What is the key difference between Touch Browser and Research Hub?

Touch Browser belongs to the Research category with local stdio execution, while Research Hub belongs to the Research category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Touch Browser or Research Hub in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are Touch Browser and Research Hub free or paid?

Touch Browser operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). Research Hub operates under a Free / Open Source model (API Key required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Touch Browser lists 6 tools with 3 views and 10 GitHub stars. Research Hub lists 6 tools with 2 views and 54 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Touch Browser and Research Hub together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

Touch Browser vs Research Hub

In-depth architectural comparison of the Touch Browser and Research Hub 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.

At a Glance & Executive Verdict

Touch Browser

Research · Local stdio

Quality: 51/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required

Research Hub

Research · Local stdio

Quality: 56/100 (Good) | Auth: API Key required

Verdict Summary: Choose Touch Browser if you need specialized Research tools running via a local process. Choose Research Hub if your workspace requires Research integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Touch Browser when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Research domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: Page-local claim verdicts, Confidence bands and review recommendations, Citation URLs with retrieval timestamps.

Explore Touch Browser Details

Choose Research Hub when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Research domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (Free / Open Source).
You have access to required keys: ZOTERO_API_KEY, ZOTERO_USER_ID, NOTEBOOKLM_API_KEY, GOOGLE_API_KEY, GOOGLE_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID, GOOGLE_OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET.
Primary tools included: Unified search across arXiv, Semantic Scholar, PubMed, and CrossRef, Integration with Zotero for reference management, Obsidian note syncing and dashboard visualization.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Touch Browser nangman-infra Research	Research Hub WenyuChiou Research
Summary	Evidence-grounded web research for AI agents. Verifies page-local claims with citations, confidence bands, policy reports, and multi-page session synthesis via MCP.	Research workspace MCP integrating Zotero, Obsidian, and NotebookLM. Search papers (arXiv/Semantic Scholar/PubMed/CrossRef), ingest into Zotero, sync notes to Obsidian, verify NotebookLM briefs. All three external tools optional. pip install research-hub-pipeline then research-hub serve.
Category & Scope

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Touch Browser Tools (6)

Page-local claim verdicts

Confidence bands and review recommendations

Citation URLs with retrieval timestamps

Reusable evidence snippets

Multi-page session synthesis

Headless browser research

Research Hub Tools (6)

Unified search across arXiv, Semantic Scholar, PubMed, and CrossRef

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).

Touch Browser Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nangman-infra-touch-browser": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@nangman-infra/touch-browser-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Research Hub Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "wenyuchiou-research-hub": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "research-hub-pipeline"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ZOTERO_API_KEY": "YOUR_ZOTERO_API_KEY_HERE",
        "ZOTERO_USER_ID": "YOUR_ZOTERO_USER_ID_HERE",
        "NOTEBOOKLM_API_KEY": "YOUR_NOTEBOOKLM_API_KEY_HERE",
        "GOOGLE_API_KEY": "YOUR_GOOGLE_API_KEY_HERE",
        "GOOGLE_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID": "YOUR_GOOGLE_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID_HERE",
        "GOOGLE_OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET": "YOUR_GOOGLE_OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Touch Browser is categorized under Research and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Research Hub belongs to Research using local stdio subprocess. Select Touch Browser when you need capabilities focused on research and Research Hub when you require tools for research.

More alternatives to Touch Browser More alternatives to Research Hub Research category hub