Opentreeoflife vs Magic MCP
A side-by-side look at the Opentreeoflife and Magic MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Opentreeoflife for biology & bioinformatics work as a local process; choose Magic MCP for architecture & design as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Opentreeoflife when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Biology & Bioinformatics domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
match_names, taxon_info, common_ancestor.
Choose Magic MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Architecture & Design domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
TWENTY_FIRST_API_KEY, API_KEY_21ST.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Biology & Bioinformatics | Architecture & Design |
| Quality signal | 55/100 · Good | 53/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | API key required |
| Pricing | Not declared | Paid service |
| Required env vars | None listed | TWENTY_FIRST_API_KEYAPI_KEY_21ST |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 6,227 |
| Directory activity | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 16 views 1 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 3 | Not listed |
| Full listing | View Opentreeoflife | View Magic MCP |
Tools & capabilities
Opentreeoflife tools 3
match_namesResolve 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_infoGet 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_ancestorFind 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.
Magic 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.
Opentreeoflife
{
"mcpServers": {
"opentreeoflife": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-opentreeoflife"
]
}
}
}
Magic MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"21st-dev-magic-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@21st-dev/cli@latest"
],
"env": {
"TWENTY_FIRST_API_KEY": "YOUR_TWENTY_FIRST_API_KEY_HERE",
"API_KEY_21ST": "YOUR_API_KEY_21ST_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Opentreeoflife is categorized under Biology & Bioinformatics and uses a local stdio subprocess. Magic MCP belongs to Architecture & Design and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Opentreeoflife for biology & bioinformatics work and Magic MCP for architecture & design.
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.
Opentreeoflife has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Magic MCP is listed as a paid service. Auth: api key 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 opentreeoflife and 21st-dev-magic-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Opentreeoflife has a quality signal of 55/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Magic MCP has 53/100 (Good) with 16 views, 1 installs and 6,227 GitHub stars.