What is the key difference between Rclone and Tailscale?

Rclone belongs to the Developer Tools category with local stdio execution, while Tailscale belongs to the Developer Tools category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Rclone or Tailscale 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 Rclone and Tailscale free or paid?

Rclone operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). Tailscale operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Rclone lists 0 tools with 0 views and 10 GitHub stars. Tailscale lists 0 tools with 0 views and 5 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Rclone and Tailscale 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

Rclone vs Tailscale

In-depth architectural comparison of the Rclone and Tailscale 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

Rclone

Developer Tools · Local stdio

Quality: 41/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required

Tailscale

Developer Tools · Local stdio

Quality: 40/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required

Verdict Summary: Choose Rclone if you need specialized Developer Tools tools running via a local process. Choose Tailscale 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 Rclone 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 Rclone Details

Choose Tailscale 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 Tailscale Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	R Rclone Developer Tools	T Tailscale Developer Tools
Summary	MCP server for the Rclone RC API, with selectable toolsets.	Drive a Tailscale node and its tailnet through the CLI and the control-plane API
Category & Scope	Developer Tools	Developer Tools
Quality signal

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Rclone Tools (0)

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

Tailscale Tools (0)

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

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).

Rclone Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rclone": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "rclone-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Tailscale Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tailscale": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@tailscale-mcp/tailscale-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

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

More alternatives to Rclone More alternatives to Tailscale Developer Tools category hub