Filesystem (Reference) vs MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery)

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

	Filesystem (Reference) Official MCP reference server for secure local filesystem read/write within allowed directories. Verified stdio (local) No auth TypeScript	MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery) Google's official MCP server with prebuilt BigQuery tools, querying datasets via Application Default Credentials. Verified stdio (local) OAuth Go
Category	Files & Storage	Databases
Language	TypeScript	Go
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	None	OAuth
GitHub stars	74k	16k
Last commit	5 months ago	13 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /absolute/path/to/dir`	`brew install mcp-toolbox && toolbox --prebuilt bigquery --stdio`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Filesystem (Reference) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want zero-setup with no API key.

Pick MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery) if you prefer its approach (google's official mcp server with prebuilt bigquery tools, querying datasets via application default credentials).

Add Filesystem (Reference)

Install / run

npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /absolute/path/to/dir

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem-reference": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
        "/absolute/path/to/dir"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Add MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery)

Install / run

brew install mcp-toolbox && toolbox --prebuilt bigquery --stdio

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-toolbox-for-databases-bigquery": {
      "command": "/absolute/path/to/toolbox",
      "args": [
        "--prebuilt",
        "bigquery",
        "--stdio"
      ],
      "env": {
        "BIGQUERY_PROJECT": "<your-gcp-project-id>"
      }
    }
  }
}

FAQ

Filesystem (Reference) or MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery) — which is better?

Pick Filesystem (Reference) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want zero-setup with no API key. Pick MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery) if you prefer its approach (google's official mcp server with prebuilt bigquery tools, querying datasets via application default credentials).

Can I use both Filesystem (Reference) and MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery)?

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 Filesystem (Reference) and MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery) work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

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

View Filesystem (Reference) →View MCP Toolbox for Databases (BigQuery) →More comparisons →