MCP Client Comparison 2026: Claude Desktop vs Cursor vs Windsurf vs Zed

MCP is the standard. But "MCP support" means different things in different tools. Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, and Zed all let you connect MCP servers — but they discover tools differently, support different transports, and expose different surfaces for agents to use them.

This guide covers the practical differences so you know what to expect when connecting an MCP server like AgentReady to each client.

Quick comparison

Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop has the most mature MCP implementation. It supports both stdio (local subprocess) and HTTP/SSE transports, exposes all four MCP primitives (tools, resources, prompts, sampling), and lets agents chain multiple tool calls across an entire conversation.

Connect AgentReady:

// ~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json (Mac)
// ~/AppData/Roaming/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (Windows)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "agentready": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@agentreadyweb/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

After adding, restart Claude Desktop. You'll see a hammer icon (🔨) in the input bar showing connected tools. Click it to verify list_sites, ask_site, submit_site, and refresh_site are all listed.

Best queries for AgentReady in Claude Desktop:

• "What does stripe.com say about handling webhook failures?"
• "Check list_sites first, then tell me what nextjs.org says about App Router caching"
• "Index docs.myproduct.com and then ask it how to set up authentication"

Cursor

Cursor added MCP support in version 0.44 and has steadily expanded it. It supports stdio and HTTP transports, and MCP tools are available to both the Cursor agent (the multi-step autonomous mode) and the inline composer. The key difference from Claude Desktop: Cursor's agent uses tools more conservatively — it tends to call them when explicitly mentioned rather than autonomously deciding which to use.

Connect AgentReady:

// .cursor/mcp.json (project-level, committed to repo)
// OR ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global, all projects)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "agentready": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@agentreadyweb/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Restart Cursor after adding. In the agent panel, type @agentready or just ask a question about a site — Cursor will call ask_site when it recognizes you're asking about external documentation.

Tip: Project-level MCP config (.cursor/mcp.json) is checked into your repo, so your whole team shares the same tool configuration. Every developer on the project automatically gets AgentReady connected.

Windsurf

Windsurf (by Codeium) ships with its own agentic engine called Cascade, which has native MCP support. Configuration is nearly identical to Cursor. The key distinction is that Windsurf's Cascade agent tends to be more autonomous — it will call MCP tools proactively mid-task without waiting to be asked.

Connect AgentReady:

// Open Windsurf → Settings → MCP Servers
// Or edit directly:
// ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "agentready": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@agentreadyweb/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

After connecting, Cascade will call ask_site automatically when it encounters external library or API questions mid-task — you don't have to prompt it explicitly. This is Windsurf's most useful behavior for docs retrieval.

Zed

Zed added MCP support in late 2025 with a focus on editor-native context: tools can read the current file, selection, and project structure alongside their own outputs. Currently Zed supports stdio transport only (no HTTP) and tools only (no resources or prompts). The agent integration is tighter than the other editors — tools feel like extensions of the editor rather than external services.

Connect AgentReady:

// Zed settings.json → "context_servers" section
{
  "context_servers": {
    "agentready": {
      "command": {
        "path": "npx",
        "args": ["-y", "@agentreadyweb/mcp"]
      }
    }
  }
}

Limitation: Zed's MCP implementation is the youngest of the four. HTTP transport and resources aren't yet supported, and the agent surface for tool calls is more limited than Claude Desktop or Windsurf. Watch for updates — Zed is moving fast.

Which client should you use for docs queries?

For research and Q&A (asking questions about external APIs, docs, or websites): Claude Desktop gives the best experience. Its agent is the most willing to call tools autonomously and chain multiple queries together.

For coding tasks that need doc lookups: Cursor or Windsurf. Both call AgentReady's ask_site naturally when the agent hits an API question mid-task. Windsurf does this more autonomously; Cursor is slightly more conservative.

For editor-native workflows: Zed, if you're already on it — but MCP is earlier-stage there.

One config, all four clients

The good news: the AgentReady MCP server is the same npx @agentreadyweb/mcp command in every client. The JSON key changes (mcpServers in Claude Desktop and Cursor, context_servers in Zed), but the underlying server is identical. Connect it once per client and every indexed site is immediately queryable from whichever tool you're in.