MCP Debugger vs Xdebug

In-depth architectural comparison of the MCP Debugger and Xdebug 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 MCP Debugger 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 MCP Debugger Details

Choose Xdebug 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 Xdebug Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	MCP Debugger Developer Tools	Xdebug Developer Tools
Summary	Node.js and TypeScript debugging with 25+ tools for AI agents	MCP server for PHP Xdebug debugging with breakpoints, stepping, and variable inspection
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": {
    "mcp-debugger": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@ai-capabilities-suite/mcp-debugger-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "xdebug": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "xdebug-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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