Node Runtime vs Arbor

In-depth architectural comparison of the Node Runtime and Arbor 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 Node Runtime 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 Node Runtime Details

Choose Arbor 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 Arbor Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Node Runtime Developer Tools	Arbor Developer Tools
Summary	Official Node.js runtime and transport layer for Model Context Protocol (MCP) integrations	The Graph-Native Intelligence Layer for Code.
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": {
    "node-runtime": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "node-runtime"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "arbor": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@anandb71/arbor-cli"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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