Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison
Claude Mcp Bridge vs Cli Mcp Server
In-depth architectural comparison of the Claude Mcp Bridge and Cli Mcp Server 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: 61/100 (Good) | Auth: API Key required
Cli Mcp Server
Coding Agents · Local stdio
Quality: 43/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required
Verdict Summary: Choose Claude Mcp Bridge if you need specialized Coding Agents tools running via a local process. Choose Cli Mcp Server 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: API Key required (BYOK (Pay Provider Direct)).
- You have access to required keys:
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, CLAUDE_BRIDGE_USE_API_KEY, CLAUDE_DEFAULT_MODEL, CLAUDE_QUERY_MODEL, CLAUDE_STRUCTURED_MODEL. - Primary tools included: query, structured, search.
Choose Cli Mcp Server when:
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Coding Agents domain.
- You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
- Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
- You have access to required keys:
ALLOWED_DIR, ALLOWED_COMMANDS, ALLOWED_FLAGS, MAX_COMMAND_LENGTH, COMMAND_TIMEOUT, ALLOW_SHELL_OPERATORS.
Feature & Specification Comparison
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.
search
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
Cli Mcp Server Configuration