Paperless Ngx vs Variflight MCP
A side-by-side look at the Paperless Ngx and Variflight MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Paperless Ngx for developer tools work as a local process; choose Variflight MCP 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 Paperless Ngx when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
PAPERLESS_URL, PAPERLESS_API_KEY. - You want tools like
edit_documents_bulk, post_document, list_documents.
Choose Variflight MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
VARIFLIGHT_API_KEY. - You want tools like
searchFlightsByDepArr, searchFlightsByNumber, getFlightTransferInfo.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools | Developer Tools |
| Quality signal | 65/100 · Great | 67/100 · Great |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | PAPERLESS_URLPAPERLESS_API_KEY | VARIFLIGHT_API_KEY |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 11 | 33 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 109 | 9 |
| Full listing | View Paperless Ngx | View Variflight MCP |
Tools & capabilities
Paperless Ngx tools 109
edit_documents_bulkApply ONE of a fixed set of operations to MANY documents at once. Methods: set_correspondent, set_document_type, set_storage_path, add_tag, remove_tag, modify_tags, modify_custom_fields, set_permissions, delete, reprocess, merge, split, rotate, delete_pages, edit_pdf, remove_password. For per-document field edits including title, content, created (date), archive_serial_number, or owner, use update_document instead — those fields are not editable here. Note: 'remove_tag' only removes the tag from the specified documents (tag stays in the system); 'delete_tag' permanently deletes the tag from the entire system. ⚠️ WARNING: method 'delete' permanently deletes documents and requires confirm=true. Select documents either by `documents` (IDs) or by `all: true` + `filters` — Paperless document filter names such as correspondent__id, tags__id__all, document_type__id, title_content, created__date__gte or query (full text); the filter form changes every matching document in one call, e.g. reassigning all documents from a duplicate correspondent before deleting it. Unknown filter keys are refused, and the result reports matched_documents. all=true is not supported for merge, split, delete_pages, edit_pdf or remove_password. Method remove_password strips a PDF password (needs `password`); with update_document=true the unlocked file is stored as a new version of the same document. Method reprocess accepts remote_ocr=true to use the configured remote OCR engine.post_documentUpload a new document file (PDF, image, etc.) to Paperless-NGX with optional metadata. Upload is asynchronous: by default returns a task UUID (use list_tasks to track consumer progress) — the actual document ID is assigned only after the consumer has processed the file. Set poll=true to wait for the consumer to finish and return the final result (the new document_id on success, or the consumer error on failure) in a single call. Optional metadata: title, created (date), correspondent, document_type, storage_path, tags, archive_serial_number, custom_fields.list_documentsList and filter documents by fields such as title, correspondent, document type, tag, storage path, creation date, and more. IMPORTANT: For queries like 'the last 3 contributions' or when searching by tag, correspondent, document type, or storage path, you should FIRST look up the correct ID — get_filing_options returns every tag, correspondent, document type and storage path in one call (or use list_tags / list_correspondents / list_document_types / list_storage_paths) — and then use that ID as a filter here. Only use the 'search' argument for free-text search when no specific field applies. Using the correct ID filter will yield much more accurate results. Note: Document content is excluded from results by default. Use 'get_document_content' to retrieve content when needed. To find near-duplicates of one document use more_like_id; to list everything Paperless has flagged as a duplicate use has_duplicates=true.get_documentGet a specific document by ID with full details including correspondent, document type, tags, and custom fields. Note: Document content is excluded from results by default. Use 'get_document_content' to retrieve content when needed. Documents can have several file versions (`versions`; manage them with upload_document_version / update_document_version / delete_document_version). Content (get_document_content) and get_document_metadata follow the LATEST version, but page_count, original_file_name and archived_file_name always describe the ROOT (first) version — e.g. after a password-protected PDF was unlocked into a new version, page_count stays null. Don't use page_count to judge whether a document is readable; check its content.get_document_contentGet the text content of a specific document by ID. Use this when you need to read or analyze the actual document text. For long documents, read a slice with max_chars (and offset to continue) — e.g. max_chars: 2000 is usually enough to identify a document. Paperless stores the text without page boundaries, so slices are by characters, not pages.search_documentsRanked full-text search through Paperless's search index (content, title and metadata). mode 'query' (default) takes advanced syntax — AND/OR/NOT, "quoted phrases", field:value, wildcards*; 'text' takes plain words with no syntax; 'title' searches titles only. The index is updated in the background and can lag behind or miss documents: if you expect matches but get none, use list_documents with `search`, which scans the database directly. For filtering by tag, correspondent, type or date use list_documents. Content