Hpo Api vs Hindsight
A side-by-side look at the Hpo Api and Hindsight MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Hpo Api for biology & bioinformatics work as a local process; choose Hindsight for knowledge & memory as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Hpo Api when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Biology & Bioinformatics domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
term, search, term_children.
Choose Hindsight when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
HINDSIGHT_API_LLM_API_KEY, HINDSIGHT_API_LLM_PROVIDER, HINDSIGHT_DB_PASSWORD.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Biology & Bioinformatics | Knowledge & Memory |
| Quality signal | 61/100 · Good | 57/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | API key required |
| Pricing | Not declared | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | HINDSIGHT_API_LLM_API_KEYHINDSIGHT_API_LLM_PROVIDERHINDSIGHT_DB_PASSWORD |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 53,003 |
| Directory activity | 4 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 14 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 7 | Not listed |
| Full listing | View Hpo Api | View Hindsight |
Tools & capabilities
Hpo Api tools 7
term"What does HP:[N] mean" / "look up HPO phenotype [ID]" — fetch a single Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) term by ID. HPO is the standard ontology for clinical phenotypes used in rare-disease research. Returns label, definition, synonyms, cross-references. Example ID: HP:0001250 (Seizure).search"HPO term for [symptom]" / "phenotype code for [clinical sign]" / "find HPO IDs about [feature]" / "what's the HPO for seizures / autism / short stature" — text search the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO). Returns ranked terms with HP: IDs. Use to map clinical descriptions to standard ontology terms for rare-disease workups, genomics, or clinical phenotype databases.term_children"More specific HPO phenotypes under [HP:N]" / "child terms of [phenotype]" — direct children of an HPO term in the ontology graph. Use to narrow from a general phenotype (e.g. "Abnormality of the nervous system") to specifics (seizures, ataxia, etc).term_parents"What broader phenotype is [HP:N] under" / "parent term of [HPO ID]" — direct parents of an HPO term in the ontology graph. Use to walk up to a more general phenotype class.term_descendants"All phenotypes under [HP:N]" / "full subtree of [HPO term]" — transitive descendants (children, grandchildren, …) of an HPO term. Use for exhaustive coverage (e.g. "every cardiac phenotype" via descendants of HP:0001626).gene_diseases"What diseases is gene [NCBIGene:N] associated with" / "diseases linked to gene [X]" / "TP53 disease associations" — fetch diseases associated with a gene ID (NCBIGene:N format). Use for gene-to-disease lookups in rare-disease research, variant prioritization. Example ID: NCBIGene:7157 (TP53).disease_phenotypes"What symptoms / clinical features does [disease] cause" / "HPO phenotypes for [OMIM N]" / "clinical signs of [rare disease]" — list HPO phenotype terms for a disease ID (OMIM:N, ORPHA:N, or MONDO:N format). Use to enumerate clinical features of rare diseases. Example ID: OMIM:154700 (Marfan syndrome).
Hindsight 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.
Hpo Api
{
"mcpServers": {
"hpo-api": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-hpo-api"
]
}
}
}
Hindsight
{
"mcpServers": {
"vectorize-io-hindsight": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@vectorize-io/hindsight-coding-agents"
],
"env": {
"HINDSIGHT_API_LLM_API_KEY": "YOUR_HINDSIGHT_API_LLM_API_KEY_HERE",
"HINDSIGHT_API_LLM_PROVIDER": "YOUR_HINDSIGHT_API_LLM_PROVIDER_HERE",
"HINDSIGHT_DB_PASSWORD": "YOUR_HINDSIGHT_DB_PASSWORD_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Hpo Api is categorized under Biology & Bioinformatics and uses a local stdio subprocess. Hindsight belongs to Knowledge & Memory and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Hpo Api for biology & bioinformatics work and Hindsight for knowledge & memory.
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.
Hpo Api has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Hindsight is listed as free. Auth: api key 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 hpo-api and vectorize-io-hindsight as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Hpo Api has a quality signal of 61/100 (Good) with 4 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Hindsight has 57/100 (Good) with 14 views, 0 installs and 53,003 GitHub stars.