Steam (read Only) vs Steam

In-depth architectural comparison of the Steam (read Only) and Steam 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.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Steam (read Only) when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Gaming domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
• Primary tools included: steam_resolve_vanity_url, steam_get_player_summary, steam_get_friend_list.

Explore Steam (read Only) Details

Choose Steam when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Gaming domain.
• You prefer remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore Steam Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Steam (read Only) Gaming	Steam Gaming
Summary	Read-only Steam: friends, games, playtime, achievements, sales, reviews, and live player counts.	Steam Web API: profiles, owned games, achievements, app news, player counts.
Category & Scope	Gaming	Gaming
Quality signal

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

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).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "steam-read-only": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "steam-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "steam": {
      "url": "https://api.steampowered.com"
    }
  }
}

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