mcpo vs mcp-proxy
mcpo: mcpo is a simple proxy that transforms any Model Context Protocol (MCP) server command into a standard RESTful OpenAPI server. This allows LLM agents and other applications to seamlessly interact with MCP tools without custom protocols or glue code.; mcp-proxy: mcp-proxy is a versatile tool designed to switch between various server transport protocols, primarily facilitating communication between stdio and SSE/Streamable HTTP. It operates in two main modes: proxying stdio to a remote SSE server, or exposing a local stdio server via an SSE endpoint.
mcpo turns an MCP server into an OpenAPI HTTP server and is MIT licensed. mcp-proxy keeps the MCP protocol and only changes the transport.
TL;DR
- Your tool expects an OpenAPI server (as Open WebUI does) and you want to use an MCP server without speaking the MCP protocol.
- You want one command to get an HTTP endpoint with generated interactive docs and an optional API key.
- You want a config file in Claude Desktop format with per-server routes, hot reload and disabledTools.
- You need MCP features beyond tool calls: OpenAPI maps request and response calls only.
- You want to aggregate many servers behind namespaces and team authentication; an aggregator such as MetaMCP does that.
- You need a very actively developed project: the maintenance check below shows its last commit on 2026-02-27.
- Your client only speaks stdio (such as Claude Desktop) and the MCP server you need is remote over SSE or Streamable HTTP.
- You want to expose a local stdio server over SSE or Streamable HTTP so remote clients can reach it.
- You want a small single-purpose tool that can host several named stdio servers from an mcpServers-style JSON file.
- You need authentication, tool filtering or an admin UI: the README is about transport, not access control.
- Your client already supports remote transports natively, so a proxy adds a process for no gain.
- You need clear licence terms: our data shows no licence for the repository, so confirm them first.
Side-by-Side Comparison
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