Osf vs Ror
A side-by-side look at the Osf and Ror MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Osf for research work as a local process; choose Ror for research as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Osf when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Research domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
search_projects, get_project, search_preprints.
Choose Ror when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Research domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Research | Research |
| Quality signal | 52/100 · Good | 41/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 4 | Not listed |
| Full listing | View Osf | View Ror |
Tools & capabilities
Osf tools 4
search_projectsOSF (Open Science Framework, by the Center for Open Science): search public research projects ("nodes") by title. Returns id, title, description, category, creation date, and tags. Keyless public data; the API can be slow.get_projectOSF: fetch metadata for a single public research project (node) by its OSF id (e.g. "abc12"). Returns title, description, category, dates, tags, and public flag.search_preprintsDEPRECATED ALIAS for osf_search_preprints — identical behavior, kept for existing callers. New callers should use osf_search_preprints.osf_search_preprintsOSF: search public preprints by title (Open Science Framework, by the Center for Open Science). Returns id, title, description, publication date, DOI, and tags. Keyless public data; the API can be slow.
Ror 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.
Osf
{
"mcpServers": {
"osf": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-osf"
]
}
}
}
Ror
{
"mcpServers": {
"ror": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-ror"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Osf is categorized under Research and uses a local stdio subprocess. Ror belongs to Research and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Osf for research work and Ror for research.
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.
Osf has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Ror 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 osf and ror as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Osf has a quality signal of 52/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Ror has 41/100 (Fair) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.