codemcp vs Serena

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

	codemcp Turn Claude Desktop into a pair programmer that edits files, runs tests, and Git-versions every change. Unverified stdio (local) No auth Python	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	Python	Python
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	None	None
GitHub stars	1.6k	12k
Last commit	6 months ago	23 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`uvx --from git+https://github.com/ezyang/codemcp@prod codemcp`	`uvx --from git+https://github.com/oraios/serena serena start-mcp-server`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick codemcp if you prefer its approach (turn claude desktop into a pair programmer that edits files, runs tests, and git-versions every change).

Pick Serena if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want a verified, documented setup.

Add codemcp

Install / run

uvx --from git+https://github.com/ezyang/codemcp@prod codemcp

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "codemcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--from",
        "git+https://github.com/ezyang/codemcp@prod",
        "codemcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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

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

codemcp or Serena — which is better?

Pick codemcp if you prefer its approach (turn claude desktop into a pair programmer that edits files, runs tests, and git-versions every change). Pick Serena if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want a verified, documented setup.

Can I use both codemcp 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 codemcp and Serena work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

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

View codemcp →View Serena →More comparisons →