OpenFDA Regulatory Metadata vs Scrivener MCP
A side-by-side look at the OpenFDA Regulatory Metadata and Scrivener MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose OpenFDA Regulatory Metadata for biology & bioinformatics work as a local process; choose Scrivener MCP for knowledge & memory as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose OpenFDA Regulatory Metadata when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Biology & Bioinformatics domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
OPENFDA_API_KEY. - You want tools like
search_drug_label, lookup_drugsfda_application, resolve_drug_to_application.
Choose Scrivener MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Biology & Bioinformatics | Knowledge & Memory |
| Quality signal | 59/100 · Good | 61/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | No auth required |
| Pricing | Not declared | Free |
| Required env vars | OPENFDA_API_KEY | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 67 |
| Directory activity | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 18 views 12 installs 6 upvotes |
| Tools | 7 | Not listed |
| Full listing | View OpenFDA Regulatory Metadata | View Scrivener MCP |
Tools & capabilities
OpenFDA Regulatory Metadata tools 7
search_drug_labelSearch openFDA drug labels (SPL) for a term.lookup_drugsfda_applicationFetch Drugs@FDA application metadata for an NDA/BLA/ANDA number.resolve_drug_to_applicationResolve a brand or generic drug name to its NDA/BLA application number(s). Bridges drug-name-only sources (registry inventories, product lists) to FDA regulatory metadata. Searches the brand and generic name fields directly rather than label prose, so another product merely *mentioning* this drug does not produce a false match.screen_for_rwe_signalsEXPERIMENTAL. Sweep drug labels for registry / real-world-evidence signals. Searches the label corpus for terms suggesting registry, natural-history or other real-world evidence, then aggregates hits by application number with snippets showing where each term matched. **This tool is unvalidated and has a known false-positive problem.** It has no ground-truth oracle, and below the strongest hits the results are dominated by applications whose labels use "registry" in an unrelated sense. Its output is a candidate list for human review — not a finding, and not a count you should report.lookup_device_submissionLook up a CDRH device submission by its number. Handles all four device pathways: 510(k) K-numbers ("K203571"), De Novo grants ("DEN160026" — stored in the 510(k) endpoint, not a separate one), PMA P-numbers ("P230044"), and HDE H-numbers. Supplement suffixes ("P230044/S001") are stripped before lookup.classify_device_product_codeResolve a CDRH product code to its device class and medical specialty.validate_device_applicationValidate a device number and derive class, specialty and category in one call. Chains lookup_device_submission -> classify_device_product_code, which is the full three-hop resolution: number -> product_code -> classification.
Scrivener MCP tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
OpenFDA Regulatory Metadata
{
"mcpServers": {
"openfda-regulatory-metadata": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"openfda-mcp"
],
"env": {
"OPENFDA_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENFDA_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Scrivener MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"writerslogic-scrivener-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"scrivener-setup"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
OpenFDA Regulatory Metadata is categorized under Biology & Bioinformatics and uses a local stdio subprocess. Scrivener MCP belongs to Knowledge & Memory and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick OpenFDA Regulatory Metadata for biology & bioinformatics work and Scrivener MCP for knowledge & memory.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
OpenFDA Regulatory Metadata has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Scrivener MCP is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add openfda-regulatory-metadata and writerslogic-scrivener-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, OpenFDA Regulatory Metadata has a quality signal of 59/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Scrivener MCP has 61/100 (Good) with 18 views, 12 installs and 67 GitHub stars.