Descope vs Alter Onboarding
Descope is an MCP server published by descope-sample-apps. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). Alter Onboarding is an MCP server published by AlterAIDev. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Official MCP Registry). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-16. This pair was picked by a reader, not by our comparison rule, so search engines are asked not to index the page.
Where each is published
| Marketplace |  Descope |  Alter Onboarding |
|---|---|---|
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: sha256:554b2b490c18 Forks (GitHub): 7 Pulls (Docker Hub): 17 879 Stars (Docker Hub): 0 Stars (GitHub): 38 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Official MCP Registry | Not listed | Listed Version: 0.3.0 No figure published Not marked · First seen |
Each figure is the marketplace's own and is never added up across marketplaces. A marketplace that publishes no figure shows none: no number is not zero.
The facts side by side
| Fact | Descope | Alter Onboarding |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 1 | 1 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 38 | No figure on GitHub |
| Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs) | 17 879 | No figure on Docker Hub |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 7 | No figure on GitHub |
| Last release (differs) | Not published | 2026-10-15 |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (mcp/descope) | Remote server (mcp.alterauth.com/mcp) |
| Transport (differs) | stdio | Streamable HTTP |
| Tools it declares (differs) | 4 | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | 2, secrets among them: 1 | Not published |
| Licence (differs) | MIT | Not stated |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/descope-sample-apps/descope-mcp-server | github.com/alteraidev/alter-vault |
| Changes in the last 7 days (differs) | 0 | 1 |
| First seen | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-11 |
| Endpoint at the last check (differs) | no remote endpoint we check | Responded 27 h ago |
Lines where the two differ have a tinted background and bold values. Where the data itself says which value is better (more marketplaces, a larger figure of the same marketplace, a fresher release, a verified mark on a marketplace that lists both), the better one is also marked green with ▲ and the worse one red with ▼. Where it runs, the transport, the tools, the settings, hooks, the bundle's parts, the licence and the week's changes are marked only as different: more or fewer is not better in itself.
What each says it does
Descope
The Descope Model Context Protocol (MCP) server provides an interface to interact with Descope's Management APIs, enabling the search and retrieval of project-related information.
Alter Onboarding
Guide developers from setup through a verified, policy-aware, audited Alter API call.
How to run each
Descope As a local MCP server: Docker image
claude mcp add --env "DESCOPE_MANAGEMENT_KEY=<YOUR_DESCOPE_MANAGEMENT_KEY>" --transport stdio descope -- docker run -i --rm -e DESCOPE_MANAGEMENT_KEY mcp/descopeRequires: DESCOPE_MANAGEMENT_KEY (secret)
Alter Onboarding As a remote MCP server
claude mcp add --transport http alter-onboarding https://mcp.alterauth.com/mcpCommands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Only Alter Onboarding has a remote endpoint we check. How we check endpoints
Tools each declares
Only Descope has
create-userinvite-usersearch-auditssearch-users
Only Alter Onboarding has
fetch_docget_operation_schemaget_startedlist_operationslist_phaseslist_providerslist_skillsnext_steppolicy_languagesdk_integrationsdk_patternsearch_docs
Show the remaining 2
troubleshootverify_integration
Both have
None
Tool names as the marketplaces declare them and as Ext Ops observed them on the endpoints (Alter Onboarding as of 2026-10-16). More tools is not better in itself: compare what each needs for the job.
Settings each asks for
The marketplaces of Alter Onboarding publish no settings it asks for, so we do not compare settings.
What it can do: Descope · What it can do: Alter Onboarding · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the Docker MCP Catalog (desktop.docker.com/mcp/catalog) and Docker Hub. Data comes from the Official MCP Registry (registry.modelcontextprotocol.io), CC0 1.0. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.