Handoff MCP Server vs MCP State Sidecar

In-depth architectural comparison of the Handoff MCP Server and MCP State Sidecar 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.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Handoff MCP Server when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore Handoff MCP Server Details

Choose MCP State Sidecar when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
• Primary tools included: run_id, created.

Explore MCP State Sidecar Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Handoff MCP Server Developer Tools	MCP State Sidecar Developer Tools
Summary	Durable agent-to-agent handoffs and shared scratchpad for multi-agent workflows.	MCP State Sidecar: durable state persistence for multi-agent AI workflows
Category & Scope	Developer Tools	Developer Tools

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

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).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "handoff-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "handoff-mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-state-sidecar": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-state-sidecar"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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