Modelcontextprotocol MCP vs Shadow MCP

In-depth architectural comparison of the Modelcontextprotocol MCP and Shadow MCP 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 Modelcontextprotocol MCP 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 Modelcontextprotocol MCP Details

Choose Shadow MCP 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 Shadow MCP Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Modelcontextprotocol MCP Developer Tools	Shadow MCP Developer Tools
Summary	Publish and discover MCP servers via the official MCP Registry. Powered by HAPI MCP server.	Local MCP server that inventories and risk-grades MCP servers configured on this machine.
Category & Scope	Developer Tools	Developer Tools

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-registry-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-registry-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "shadow-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "shadow-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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