OpenAPI MCP Server vs Serena

A side-by-side comparison of two Developer Tools servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	OpenAPI MCP Server Search and explore any OpenAPI spec in simple language, via oapis.org. Unverified HTTP (remote) No auth TypeScript	Serena LSP-powered coding agent toolkit: semantic symbol search, references and structural edits. Verified stdio (local) No auth Python
Category	Developer Tools	Developer Tools
Language	TypeScript	Python
Transport	HTTP (remote)	stdio (local)
Auth	None	None
GitHub stars	895	12k
Last commit	3 months ago	15 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	—	`uvx --from git+https://github.com/oraios/serena serena start-mcp-server`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick OpenAPI MCP Server if you want a hosted/remote server with nothing to install.

Pick Serena if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want a local (stdio) server that keeps data on your machine.

Add OpenAPI MCP Server

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openapi-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://openapi-mcp.openapisearch.com/mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop connects to remote servers through the `mcp-remote` proxy (installed on first run via npx). Restart Claude Desktop after saving.

Add Serena

Install / run

uvx --from git+https://github.com/oraios/serena serena start-mcp-server

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "serena": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--from",
        "git+https://github.com/oraios/serena",
        "serena",
        "start-mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Requires `uv` (the Python package runner). Install it from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ if `uvx` is not found.

FAQ

OpenAPI MCP Server or Serena — which is better?

Pick OpenAPI MCP Server if you want a hosted/remote server with nothing to install. Pick Serena if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want a local (stdio) server that keeps data on your machine.

Can I use both OpenAPI MCP Server and Serena?

Yes — MCP clients let you enable multiple servers at once. Add both configs to your client's mcpServers and use whichever tool fits the task.

Do OpenAPI MCP Server and Serena work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View OpenAPI MCP Server →View Serena →More comparisons →