Portainer MCP vs Unraid RMCP
A side-by-side look at the Portainer MCP and Unraid RMCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Portainer MCP for cloud platforms work as a local process; choose Unraid RMCP for cloud platforms as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Portainer MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Cloud Platforms domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
PORTAINER_URL, PORTAINER_API_KEY, PORTAINER_TLS_VERIFY, PORTAINER_MCP_ALLOWED_HOSTS, PORTAINER_MCP_AUTH_TOKEN, PORTAINER_MCP_TLS_CERT, PORTAINER_MCP_TLS_KEY, PORTAINER_MCP_TRUST_PROXY_AUTH.
Choose Unraid RMCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Cloud Platforms domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
UNRAID_API_URL, UNRAID_API_KEY.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Cloud Platforms | Cloud Platforms |
| Quality signal | 57/100 · Good | 52/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | API key required | API key required |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Required env vars | PORTAINER_URLPORTAINER_API_KEY |
Tools & capabilities
Portainer MCP tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Unraid RMCP 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.
Portainer MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"portainer-portainer-mcp": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"--from",
"mcp-portainer~=2.45.0",
"mcp-portainer"
],
"env": {
"PORTAINER_URL": "YOUR_PORTAINER_URL_HERE",
"PORTAINER_API_KEY": "YOUR_PORTAINER_API_KEY_HERE",
"PORTAINER_TLS_VERIFY": "YOUR_PORTAINER_TLS_VERIFY_HERE",
"PORTAINER_MCP_ALLOWED_HOSTS": "YOUR_PORTAINER_MCP_ALLOWED_HOSTS_HERE",
"PORTAINER_MCP_AUTH_TOKEN": "YOUR_PORTAINER_MCP_AUTH_TOKEN_HERE",
"PORTAINER_MCP_TLS_CERT": "YOUR_PORTAINER_MCP_TLS_CERT_HERE",
"PORTAINER_MCP_TLS_KEY": "YOUR_PORTAINER_MCP_TLS_KEY_HERE",
"PORTAINER_MCP_TRUST_PROXY_AUTH": "YOUR_PORTAINER_MCP_TRUST_PROXY_AUTH_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Unraid RMCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"unraid-rmcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@dinglebear/unraid"
],
"env": {
"UNRAID_API_URL": "YOUR_UNRAID_API_URL_HERE",
"UNRAID_API_KEY": "YOUR_UNRAID_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Portainer MCP is categorized under Cloud Platforms and uses a local stdio subprocess. Unraid RMCP belongs to Cloud Platforms and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Portainer MCP for cloud platforms work and Unraid RMCP for cloud platforms.
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.
Portainer MCP is listed as free. Auth: api key required. Unraid RMCP is listed as free. 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 portainer-portainer-mcp and unraid-rmcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Portainer MCP has a quality signal of 57/100 (Good) with 8 views, 0 installs and 236 GitHub stars. Unraid RMCP has 52/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 137 GitHub stars.