What is the key difference between Karea MCP and Backlog?

Karea MCP belongs to the Workplace & Productivity category with local stdio execution, while Backlog belongs to the Workplace & Productivity category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Karea MCP or Backlog 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 Karea MCP and Backlog free or paid?

Karea MCP operates under a BYOK (Pay Provider Direct) model (API Key required). Backlog operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Karea MCP lists 50 tools with 3 views and 1 GitHub stars. Backlog lists 24 tools with 3 views and 5 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Karea MCP and Backlog 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

Karea MCP vs Backlog

In-depth architectural comparison of the Karea MCP and Backlog 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

Karea MCP

Workplace & Productivity · Local stdio

Quality: 63/100 (Good) | Auth: API Key required

Backlog

Workplace & Productivity · Local stdio

Quality: 47/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required

Verdict Summary: Choose Karea MCP if you need specialized Workplace & Productivity tools running via a local process. Choose Backlog if your workspace requires Workplace & Productivity integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Karea MCP when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Workplace & Productivity domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (BYOK (Pay Provider Direct)).
You have access to required keys: KAREA_API_KEY, KAREA_URL.
Primary tools included: karea_list_projects, karea_list_tasks, karea_create_task.

Explore Karea MCP Details

Choose Backlog when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Workplace & Productivity domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
You have access to required keys: TASKDATA, TASKDATA_ROOT, BACKLOG_NAMESPACE, BACKLOG_AUTO_NAMESPACE, BACKLOG_AGENT_ID, BACKLOG_BACKEND, BACKLOG_S3_BUCKET, BACKLOG_S3_REGION.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Karea MCP starecz Workplace & Productivity	Backlog backloghq Workplace & Productivity
Summary
Category & Scope	Workplace & Productivity	Workplace & Productivity

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Karea MCP Tools (50)

karea_list_projects

List all Karea projects with their IDs

karea_list_tasks

List tasks in a project. Defaults to open tasks (open, in_progress, blocked, review, backlog) capped at 200 to keep responses small. To see closed tasks pass status="done" and optionally closedSince (e.g. "14d", "7d", "24h"). To list everything, pass status="all". Optional filters (category, priority, assignee, search) narrow the result server-side — prefer them over post-filtering.

karea_create_task

Create a new task in a project and return it with its visual ID (e.g. KA42), status, priority and category. Defaults when omitted: status open, priority 3, the first category of the project. Use karea_quick_task to log something already finished, or karea_doing for work in progress.

karea_edit_task

Update fields of an existing task (title, status, priority, deadline, category, assignee, description, tags, or add a note) located by visual ID, name or UUID. Only the fields you pass change; the rest are left untouched. Returns the updated task.

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).

Karea MCP Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "starecz-karea-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "karea-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "KAREA_API_KEY": "YOUR_KAREA_API_KEY_HERE",
        "KAREA_URL": "YOUR_KAREA_URL_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Backlog Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "backloghq-backlog": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "backloghq-backlog"
      ],
      "env": {
        "TASKDATA": "YOUR_TASKDATA_HERE",
        "TASKDATA_ROOT": "YOUR_TASKDATA_ROOT_HERE",
        "BACKLOG_NAMESPACE": "YOUR_BACKLOG_NAMESPACE_HERE",
        "BACKLOG_AUTO_NAMESPACE": "YOUR_BACKLOG_AUTO_NAMESPACE_HERE",
        "BACKLOG_AGENT_ID": "YOUR_BACKLOG_AGENT_ID_HERE",
        "BACKLOG_BACKEND": "YOUR_BACKLOG_BACKEND_HERE",
        "BACKLOG_S3_BUCKET": "YOUR_BACKLOG_S3_BUCKET_HERE",
        "BACKLOG_S3_REGION": "YOUR_BACKLOG_S3_REGION_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Karea MCP is categorized under Workplace & Productivity and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Backlog belongs to Workplace & Productivity using local stdio subprocess. Select Karea MCP when you need capabilities focused on workplace & productivity and Backlog when you require tools for workplace & productivity.

More alternatives to Karea MCP More alternatives to Backlog Workplace & Productivity category hub Canonical compare URL