Grafana has a Quality Score of 68 /100 ( Great ) with 3 views, 0 installs, and 3,330 GitHub stars. Retro holds a Quality Score of 42 /100 ( Fair ) with 0 views, 0 installs, and 0 GitHub stars.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

Mcp Grafana vs Retro

In-depth architectural comparison of the Mcp Grafana and Retro 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

Retro

Monitoring · Remote HTTP/SSE

Quality: 42/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required

Verdict Summary: Choose Mcp Grafana if you need specialized Monitoring tools running via a local process. Choose Retro if your workspace requires Monitoring integration with remote web transport. 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 (BYOK (Pay Provider Direct)).
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.

Explore Mcp Grafana Details

Choose Retro when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Monitoring domain.
You prefer remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore Retro Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Mcp Grafana grafana Monitoring	R Retro Monitoring
Summary	Search dashboards, investigate incidents and query datasources in your Grafana instance	Access QRetro team retrospectives over MCP: boards, summaries, action items, signals, metrics.
Category & Scope	Monitoring	Monitoring
Quality signal

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

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "grafana-mcp-grafana": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-grafana"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GRAFANA_URL": "YOUR_GRAFANA_URL_HERE",
        "GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN": "YOUR_GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Retro Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "retro": {
      "url": "https://qretro.com"
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Mcp Grafana is categorized under Monitoring and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Retro belongs to Monitoring using remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport. Select Mcp Grafana when you need capabilities focused on monitoring and Retro when you require tools for monitoring.

More alternatives to Mcp Grafana More alternatives to Retro Monitoring category hub