Intervals Icu MCP vs Filesystem
A side-by-side look at the Intervals Icu MCP and Filesystem MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Intervals Icu MCP for sports work as a local process; choose Filesystem for file systems as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Intervals Icu MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Sports domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
INTERVALS_ICU_API_KEY, INTERVALS_ICU_ATHLETE_ID. - You want tools like
icu_get_recent_activities, icu_get_activities_by_date, icu_get_activity_details.
Choose Filesystem when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the File Systems domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You want tools like
path, head, tail.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Sports | File Systems |
| Quality signal | 63/100 · Good | 85/100 · Excellent |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | No auth required |
| Pricing | Not declared | Free |
| Required env vars | INTERVALS_ICU_API_KEYINTERVALS_ICU_ATHLETE_ID | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Verified |
| GitHub stars | 103 | 91,512 |
| Directory activity | 3 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 10 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 67 | 17 |
| Full listing | View Intervals Icu MCP | View Filesystem |
Tools & capabilities
Intervals Icu MCP tools 67
icu_get_recent_activitiesList the athlete's most recent activities (default last 30 days) — LIGHT summary per item (distance, duration, power, HR, training load). Use for "what have I done recently?", "show last week's rides". For one specific activity by ID use icu_get_activity_details; to search by name/tag use icu_search_activities.icu_get_activities_by_dateList activities within an EXPLICIT date window (oldest..newest) — LIGHT summary per item. Unlike icu_get_recent_activities (anchored to today and capped at 100), this targets an arbitrary historical window and is bounded only by `limit`. Use for "all my runs from June to November 2025", reconstructing training history, or finding the oldest activity in a period. Dates are YYYY-MM-DD. Results are newest-first; if a window holds more than `limit` items, the oldest are dropped first, so widen `limit` (or narrow the window) to reach the very oldest.icu_get_activity_detailsFetch the headline SUMMARY of one activity — name, sport, date, distance, duration, training load, weather, plus all top-level metrics in a single JSON blob. Use for "how was my ride?", "tell me about activity X". For lap-by-lap or per-interval breakdown use icu_get_activity_intervals; for second-by-second time-series use icu_get_activity_streams.icu_search_activitiesSearch activities by name or tag, returning a LIGHT result list — id, name, type, date, distance, time only. Use this first for "find my X" queries. Only escalate to search_activities_full when you specifically need power, HR, training load, or intensity-factor data on the matches (heavier payload).icu_search_activities_fullSearch activities by name or tag, returning FULL Activity objects with power, HR, training load, intensity factor, normalized power, weather — every metric per result. Heavy payload. Use only when the lighter search_activities won't tell you what you need (e.g. "find my threshold rides with NP above 250W").icu_get_activities_aroundFetch the activities chronologically before and after a reference activity (N each side). Use for "what did I do around this race?", training-context queries, progression comparisons.icu_update_activityUpdate an existing activity's metadata (name, type, trainer flag, RPE, feel, etc.). Only fields you pass are sent; everything else stays unchanged.icu_update_activity_streamsUpload raw time-series streams (power, HR, cadence, etc.) onto an existing activity. Destructive — overwrites existing stream data. Accepts JSON array or CSV. Different from get_activity_streams (READ).icu_bulk_create_manual_activitiesBatch-create manual activities (no device upload) with UPSERT on `external_id`. Existing activities with a matching external_id (set by the same OAuth app) are updated; activities without an external_id are always created new.icu_download_activity_fileDownload the original activity file. Downloads the ORIGINAL uploaded file (FIT, TCX, or GPX — whatever the device produced). Different from download_fit_file (forces FIT conversion) and download_gpx_file (forces GPX conversion). If `output_path` is set the file is saved there; otherwise the response embeds base64 content.icu_download_fit_fileDownload activity converted to FIT format (Garmin / most training platforms). Different from download_activity_file (original upload format) and download_gpx_file (GPX format).icu_download_gpx_fileDownload activity converted to GPX format (GPS devices, mapping software). Different from download_activity_file (original upload format) and download_fit_file (FIT format).- +55 more on the listing page
Filesystem tools 17
pathheadtailpathscontenteditsoldTextnewTextdryRunsortBysourcedestination- +5 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.
Intervals Icu MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"intervals-icu-mcp": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"intervals-icu-mcp"
],
"env": {
"INTERVALS_ICU_API_KEY": "YOUR_INTERVALS_ICU_API_KEY_HERE",
"INTERVALS_ICU_ATHLETE_ID": "YOUR_INTERVALS_ICU_ATHLETE_ID_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Filesystem
{
"mcpServers": {
"filesystem": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Intervals Icu MCP is categorized under Sports and uses a local stdio subprocess. Filesystem belongs to File Systems and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Intervals Icu MCP for sports work and Filesystem for file systems.
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.
Intervals Icu MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Filesystem 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 intervals-icu-mcp and filesystem as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Intervals Icu MCP has a quality signal of 63/100 (Good) with 3 views, 0 installs and 103 GitHub stars. Filesystem has 85/100 (Excellent) with 10 views, 0 installs and 91,512 GitHub stars.