Psquare vs MCP Local Rag
A side-by-side look at the Psquare and MCP Local Rag MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Psquare for education work as a local process; choose MCP Local Rag for knowledge & memory as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Psquare when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Education domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
submit_mfa_code, list_schools, list_school_features.
Choose MCP Local Rag when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You have the keys it needs:
BASE_DIR, BASE_DIRS, IGNORE_PATHS, DB_PATH, CACHE_DIR, HF_ENDPOINT. - You want tools like
sync_start, sync_status, ingest_file.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Education | Knowledge & Memory |
| Quality signal | 59/100 · Good | 69/100 · Great |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | No auth required |
| Pricing | Not declared | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | BASE_DIRBASE_DIRSIGNORE_PATHSDB_PATHCACHE_DIRHF_ENDPOINT |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 14 | 416 |
| Directory activity | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 13 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 48 | 9 |
| Full listing | View Psquare | View MCP Local Rag |
Tools & capabilities
Psquare tools 48
submit_mfa_codeSubmit a 6-digit MFA verification code to complete ParentSquare login. When a ParentSquare tool returns an MFA error, a verification code is sent to your email. Check your email for the code and use this tool to complete authentication. Args: code: The 6-digit verification code from your emaillist_schoolsList available schools and students in your ParentSquare account. Returns JSON with schools, students, and your user ID. Use the school_id and student_id values from this output in other tools. For school contact info (phone, address), use get_directory(school_id).list_school_featuresList features available for a specific school by parsing its sidebar navigation. Returns a list of available sections (Feed, Messages, Calendar, Photos, etc.). Different schools may have different features enabled. Args: school_id: School ID (use list_schools to find available IDs)get_feedsGet recent posts from a school's feed with titles, authors, dates, and summaries. Returns a paginated list of posts. Use get_post with the feed_id to see full details. Args: school_id: School ID page: Page number for pagination (default: 1)get_postGet full details of a specific post including body text, comments, and attachments. Image attachments are returned inline so you can see their contents directly. PDF attachments have their text extracted and included inline. Args: feed_id: Post/feed ID (shown as feed_id in get_feeds results)list_conversationsList message conversations for a school. Returns conversation IDs, participants, and previews. To read a full conversation, call get_conversation with BOTH the same school_id used here AND the chat_id shown in the results. Args: school_id: School ID (use list_schools to find available IDs)get_conversationRead a specific message conversation thread with all messages. IMPORTANT: Both school_id and chat_id are required. Args: school_id: School ID (same school_id used in list_conversations) chat_id: Conversation/chat ID (from list_conversations results)get_calendar_eventsGet calendar events for a school using the ICS calendar export. Returns JSON array of events with title, start/end times, location, and description. Note: Some schools post monthly calendars as images or PDFs in the feed instead of using the ICS calendar. If this returns no events, use get_feeds to browse recent posts — look for posts with "calendar" in the title or image/PDF attachments. Use get_post to view them (images are returned inline so you can read them). Args: school_id: School IDlist_photosList photos posted for a school. Returns photo URLs that can be used with download_file. Args: school_id: School ID page: Page number (default: 1)list_filesList files and documents posted for a school. Returns file URLs for download_file. Args: school_id: School IDdownload_fileDownload a photo, video, or file to local disk from a ParentSquare URL. Returns the local file path where the file was saved. Use URLs from list_photos, list_files, or get_post attachment results. Args: url: The file URL (from list_photos, list_files, or get_post results) filename: Optional custom filename. If not provided, uses the original filename from the URL.get_directoryList school contact info and staff directory with names, roles, and phone numbers. Returns JSON with school details (phone, address) and staff records. Use get_staff_member(school_id, user_id) for full staff details including email, photo, and office hours. Args: school_id: School ID- +36 more on the listing page
MCP Local Rag tools 9
sync_startReconcile the index with all configured roots or one pathsync_statusPoll a running sync jobingest_fileIngest or replace one fileingest_dataIngest text, Markdown, or HTML already held by the clientquery_documentsSearch with semantic matching and keyword boostread_chunk_neighborsRead surrounding chunks from a search resultlist_filesShow supported files and their ingestion statedelete_fileDelete an indexed file or an `ingest_data` itemstatusShow index and search status
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.
Psquare
{
"mcpServers": {
"psquare": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"parentsquare-mcp"
]
}
}
}
MCP Local Rag
{
"mcpServers": {
"shinpr-mcp-local-rag": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"mcp-local-rag"
],
"env": {
"BASE_DIR": "YOUR_BASE_DIR_HERE",
"BASE_DIRS": "YOUR_BASE_DIRS_HERE",
"IGNORE_PATHS": "YOUR_IGNORE_PATHS_HERE",
"DB_PATH": "YOUR_DB_PATH_HERE",
"CACHE_DIR": "YOUR_CACHE_DIR_HERE",
"HF_ENDPOINT": "YOUR_HF_ENDPOINT_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Psquare is categorized under Education and uses a local stdio subprocess. MCP Local Rag belongs to Knowledge & Memory and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Psquare for education work and MCP Local Rag for knowledge & memory.
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.
Psquare has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. MCP Local Rag is listed as free. Auth: no auth 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 psquare and shinpr-mcp-local-rag as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Psquare has a quality signal of 59/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 14 GitHub stars. MCP Local Rag has 69/100 (Great) with 13 views, 0 installs and 416 GitHub stars.