CongressMCP vs Fetch (Reference)

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

	CongressMCP 91+ congressional data tools — bills, votes, members, committees, hearings — via the Congress.gov API. Unverified stdio (local) API key Python	Fetch (Reference) Official MCP reference server that fetches a URL and returns its content as clean Markdown, with chunking. Verified stdio (local) No auth Python
Category	Search & Web	Search & Web
Language	Python	Python
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	None
GitHub stars	32	87k
Last commit	3 days ago	20 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`uvx congressmcp`	`uvx mcp-server-fetch`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick CongressMCP if you need the broadest set of tools.

Pick Fetch (Reference) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Add CongressMCP

Install / run

uvx congressmcp

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "congressmcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "congressmcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CONGRESS_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

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

Add Fetch (Reference)

Install / run

uvx mcp-server-fetch

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fetch-reference": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-server-fetch"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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

FAQ

CongressMCP or Fetch (Reference) — which is better?

Pick CongressMCP if you need the broadest set of tools. Pick Fetch (Reference) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Can I use both CongressMCP and Fetch (Reference)?

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 CongressMCP and Fetch (Reference) work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

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

View CongressMCP →View Fetch (Reference) →More comparisons →