What is the key difference between Claude MCP Bridge and Openclaw MCP?

Claude MCP Bridge belongs to the Coding Agents category with local stdio execution, while Openclaw MCP belongs to the Coding Agents category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Claude MCP Bridge or Openclaw MCP 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 Claude MCP Bridge and Openclaw MCP free or paid?

Claude MCP Bridge operates under a BYOK (Pay Provider Direct) model (other). Openclaw MCP operates under a Free / Open Source model (API Key required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Claude MCP Bridge lists 5 tools with 4 views and 6 GitHub stars. Openclaw MCP lists 7 tools with 3 views and 184 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Claude MCP Bridge and Openclaw MCP 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

Claude MCP Bridge vs Openclaw MCP

In-depth architectural comparison of the Claude MCP Bridge and Openclaw 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

Claude MCP Bridge

Coding Agents · Local stdio

Quality: 64/100 (Good) | Auth: other

Openclaw MCP

Coding Agents · Local stdio

Quality: 64/100 (Good) | Auth: API Key required

Verdict Summary: Choose Claude MCP Bridge if you need specialized Coding Agents tools running via a local process. Choose Openclaw MCP if your workspace requires Coding Agents integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Claude MCP Bridge when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Coding Agents domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: other (BYOK (Pay Provider Direct)).
Primary tools included: query, structured, search.

Explore Claude MCP Bridge Details

Choose Openclaw MCP when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Coding Agents domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (Free / Open Source).
You have access to required keys: OPENCLAW_URL, OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN, OPENCLAW_AGENT_ID, OPENCLAW_MODEL, OPENCLAW_TIMEOUT_MS, AUTH_ENABLED, MCP_CLIENT_ID, MCP_CLIENT_SECRET.
Primary tools included: openclaw_chat, openclaw_status, openclaw_chat_async.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Claude MCP Bridge hampsterx Coding Agents	Openclaw MCP freema Coding Agents
Summary	Wraps Claude Code CLI as MCP tools (query, search, structured, sessions) with subscription-first auth, cost metadata, budget caps, and granular tool sandboxing.	MCP server for OpenClaw AI assistant integration. Enables Claude to delegate tasks to OpenClaw agents with sync/async tools, OAuth 2.1 auth, and SSE transport for Claude.ai.
Category & Scope

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Claude MCP Bridge Tools (5)

query

Execute a prompt via Claude Code CLI with optional file context and session resume. Claude is an AI coding agent that can generate, analyze, refactor, and explain code. Capabilities: code generation and refactoring, code analysis and explanation, file understanding (text and images), multi-turn conversations via sessionId. Cost: Default model is Sonnet (~$0.01-0.10/call). Use effort="low" for simple tasks, effort="high" + model="opus" for complex analysis. Set maxBudgetUsd to cap per-call cost (recommended for effort="max" or model="opus"). Tips: - Set workingDirectory to the target repo for project-aware responses. - Break complex tasks into focused prompts rather than one large request. - Resume multi-turn conversations with sessionId from a previous response's metadata. - Include relevant files via the files parameter for targeted context (text files inlined in prompt, images trigger allowed-tools mode). - Use noSessionPersistence=true for stateless one-shot calls.

structured

Generate JSON conforming to a provided JSON Schema. Uses Claude CLI's native --json-schema flag for validated output (not client-side validation). Use for: data extraction from text/files, classification, entity parsing, or any task needing machine-parseable output. Cost: Similar to query (~$0.01-0.10/call). Schema complexity doesn't significantly affect cost. Tips: - Pass the JSON Schema as a JSON string in the schema parameter. - Schema max size: 20KB. Keep schemas focused for reliable output. - For extraction tasks, include source text via the files parameter or inline in the prompt.

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).

Claude MCP Bridge Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "hampsterx-claude-mcp-bridge": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "claude-mcp-bridge"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Openclaw MCP Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "freema-openclaw-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "openclaw-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "OPENCLAW_URL": "YOUR_OPENCLAW_URL_HERE",
        "OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN": "YOUR_OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN_HERE",
        "OPENCLAW_AGENT_ID": "YOUR_OPENCLAW_AGENT_ID_HERE",
        "OPENCLAW_MODEL": "YOUR_OPENCLAW_MODEL_HERE",
        "OPENCLAW_TIMEOUT_MS": "YOUR_OPENCLAW_TIMEOUT_MS_HERE",
        "AUTH_ENABLED": "YOUR_AUTH_ENABLED_HERE",
        "MCP_CLIENT_ID": "YOUR_MCP_CLIENT_ID_HERE",
        "MCP_CLIENT_SECRET": "YOUR_MCP_CLIENT_SECRET_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Claude MCP Bridge is categorized under Coding Agents and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Openclaw MCP belongs to Coding Agents using local stdio subprocess. Select Claude MCP Bridge when you need capabilities focused on coding agents and Openclaw MCP when you require tools for coding agents.

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