Postmancer vs REA
A side-by-side look at the Postmancer and REA MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Postmancer for developer tools work as a local process; choose REA for developer tools as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Postmancer when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You want tools like
http_request, list_collections, list_requests.
Choose REA when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools | Developer Tools |
| Quality signal | 60/100 · Good | 55/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | No auth required | No auth required |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 29 | 336,779 |
| Directory activity | 4 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 7 | Not listed |
| Full listing | View Postmancer | View REA |
Tools & capabilities
Postmancer tools 7
http_requestSends HTTP requests to specified URLs with optional authentication, headers, and bodylist_collectionsLists all available request collectionslist_requestsLists all requests in a specified collectionsave_requestSaves an HTTP request to a collection for future userequest_from_collectionRetrieves and optionally executes a request from a collectionset_environment_variableSets an environment variable for use in HTTP requestsget_environment_variablesRetrieves all environment variables from the specified environment
REA tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from 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.
Postmancer
{
"mcpServers": {
"hijaz-postmancer": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"postmancer"
]
}
}
}
REA
{
"mcpServers": {
"rea": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"rea-agents"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Postmancer is categorized under Developer Tools and uses a local stdio subprocess. REA belongs to Developer Tools and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Postmancer for developer tools work and REA for developer tools.
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.
Postmancer is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. REA is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. 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 hijaz-postmancer and rea as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Postmancer has a quality signal of 60/100 (Good) with 4 views, 0 installs and 29 GitHub stars. REA has 55/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 336,779 GitHub stars.