Listen Notes vs IWE

In-depth architectural comparison of the Listen Notes and IWE 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?

Choose Listen Notes when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
• You prefer remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore Listen Notes Details

Choose IWE when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore IWE Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Listen Notes Knowledge & Memory	IWE Knowledge & Memory
Summary	Podcast directory search + best podcasts + recommendations via Listen Notes. Free key required.	Markdown knowledge base as agent memory. Runs against the notes directory it is started in.
Category & Scope	Knowledge & Memory	Knowledge & Memory
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": {
    "listen-notes": {
      "url": "https://www.listennotes.com/api/"
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "iwe": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "skills"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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