n8n-mcp vs serena
Two of the top projects in MCP servers for developers, side by side: who leads on each score part and who each one suits, then setup, license, activity and what each review found.
n8n-mcp
MCP server exposing n8n node docs, templates and workflow management to AI assistants
serena
MCP server giving coding agents symbol-level code search, editing and refactoring
Verdict
n8n-mcp ranks higher, 76 to 73. Of the 5 score parts we measure for both, n8n-mcp leads on 1, serena on 2 and 2 are even.
- Adoptionserena leads by 7 points, 77 to 70.
- FreshnessEven at 100.
- Maintenanceserena leads by 2 points, 95 to 93: close to even.
- Easy to runn8n-mcp leads by 17 points, 50 to 33: a wide gap.
- Agent-readyEven at 70.
Pick n8n-mcp if you are
Developers building n8n workflows with Claude, Cursor or other MCP clients
- Node, template and validation tools (search_nodes, get_node, validate_workflow) cover core and community nodes
- 21 management tools create, patch, autofix and test workflows on a connected n8n instance
Pick serena if you are
Developers who want their coding agent to navigate and refactor large codebases
- Symbol-level find, reference lookup and edit tools instead of line-number or regex operations
- Language server backend covers 40+ languages and is free to use
| What we compare | n8n-mcp | serena |
|---|---|---|
| Score parts, out of 100 | ||
| Adoption | 70, popular | 77, popular |
| Freshness | 100, active | 100, active |
| Maintenance | 93, healthy | 95, healthy |
| Easy to run | 50, easy | 33, some setup |
| Agent-ready | 70, partly | 70, partly |
| Facts from GitHub and the README | ||
| Stars | 23.1k | 30.3k |
| License | MIT (permissive) | custom license (read the license) |
| Last commit | Oct 2026 | Oct 2026 |
| Last release | Oct 2026 | Oct 2026 |
| Language | TypeScript | Python |
| Docker | Yes | Yes |
| GPU | Not needed | Not needed |
| arm64 or Apple Silicon | Not stated | Not stated |
n8n-mcp
n8n-MCP is a TypeScript MCP server that gives AI assistants searchable access to 3,135 n8n nodes (840 core, 2,295 community), their property schemas, and 2,352 workflow templates. With an n8n API URL and key configured, it also creates, updates, validates, tests and deploys workflows on a live n8n instance. It can be used through a hosted dashboard or self-hosted via npx, Docker or Railway.
Who it is for: Developers building n8n workflows with Claude, Cursor or other MCP clients
Strengths
- Node, template and validation tools (search_nodes, get_node, validate_workflow) cover core and community nodes
- 21 management tools create, patch, autofix and test workflows on a connected n8n instance
- Hosted option with free tier of 100 tool calls/day, or self-host via npx, Docker or Railway
- Setup guides for Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf and Codex
Weaknesses
- Operation coverage is 66.5% and docs coverage 86%, so some nodes lack detail
- Management tools need N8N_API_URL and N8N_API_KEY; some also need a separate MCP access token
- README warns AI edits to production workflows are unpredictable; backups needed
- Split-host n8n instance-level MCP (N8N_MCP_BASE_URL) is not supported
- no GPU
- Docker + Compose
- Needs n8n instance (optional, for management tools), n8n API key
serena
Serena is an MCP server that exposes IDE-style tools to coding agents: find symbol, find referencing symbols, symbol-body replacement, rename, and a memory system. It uses language servers (LSP, 40+ languages) by default, or a paid JetBrains plugin that adds move, inline, type hierarchy and debugging. It works with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VSCode, Claude Desktop and other MCP clients.
Who it is for: Developers who want their coding agent to navigate and refactor large codebases
Strengths
- Symbol-level find, reference lookup and edit tools instead of line-number or regex operations
- Language server backend covers 40+ languages and is free to use
- Works with any MCP client, including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and OpenWebUI
- Layered YAML configuration: global, per-project, per-client context and modes
Weaknesses
- Move, inline, type hierarchy and debugging need the paid JetBrains plugin
- LSP backend rename covers symbols only; some languages need extra dependencies installed
- Mixed licensing: GPL-3.0-or-later application with MIT SolidLSP component
- README warns against marketplace installs; setup requires uv and per-client configuration
- no GPU
- Docker + Compose
- Needs uv, language servers (per language), JetBrains IDE plugin (optional, paid)
- Models: any MCP-capable client/LLM
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