A side-by-side look at the Inaturalist MCP Server and Nws Weather MCP Server MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Inaturalist MCP Server for environment & nature work as a local process; choose Nws Weather MCP Server for environment & nature as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
inaturalist_list_reference, inaturalist_resolve_name, inaturalist_find_places.nws_get_forecast, nws_search_alerts, nws_get_alert_counts.Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Environment & Nature | Environment & Nature |
| Quality signal | 52/100 · Good | 52/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 1 | 1 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 10 | 9 |
| Full listing | View Inaturalist MCP Server | View Nws Weather MCP Server |
inaturalist_list_referenceDecode the controlled vocabularies the other tools filter on: annotation attributes and values, quality grades, licences, ranks, iconic taxa, conservation-status codesinaturalist_resolve_nameResolve a common or scientific name to a taxon id, or a place, project, or observer name to its id, as ranked candidatesinaturalist_find_placesResolve a place name to a place id, or list the places covering a map area, each with its bounding box and containment chaininaturalist_search_observationsSearch georeferenced sightings by area, date, taxon, quality grade, annotation, conservation status, observer, project, and licenceinaturalist_get_observationFetch up to 10 observations by id with their community identification thread and consensus taxoninaturalist_get_species_countsRank the distinct species recorded in an area and period, most-observed first, optionally for one observer or projectinaturalist_get_histogramBuild a phenology histogram for a taxon in an area: which months, weeks, or years it is recorded ininaturalist_get_leaderboardRank the most active observers or identifiers for an area, period, and taxoninaturalist_get_similar_speciesList the taxa a genus-or-finer taxon is most often misidentified as, ranked by correction countinaturalist_get_taxonFetch a taxon profile: taxonomic path, conservation listings by authority, encyclopedia summary, photos, and childrennws_get_forecast7-day or hourly forecast for coordinates. Resolves NWS grid internally.nws_search_alertsActive weather alerts filtered by area, point, zone, event, severity, urgency, certainty, and status.nws_get_alert_countsActive alert counts nationwide, per state/territory or marine area, and per marine region.nws_get_observationsCurrent conditions by coordinates (nearest station) or station ID.nws_get_observation_historyA station's recent observations, newest first, paged back through the ~7 days NWS keeps.nws_find_stationsNearby observation stations sorted by distance with bearing.nws_list_alert_typesAll valid alert event type names for filter discovery.nws_get_office_discussionLatest narrative product (AFD, HWO, ZFP, SPS) from a Weather Forecast Office.nws_get_zone_forecastText forecast periods for a public NWS forecast zone.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.
{
"mcpServers": {
"inaturalist-mcp-server": {
"command": "bunx",
"args": [
"@cyanheads/inaturalist-mcp-server@latest"
]
}
}
}
{
"mcpServers": {
"nws-weather-mcp-server": {
"command": "bunx",
"args": [
"@cyanheads/nws-weather-mcp-server@latest"
]
}
}
}