What is the key difference between PIO Agent and Build?

PIO Agent belongs to the Developer Tools category with local stdio execution, while Build belongs to the Developer Tools category with local stdio execution.

How do I install PIO Agent or Build in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are PIO Agent and Build free or paid?

PIO Agent operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). Build operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

PIO Agent lists 0 tools with 0 views and 0 GitHub stars. Build lists 5 tools with 5 views and 138 GitHub stars.

Can I use both PIO Agent and Build together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

PIO Agent vs Build

In-depth architectural comparison of the PIO Agent and Build MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.

At a Glance & Executive Verdict

PIO Agent

Developer Tools · Local stdio

Quality: 27/100 (Emerging) | Auth: No auth required

Build

Developer Tools · Local stdio

Quality: 51/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required

Verdict Summary: Choose PIO Agent if you need specialized Developer Tools tools running via a local process. Choose Build if your workspace requires Developer Tools integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose PIO Agent when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore PIO Agent Details

Choose Build when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: Schema-validated structured JSON output, Human-readable MCP content output, TypeScript compiler support.

Explore Build Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	P PIO Agent Developer Tools	B Build Developer Tools
Summary	Build, inspect, flash, and monitor PlatformIO firmware projects with policy-controlled tools.	Structured build tool output (tsc, generic commands) as typed JSON diagnostics.
Category & Scope	Developer Tools	Developer Tools
Quality signal

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

PIO Agent Tools (0)

No explicit tool names declared in metadata yet. Check project README on main listing page.

Build Tools (5)

Schema-validated structured JSON output

Human-readable MCP content output

TypeScript compiler support

esbuild, Vite, and webpack coverage

Reduced reliance on fragile CLI parsing

Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations

Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).

PIO Agent Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pio-agent": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "pio-agent"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Build Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "build": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@paretools/init"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

PIO Agent is categorized under Developer Tools and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Build belongs to Developer Tools using local stdio subprocess. Select PIO Agent when you need capabilities focused on developer tools and Build when you require tools for developer tools.

More alternatives to PIO Agent More alternatives to Build Developer Tools category hub Canonical compare URL