Elasticsearch/OpenSearch MCP Server vs Fetch (Reference)

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

	Elasticsearch/OpenSearch MCP Server Search, analyze, and manage Elasticsearch & OpenSearch clusters through MCP tools. 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	290	87k
Last commit	1 month ago	20 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`uvx elasticsearch-mcp-server`	`uvx mcp-server-fetch`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Elasticsearch/OpenSearch MCP Server 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 Elasticsearch/OpenSearch MCP Server

Install / run

uvx elasticsearch-mcp-server

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "elasticsearch-opensearch-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "elasticsearch-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ELASTICSEARCH_HOSTS": "https://localhost:9200",
        "ELASTICSEARCH_USERNAME": "elastic",
        "ELASTICSEARCH_PASSWORD": "test123"
      }
    }
  }
}

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

Elasticsearch/OpenSearch MCP Server or Fetch (Reference) — which is better?

Pick Elasticsearch/OpenSearch MCP Server 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 Elasticsearch/OpenSearch MCP Server 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 Elasticsearch/OpenSearch MCP Server and Fetch (Reference) work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

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

View Elasticsearch/OpenSearch MCP Server →View Fetch (Reference) →More comparisons →