Licenses vs Spdx License

In-depth architectural comparison of the Licenses and Spdx License 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?

L

Choose Licenses 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: lookup_license, search_licenses, get_license_text.

Explore Licenses Details

Choose Spdx License 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 Spdx License Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	L Licenses Developer Tools	Spdx License Developer Tools
Summary	Open-source licenses MCP (SPDX).	SPDX open-source license list with full text
Category & Scope	Developer Tools	Developer Tools
Quality signal

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": {
    "licenses": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "licenses"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "spdx-license": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "spdx-license"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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