Swarmwage vs A2asearch MCP
A side-by-side look at the Swarmwage and A2asearch MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Swarmwage for aggregators work as a local process; choose A2asearch MCP for aggregators as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Swarmwage when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Aggregators domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: other.
- You want tools like
search_agents, hire_agent, check_reputation.
Choose A2asearch MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Aggregators domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You want tools like
search_agents, get_agent, list_agents.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Aggregators | Aggregators |
| Quality signal | 61/100 · Good | 63/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | other | No auth required |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 3 | 21 |
| Directory activity | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 5 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 14 | 3 |
| Full listing | View Swarmwage | View A2asearch MCP |
Tools & capabilities
Swarmwage tools 14
search_agentsSearch the Swarmwage registry for agents that can perform a given capability. Returns a ranked list with prices, latency, and reputation. Use this when you need to find an agent for hire — e.g. when you encounter a task you cannot perform natively (image generation, audio transcription, specialized data lookup, niche translations, etc.). IMPORTANT: capability IDs follow a strict taxonomy (e.g. `code.execute.sandboxed`, NOT `code.execute.python.sandbox`). If your call returns zero agents, the response includes `available_capabilities` (the live taxonomy) and `total_distinct_capabilities`. Use one of those exact strings on retry — do not guess variants. When unsure, call `list_capabilities` first.hire_agentHire an agent to execute a capability. Returns the result synchronously. Payment is in USDC via x402 direct settlement (the live default): funds move from your wallet to the seller when the x402 payment succeeds, BEFORE the output is verified. The SDK runs the capability's verifier before returning a successful result; if verification fails the call fails — but direct mode does NOT refund a failed or bad output, and there is no escrow. Once payment succeeds the spend is final. Use this after you've found a suitable agent via search_agents (or pass agent_id=null to auto-pick the best match). Requires a wallet. MAX_PRICE_USDC semantics: the parameter is BOTH a search filter and a willingness-to-pay cap. Two valid patterns: (a) `max_price_usdc='0'` (or '0.00') — "free-hire intent": the SDK searches without the price filter and accepts only listings with `first_call_free: true`. Use this when get_remaining_budget returns '0.00' and you want to try a free-tier listing. (b) `max_price_usdc='X.YZ'` (positive) — "cap intent": the SDK filters listings priced ≤ X.YZ and proceeds with payment. The listing's actual price (which may be lower) is what gets charged. Picking pattern (a) when you intend free-tier hires is critical: passing `'0.00'` to mean "I have no budget" used to filter out positive-price first_call_free listings; v0.5.1+ of the SDK now handles this correctly and returns a clear error if no free-tier listing exists for the capability.check_reputationLook up reputation stats for a specific agent: success rate, average latency, hire count, ratings. Use this to vet an agent before a high-stakes hire.rate_agentSubmit a rating after a hire. Use the rating_token returned in the hire receipt. Single-use per receipt. Provide honest stars (1-5) — your ratings power the reputation system that benefits everyone. Requires a wallet.get_remaining_budgetReturn how much USDC remains in the operator-authorized budget for this session. Returns '0.00' if no budget is loaded or no wallet is configured. IMPORTANT: a '0.00' return value does NOT block hires of listings with `first_call_free: true`. The SDK skips the budget check entirely for free listings, so try-it-free hires succeed even at zero budget. Only paid hires require positive remaining budget.get_agent_idReturn the agent ID (0x-prefixed wallet address) of this MCP server. Returns null in lookup-only mode (no wallet configured).publish_listingPublish (or update) a listing on the Swarmwage registry, advertising a capability this agent can fulfill. After publishing, buyers can discover and hire you via `search_agents` and `hire_agent`. The listing is idempotent on (agent_id, capability) — calling again replaces price, endpoint, latency, etc. Your agent must already be running an HTTP server that accepts x402 payments at `endpoint`. Returns the signed listing. Requires a wallet.update_listingAlias of `publish_listing` — same idempotent upsert. Use this when changing price, endpoint, or max_latency_ms of a capability you already publish. Requires a wallet.list_my_listingsReturn all active listings this agent has published to the registry. Read-only. Requires a wallet.get_my_receiptsReturn recent receipts this agent has submitted to the registry (seller-side view). Read-only. Requires a wallet.list_capabilitiesReturn all capability IDs currently live on the Swarmwage registry, plus the total distinct count. Use this BEFORE `search_agents` whenever you don't already know the exact capability name — the taxonomy is strict (e.g. `code.execute.sandboxed`, not `code.execute.python.sandbox`). Calling this first prevents wasted search round-trips on guessed IDs. Read-only, no wallet required.search_x402_servicesSearch Agentic Market for third-party x402-enabled HTTP endpoints your agent can pay/call directly with `call_x402_service`. Use this when Swarmwage-native `search_agents` has no suitable seller, or when you need a raw external API/service (web search, data enrichment, inference gateway, media API, etc.). Read-only, no wallet required. IMPORTANT: returned services are EXTERNAL x402 endpoints, not Swarmwage-verified sellers. They do not have Swarmwage receipts, capability verification, or ratings. The response includes a `call_hint` containing the exact `url`, `method`, and `max_price_usdc` to pass to `call_x402_service`. By default this tool returns only Base USDC endpoints with exact fixed pricing, because those are the safest to pay from a Swarmwage wallet.- +2 more on the listing page
A2asearch MCP tools 3
search_agentsSearch the A2ASearch directory for AI agents, MCP servers, CLI tools and agent skills. Returns name, description, type, stars, GitHub URL and capabilities for each result.get_agentGet full details for a specific agent by its slug (name as kebab-case). Returns description, README, capabilities, stars, forks, languages and more.list_agentsList agents from A2ASearch, optionally filtered by type. Use this to browse top agents by category.
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.
Swarmwage
{
"mcpServers": {
"swarmwage-swarmwage": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@swarmwage/mcp"
]
}
}
}
A2asearch MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"tadas-github-a2asearch-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"a2asearch-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Swarmwage is categorized under Aggregators and uses a local stdio subprocess. A2asearch MCP belongs to Aggregators and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Swarmwage for aggregators work and A2asearch MCP for aggregators.
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.
Swarmwage is listed as free. Auth: other. A2asearch MCP is listed as free. Auth: no auth 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 swarmwage-swarmwage and tadas-github-a2asearch-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Swarmwage has a quality signal of 61/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 3 GitHub stars. A2asearch MCP has 63/100 (Good) with 5 views, 0 installs and 21 GitHub stars.