What is the key difference between Open Notebook and Opentreeoflife?

Open Notebook belongs to the Developer Tools category with local stdio execution, while Opentreeoflife belongs to the Developer Tools category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Open Notebook or Opentreeoflife 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 Open Notebook and Opentreeoflife free or paid?

Open Notebook operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). Opentreeoflife operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Open Notebook lists 1 tools with 0 views and 44 GitHub stars. Opentreeoflife lists 3 tools with 0 views and 0 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Open Notebook and Opentreeoflife 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

Open Notebook vs Opentreeoflife

In-depth architectural comparison of the Open Notebook and Opentreeoflife 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

Open Notebook

Developer Tools · Local stdio

Quality: 47/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required

Opentreeoflife

Developer Tools · Local stdio

Quality: 40/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required

Verdict Summary: Choose Open Notebook if you need specialized Developer Tools tools running via a local process. Choose Opentreeoflife if your workspace requires Developer Tools integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Open Notebook 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).
Primary tools included: search_capabilities.

Explore Open Notebook Details

Choose Opentreeoflife 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).
Primary tools included: match_names, taxon_info, common_ancestor.

Explore Opentreeoflife Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Open Notebook Developer Tools	O Opentreeoflife Developer Tools
Summary	MCP server that wraps the Open Notebook API	Open Tree of Life MCP.
Category & Scope	Developer Tools	Developer Tools
Quality signal

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Open Notebook Tools (1)

search_capabilities

Progressive tool discovery

Opentreeoflife Tools (3)

match_names

Resolve scientific (Latin binomial) names to Open Tree of Life taxon IDs (ott_id). The ott_id is the key needed by taxon_info and common_ancestor — start here. Returns the best match per name with its ott_id, accepted name, rank, and synonym/approximate flags. Keyless.

taxon_info

Get full details for an Open Tree of Life taxon by ott_id (from match_names) — accepted name, rank, unique name, synonyms, source taxonomy, and the complete ancestry lineage from this taxon up to the root of life. Keyless.

common_ancestor

Find the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) of 2-10 taxa in the synthetic Tree of Life, by ott_id (from match_names). Returns the common-ancestor taxon (ott_id, name, rank). Keyless.

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).

Open Notebook Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "open-notebook": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/inspector"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Opentreeoflife Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Open Notebook is categorized under Developer Tools and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Opentreeoflife belongs to Developer Tools using local stdio subprocess. Select Open Notebook when you need capabilities focused on developer tools and Opentreeoflife when you require tools for developer tools.

More alternatives to Open Notebook More alternatives to Opentreeoflife Developer Tools category hub