Claude MCP Bridge vs Skillsmith
A side-by-side look at the Claude MCP Bridge and Skillsmith MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Claude MCP Bridge for coding agents work as a local process; choose Skillsmith for coding agents as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Claude MCP Bridge when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Coding Agents domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: other.
- You want tools like
query, structured, search.
Choose Skillsmith when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Coding Agents domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
search, get_skill, install_skill.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Coding Agents | Coding Agents |
| Quality signal | 64/100 · Good | 60/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | other | Not declared |
| Pricing | BYOK (pay the provider) | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 7 | 77 |
| Directory activity | 6 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 5 | 43 |
| Full listing | View Claude MCP Bridge | View Skillsmith |
Tools & capabilities
Claude MCP Bridge tools 5
queryExecute 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.structuredGenerate 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.searchWeb search via Claude Code CLI using WebSearch and WebFetch tools. Searches the web and synthesizes a comprehensive answer with source URLs. Use for: current information, documentation lookups, API references, comparing libraries, and research questions. Cost: Typically ~$0.02-0.05/search with Sonnet. Tips: - Ask specific, focused questions for best results. - Results include source URLs for verification. - Use maxResponseLength to control response verbosity. - Increase timeout for complex research queries that may require multiple web fetches.listSessionsList active Claude CLI sessions tracked by this server. Returns session metadata (IDs, models, timing, turn counts, cumulative cost) for orchestration. Use to check available sessions before resuming with sessionId. No cost (local lookup only).pingHealth check: verifies Claude CLI is installed and authenticated, reports versions, capabilities, and configuration. No cost (local check only).
Skillsmith tools 43
searchSearch skills with filters (query, category, trust tier, min score)get_skillGet detailed skill information including install commandinstall_skillInstall a skill to your local environmentuninstall_skillRemove an installed skillskill_recommendGet contextual skill recommendationsskill_suggestSuggest skills from your current project context (counts against your monthly quota)skill_validateValidate a skill's structure and qualityskill_compareCompare two skills side-by-sideskill_outdatedCheck installed skills for staleness and dependency statusskill_rescanRe-scan an installed skill with the latest security patternsskill_publishValidate a skill and prepare it for publishingskill_recover_sourceRecover the GitHub source of locally installed skills (read-only)- +31 more on the listing page
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Claude MCP Bridge
{
"mcpServers": {
"hampsterx-claude-mcp-bridge": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"claude-mcp-bridge"
]
}
}
}
Skillsmith
{
"mcpServers": {
"skillsmith": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@skillsmith/mcp-server"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Claude MCP Bridge is categorized under Coding Agents and uses a local stdio subprocess. Skillsmith belongs to Coding Agents and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Claude MCP Bridge for coding agents work and Skillsmith for coding agents.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Claude MCP Bridge is bring-your-own-key: usage is billed by the API provider you supply a key for. Auth: other. Skillsmith has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add hampsterx-claude-mcp-bridge and skillsmith as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Claude MCP Bridge has a quality signal of 64/100 (Good) with 6 views, 0 installs and 7 GitHub stars. Skillsmith has 60/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 77 GitHub stars.