Pubcrawl vs Candor
A side-by-side look at the Pubcrawl and Candor MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Pubcrawl for biology & bioinformatics work as a local process; choose Candor for biology & bioinformatics as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Pubcrawl when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Biology & Bioinformatics domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
Choose Candor when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Biology & Bioinformatics domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Biology & Bioinformatics | Biology & Bioinformatics |
| Quality signal | 49/100 · Fair | 45/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | No auth required | Not declared |
| Pricing | Free | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 15 | 1 |
| Directory activity | 4 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | Not listed | Not listed |
| Full listing | View Pubcrawl | View Candor |
Tools & capabilities
Pubcrawl tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Candor 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.
Pubcrawl
{
"mcpServers": {
"pubcrawl": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pharmatools/pubcrawl"
]
}
}
}
Candor
{
"mcpServers": {
"candor": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"candor-ts"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Pubcrawl is categorized under Biology & Bioinformatics and uses a local stdio subprocess. Candor belongs to Biology & Bioinformatics and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Pubcrawl for biology & bioinformatics work and Candor for biology & bioinformatics.
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.
Pubcrawl is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. Candor 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 pubcrawl and candor as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Pubcrawl has a quality signal of 49/100 (Fair) with 4 views, 0 installs and 15 GitHub stars. Candor has 45/100 (Fair) with 2 views, 0 installs and 1 GitHub stars.