OSCAR vs Vnsh
A side-by-side look at the OSCAR and Vnsh MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose OSCAR for developer tools work as a local process; choose Vnsh for developer tools as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose OSCAR when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You want tools like
status, list_projects, read_project.
Choose Vnsh when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
vnsh_read, vnsh_share, vnsh_share_file.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools | Developer Tools |
| Quality signal | 64/100 · Good | 64/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | No auth required | Not declared |
| Pricing | Free | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 192 | 158 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 11 | 14 |
| Full listing | View OSCAR | View Vnsh |
Tools & capabilities
OSCAR tools 11
statusOSCAR's version, its ports (HTTP, the fixed OSC listening port, the socket bridge), whether editing is locked, the MIDI driver's condition, and how many projects and published interfaces there are. Start here.list_projectsEvery project OSCAR holds, with its id and its title, as File > Open project or template lists them. A project is what a person edits; it reaches phones only once it is published (list_published).read_projectEvery widget in one project, published or not, with its full settings as the editor holds them: addresses, ports, channels, MIDI mappings, DMX targets. Also says where the project is published, if it is. A setting nobody touched reads as its default. What phones see is the published copy, which may be older: read_published reads that one.list_publishedEvery published interface: its name, the project it was published from, the path it is served at, who can open it (access: "network", or "off" for one no device can open, whose schedules and bridges still run), and how many widgets it holds. Published interfaces are running -- phones and tablets may be on them, and the rig hears them.read_publishedEvery widget on one published interface, with its full settings as phones have them: addresses, ports, channels, MIDI mappings, DMX targets. For answering why something does or does not respond.installation_mapOne picture of the whole installation: this computer's network addresses and ports, its MIDI ports and USB interfaces (a USB DMX interface among them), and everything the published interfaces talk to and listen for -- each OSC destination with the addresses sent to it, each MIDI port with its channels and controllers, each DMX output with its universe and channels -- with the control and interface behind every one. notices lists what does not add up: a MIDI port or USB interface that is not there, OSC followed while OSCAR cannot listen, two controls on the same DMX channels. It is worked out from settings and sends nothing onto the network: it says where OSCAR sends, not whether anything is there to hear it.midi_portsThe MIDI inputs and outputs this machine has right now, and the driver's condition.recent_activityThe network log's recent rows: what OSCAR's server actually received and sent, oldest first, repeats within a moment gathered into one row with a count n. Each row has what (OSC address, MIDI control, DMX universe and channels) and value (what the latest carried). Incoming rows: device (the sender's address, or the MIDI port), surfaces (published interfaces that follow it), canvas (the editor's canvas followed it); with neither, nothing follows it. Outgoing rows: to (where it went), origin (whose move: canvas, local, internet, schedule, bridge), surface (the published interface) and widget. dropped, on either, says why it was refused. The first place to look when something moves that should not, or does not move when it should.describe_widgetsEvery widget OSCAR has -- tag, attributes, defaults, and each setting with its type, options and meaning -- plus how an interface is written as HTML. Read this before building one.validate_draftRun an interface written as HTML through the widgets' own validators: unknown settings, values their panels would refuse, missing or repeated ids. Returns the complaints to correct. Nothing is saved.create_draftValidate an interface and, if it is clean, save it as a draft: it appears in OSCAR under File > Open project or template, with a Draft badge. It is a file for a person to review: nothing is published, nothing is sent, and no project is changed. An existing draft of the same name is only replaced when overwrite is true.
Vnsh tools 14
vnsh_readReads any vnsh URL: decrypts legacy vnsh.dev/v links locally, or directly fetches a public vnshcontent.dev/p link. Public content is intentionally unencrypted.vnsh_shareEncrypts text content locally and uploads it to vnsh, returning a shareable URL. Use this when output exceeds ~50 lines or ~2000 characters, when generating complete code files, or when the user wants portable/shareable output. ALWAYS prefer vnsh_share over dumping large content into chat. The content is encrypted before upload - the server only sees encrypted bytes.vnsh_share_fileEncrypts a local file and uploads it to vnsh, returning a shareable URL. Use this for images, screenshots, PDFs, binaries, or any file that should not be loaded into context. More efficient than vnsh_share for large or binary files.vnsh_artifact_createCreates a permanent, service-readable Account Artifact in the signed-in user’s Library. Use this for durable knowledge that the user wants their other Agents to discover and update. Requires VNSH_TOKEN. This is different from an encrypted Incognito workspace: vnsh can read Account Artifact content so authorized Agents can collaborate on it.vnsh_artifact_listLists permanent Account Artifacts available to the connected user. Use this instead of asking the human to paste a link when continuing earlier account knowledge. Requires VNSH_TOKEN.vnsh_artifact_readReads the current content and version of one permanent Account Artifact. Pass the returned version to vnsh_artifact_update so another Agent cannot be overwritten.vnsh_artifact_updateCreates a new immutable version of an Account Artifact. Requires the base_version returned by vnsh_artifact_read. On conflict, re-read, merge, and retry; never silently overwrite.vnsh_workspace_createCreates a shared workspace and returns one link that any agent can read AND write. Use this when work will continue somewhere else: handing a plan, status doc, design, or investigation to another agent or another session, or when the user says they will pick this up in a different tool. Unlike vnsh_share (a one-shot snapshot), a workspace keeps the same URL as its content evolves. Content is encrypted locally; the server never sees the key. Anonymous workspaces expire 24h after the last write (ttl can extend this to a week). With VNSH_TOKEN, new workspaces and artifacts are kept until the account owner deletes them.vnsh_workspace_renewExtends the expiry of a vnsh workspace without changing its content. Use this when the user says a link is about to expire, or asks to keep something alive longer. Needs the edit link (a #w= fragment); a view-only #r= link cannot renew. The version is not bumped, so any pending edit still applies.vnsh_workspace_readReads the current content of a workspace: encrypted /w/ links with #w= or #r=, and public /p/ links with no fragment. Use this whenever the user provides such a link — it is how you pick up work another agent left for you. Returns the content and its version number; pass that version to vnsh_workspace_update to write safely.vnsh_workspace_updateReplaces the content of a vnsh workspace, keeping the same URL. Use this to record progress so far, revise a shared plan, or leave the next agent an updated document. Writes are version-checked: if someone else wrote first, this returns their current content so you can merge it with yours and call this again.vnsh_workspace_openDecrypts a vnsh workspace to a local temp file and opens it in the browser. Use this when the user wants to LOOK at a workspace rather than have its content read into context — HTML reports, dashboards, and diagrams render properly this way. Rendering happens locally from file://, so nothing is exposed to any server.- +2 more on 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.
OSCAR
{
"mcpServers": {
"oscar": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"createwithoscar"
]
}
}
}
Vnsh
{
"mcpServers": {
"vnsh": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"vnsh-mcp@1.9.0"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
OSCAR is categorized under Developer Tools and uses a local stdio subprocess. Vnsh belongs to Developer Tools and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick OSCAR for developer tools work and Vnsh for developer tools.
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.
OSCAR is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. Vnsh has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. 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 oscar and vnsh as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, OSCAR has a quality signal of 64/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 192 GitHub stars. Vnsh has 64/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 158 GitHub stars.