is excluded from results; use get_document_content.download_documentDownload a document file by ID. Returns the document as a base64-encoded resource.get_document_thumbnailGet a document thumbnail (image preview) by ID. Returns the thumbnail as a base64-encoded WebP image resource.update_documentUpdate fields on ONE document (PATCH — only fields you supply are changed). To change tags, prefer add_tags / remove_tags: they leave the other tags alone. `tags` REPLACES the whole list — any tag you leave out is removed. Every tag change returns tag_changes {added, removed}. Editable fields: title, correspondent, document_type, storage_path, tags, add_tags, remove_tags, content (raw searchable text), created (document date, YYYY-MM-DD), archive_serial_number, owner, custom_fields. For applying the same change to MANY documents, see edit_documents_bulk. To add a comment/annotation rather than change a field, see create_document_note.email_documentSend a document via email to one or more recipients.get_document_historyGet the change history / audit log for a document, showing who changed what and when.get_document_previewGet a full-page preview image of a document. Returns the preview as a base64-encoded image resource.- +97 more on the listing page
Variflight MCP tools 9
searchFlightsByDepArrSearch direct flights by departure and arrival location plus date. Use depcity and arrcity when the user specifies cities such as BJS or SHA. Use dep and arr when the user specifies exact airports such as PEK or PVG. Provide one departure field and one arrival field, and do not mix city and airport codes for the same side. All codes must be valid IATA 3-letter codes. Date must be in YYYY-MM-DD format. For today's date, use getTodayDate instead of hardcoding.searchFlightsByNumberSearch a flight by flight number and date. The flight number must include the airline code, for example MU2157 or CZ3969. dep and arr are optional and should only be provided when the exact airports are known. Date must be in YYYY-MM-DD format. For today's date, use getTodayDate instead of hardcoding.getFlightTransferInfoSearch connecting flight options between a departure city and an arrival city on a specific date. Use city IATA 3-letter codes such as BJS, SHA, or LAX. This tool is for transfer or connection itineraries between cities, not for airport weather, airport facilities, or realtime tracking. Date must be in YYYY-MM-DD format. For today's date, use getTodayDate instead of hardcoding.flightHappinessIndexUse this tool when the user wants comfort-focused details for a known flight, such as punctuality, aircraft type, cabin configuration, seat comfort, meals, entertainment, or other onboard experience details. This tool works best when a specific flight number and date are already known. Do not use it for fare search, itinerary recommendation, or raw price comparison.getRealtimeLocationByAnumGet realtime flight location by aircraft registration number, also called tail number, such as B2021 or B2022. Use this only when the aircraft registration number is known. If the registration number is unknown, first try to find the flight through searchFlightsByNumber and then use the aircraft registration number from that result.getTodayDateGet today's date in local timezone (YYYY-MM-DD format). Use this tool whenever you need today's date - NEVER hardcode dates.getFutureWeatherByAirportGet the 3-day airport weather forecast for today, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow by airport IATA 3-letter code, such as PEK, SHA, CAN, or HFE.searchFlightItinerariesUse this tool when the user wants a concise recommended itinerary summary in natural language. It returns a text-style result that summarizes how many sale flights match, the overall lowest price, the shortest duration, and several recommended options. Use city IATA 3-letter codes only. If the user instead needs structured raw flight pricing data with each flight and cabin price, use getFlightPriceByCities.getFlightPriceByCitiesUse this tool when the user needs structured raw pricing data. It returns sale flights between two cities as a list of flights, and each flight contains cabin entries with prices. This is better than searchFlightItineraries when the caller needs per-flight, per-cabin price details instead of a natural-language recommendation summary. All city codes must be valid IATA 3-letter codes (e.g. BJS for Beijing, SHA for Shanghai, CAN for Guangzhou, HFE for Hefei).
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.
Paperless Ngx
{
"mcpServers": {
"paperless-ngx-2": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"paperless-ngx-mcp"
],
"env": {
"PAPERLESS_URL": "YOUR_PAPERLESS_URL_HERE",
"PAPERLESS_API_KEY": "YOUR_PAPERLESS_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Variflight MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"variflight-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@variflight-ai/variflight-mcp"
],
"env": {
"VARIFLIGHT_API_KEY": "YOUR_VARIFLIGHT_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Paperless Ngx is categorized under Developer Tools and uses a local stdio subprocess. Variflight MCP belongs to Developer Tools and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Paperless Ngx for developer tools work and Variflight MCP 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.
Paperless Ngx has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Variflight MCP 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 paperless-ngx-2 and variflight-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Paperless Ngx has a quality signal of 65/100 (Great) with 0 views, 0 installs and 11 GitHub stars. Variflight MCP has 67/100 (Great) with 0 views, 0 installs and 33 GitHub stars.