Zerno Lite vs RoadRaven

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

Zerno Lite logoZerno LiteProduct Management · Remote HTTP/SSEGive AI agents secure access to ZERNO project briefs, tasks, and context over remote MCP.48FairAuth: not declaredRoadRaven logoRoadRavenProduct Management · Local subprocess (stdio)Create and update roadmap tree nodes and statuses in the RoadRaven desktop app (must be running).64GoodAuth: not declared

Verdict: choose Zerno Lite for product management work over a hosted endpoint; choose RoadRaven for product management as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.

Which MCP server should you choose?

Zerno Lite logoChoose Zerno Lite when

  • You need dedicated capabilities in the Product Management domain.
  • You prefer a remote HTTP/SSE transport.
  • You want tools like zerno_get_project_brief, zerno_get_agent_context, zerno_list_tasks.
Explore Zerno Lite

RoadRaven logoChoose RoadRaven when

  • You need dedicated capabilities in the Product Management domain.
  • You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
  • You want tools like updateNodeStatus, getEventApiStatus, getRoadmap.
Explore RoadRaven

Feature & specification comparison

Rows where the two servers differ are marked.

SpecZerno Lite logoZerno LiteRoadRaven logoRoadRaven
CategoryProduct ManagementProduct Management
Quality signal48/100 · Fair64/100 · Good
Install commandConfirmedConfirmed
TransportRemote HTTP/SSELocal subprocess (stdio)
AuthNot declaredNot declared
PricingNot declaredNot declared
Required env varsNone listedNone listed
Verified ownerCommunity listingCommunity listing
GitHub stars09
Directory activity 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes
Tools822

Tools & capabilities

Zerno Lite tools 8

  • zerno_get_project_briefno
  • zerno_get_agent_contextno
  • zerno_list_tasksno
  • zerno_get_taskno
  • zerno_update_taskmutates
  • zerno_submit_task_triagecreates proposals
  • zerno_create_agent_intake_taskcreates a task
  • zerno_capture_session_eventcreates memory event

RoadRaven tools 22

  • updateNodeStatusPush a status update to a node. Requires the desktop app to be running and a roadmap loaded. Routes through the agent dispatcher so the change appears in the event-log drawer (Ctrl+Shift+L).
  • getEventApiStatusReturns the current Event API URL, PID, and startedAt — or an error if the app is not running.
  • getRoadmapReturn the full schema tree from the desktop app, with live-event statuses merged in, plus the current `revision` (pass it as expectedRevision on writes to detect stale reads). Pass omitNotes: true for polling (large roadmaps exceed the tool-result limit): it leaves out notes and the createdAt/updatedAt timestamps; fetch notes with getNode/findNodes. Requires the app to be running and a file to be loaded.
  • getNodeReturn a node by UUID, with its immediate parent ID, full ancestor chain (root-to-parent), and the current roadmap `revision`. Status reflects the live overlay if a recent event landed.
  • findNodesSearch nodes by AND-combined filter: titleContains (case-insensitive substring), status, type, metaKey + metaValue, parentId. All fields optional. Returns matching nodes (without their children; use parentId or getNode for those) with their parent IDs.
  • getStatusConfigReturn the loaded roadmap's statusConfig array (display labels/colors for statuses). Agent mutations accept only core node statuses.
  • getTypeConfigReturn the loaded roadmap's typeConfig array (the valid node-type IDs and their visual configuration).
  • getOpenFileReturn filePath (or null if untitled), isUntitled flag, document title, and total nodeCount. Works even when no file is loaded — returns null filePath and isUntitled=false.
  • createNodeAdd a child node under parentId with the given title. Optional: id (UUID or slug — supply it when recovering/recreating a node so its identity stays stable and history/metadata continuity survives file churn; duplicate_id if it already exists), type, core status (defaults to not-started), notes (markdown), metadata. Returns the new node's id. Requires a loaded roadmap.
  • createRoadmapInitialize an in-memory untitled schema (mirrors File > New). Optional: title, statusConfig, typeConfig. The agent must call saveFileAs to persist the new roadmap to disk.
  • renameNodeChange a node's title.
  • updateNodeTypeChange a node's type string. Use getTypeConfig to discover valid types.
  • +10 more on 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.

Zerno Lite

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zerno-lite": {
      "url": "https://zerno.one/mcp"
    }
  }
}

RoadRaven

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "roadraven": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@roadraven/mcp@0.9.1"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Frequently asked questions

Zerno Lite is categorized under Product Management and uses a remote HTTP/SSE transport. RoadRaven belongs to Product Management and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Zerno Lite for product management work and RoadRaven for product management.

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.

Zerno Lite has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. RoadRaven has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. 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 zerno-lite and roadraven as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.

On AllMCPs, Zerno Lite has a quality signal of 48/100 (Fair) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. RoadRaven has 64/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 9 GitHub stars.