Lousa vs MCP Mermaid
A side-by-side look at the Lousa and MCP Mermaid MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Lousa for data visualization work as a local process; choose MCP Mermaid for data visualization as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Lousa when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Data Visualization domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
PORT, HOST, LOUSA_DATA_DIR, LOUSA_BUCKET, LOUSA_TOKEN, LOUSA_URL, LOUSA_DEFAULT_TTL_HOURS. - You want tools like
create_board, update_board, get_board.
Choose MCP Mermaid when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Data Visualization domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You want tools like
generate_mermaid_diagram.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Data Visualization | Data Visualization |
| Quality signal | 51/100 · Good | 65/100 · Great |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | No auth required |
| Pricing | Not declared | Free |
| Required env vars | PORTHOSTLOUSA_DATA_DIRLOUSA_BUCKETLOUSA_TOKENLOUSA_URLLOUSA_DEFAULT_TTL_HOURS | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 646 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 5 views 0 installs 1 upvotes |
| Tools | 5 | 1 |
| Full listing | View Lousa | View MCP Mermaid |
Tools & capabilities
Lousa tools 5
create_boardCreates a board from a scene, returns `{id, url}update_boardReplaces the scene; unchanged elements stay byte-identical so only changes animateget_boardRead boardsget_selectionWhat the user selected in the viewer (ids + full elements)delete_boardDeletes a board
MCP Mermaid tools 1
generate_mermaid_diagramGenerate mermaid diagram and chart with mermaid syntax dynamically. Mermaid is a JavaScript based diagramming and charting tool that uses Markdown-inspired text definitions and a renderer to create and modify complex diagrams. The main purpose of Mermaid is to help documentation catch up with development.
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.
Lousa
{
"mcpServers": {
"lousa": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"lousa"
],
"env": {
"PORT": "YOUR_PORT_HERE",
"HOST": "YOUR_HOST_HERE",
"LOUSA_DATA_DIR": "YOUR_LOUSA_DATA_DIR_HERE",
"LOUSA_BUCKET": "YOUR_LOUSA_BUCKET_HERE",
"LOUSA_TOKEN": "YOUR_LOUSA_TOKEN_HERE",
"LOUSA_URL": "YOUR_LOUSA_URL_HERE",
"LOUSA_DEFAULT_TTL_HOURS": "YOUR_LOUSA_DEFAULT_TTL_HOURS_HERE"
}
}
}
}
MCP Mermaid
{
"mcpServers": {
"hustcc-mcp-mermaid": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"mcp-mermaid"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Lousa is categorized under Data Visualization and uses a local stdio subprocess. MCP Mermaid belongs to Data Visualization and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Lousa for data visualization work and MCP Mermaid for data visualization.
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.
Lousa has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. MCP Mermaid 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 lousa and hustcc-mcp-mermaid as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Lousa has a quality signal of 51/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. MCP Mermaid has 65/100 (Great) with 5 views, 0 installs and 646 GitHub stars.