Remote Agents vs Unterm

A side-by-side look at the Remote Agents and Unterm MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.

Remote Agents logoRemote AgentsCommand Line · Local subprocess (stdio)Control fleets of remote machines via AI agents: exec, files, git, fleet ops, map/reduce.56GoodAuth: not declaredUnterm logoUntermCommand LineThe terminal AI agents can drive: spawn panes, run commands, read screens, scrolling screenshots.39FairAuth: api key required

Verdict: choose Remote Agents for command line work as a local process; choose Unterm for command line. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.

Which MCP server should you choose?

Remote Agents logoChoose Remote Agents when

  • You need dedicated capabilities in the Command Line domain.
  • You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
  • You want tools like exec, read_file, get_info.
Explore Remote Agents

Unterm logoChoose Unterm when

  • You need dedicated capabilities in the Command Line domain.
  • Its auth model fits you: API key required.
Explore Unterm

Feature & specification comparison

Rows where the two servers differ are marked.

SpecRemote Agents logoRemote AgentsUnterm logoUnterm
CategoryCommand LineCommand Line
Quality signal56/100 · Good39/100 · Fair
Install commandConfirmedNot confirmed yet
TransportLocal subprocess (stdio)—
AuthNot declaredAPI key required
PricingNot declaredFree
Required env varsNone listedNone listed
Verified ownerCommunity listingCommunity listing
GitHub stars114
Directory activity 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes
Tools15Not listed

Tools & capabilities

Remote Agents tools 15

  • execRun a shell command (locally or on a remote agent via `agent_id`)
  • read_fileFile operations (write requires Edit/Bypass)
  • get_infoInspect / change an agent's mode at runtime
  • git_statusGit operations
  • schedule_addCron-style tasks on a host
  • task_dispatchAutonomous AI tasks run with the host's own credentials
  • session_listBrowse the host's AI-chat history (claude / opencode / codex / cline / roo / kilo / zed / cursor / gemini / qwen / goose / continue); `session_get` fetches a transcript or a window around one message
  • session_searchFull-text search over the host's AI-chat history — a local Tantivy (BM25) index of every provider transcript, returning ranked cited snippets with `session_id` + message position (follow up with `session_get { around_seq }` for the context)
  • list_agentsList agents connected to the relay room
  • fleet_execRun an operation across the fleet — `target = all \
  • fleet_session_searchSearch the AI-chat history across the whole fleet: every matched host queries its local index, hits merge by score with host labels
  • file_searchFind files on a host, and move a file host→host (UDP, SHA-256 verified)
  • +3 more on the listing page

Unterm 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.

Remote Agents

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "remote-agents": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "remote-agents"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Unterm

No confirmed install command for Unterm yet — follow the setup steps linked from its listing page rather than a guessed package name.

Frequently asked questions

Remote Agents is categorized under Command Line and uses a local stdio subprocess. Unterm belongs to Command Line and uses an install path we have not confirmed yet. Pick Remote Agents for command line work and Unterm for command line.

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. Unterm has no confirmed install command yet — follow its own setup instructions.

Remote Agents has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Unterm 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 remote-agents and unterm as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.

On AllMCPs, Remote Agents has a quality signal of 56/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 1 GitHub stars. Unterm has 39/100 (Fair) with 1 views, 0 installs and 14 GitHub stars.