Needle Remote vs smarthealthconnect
Needle Remote is an MCP server published by docker. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). smarthealthconnect is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by aks129. Marketplaces we read that list it: 2 (Claude Code: claude-plugins-community, Community GitHub marketplaces). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-13. 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 |  smarthealthconnect | |
|---|---|---|
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: not stated No figure published Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-community | Not listed | Listed Version: 1.0.0 Forks (GitHub): 0 Stars (GitHub): 1 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 | Needle Remote | smarthealthconnect |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it (differs) | 1 (worse) | 2 (better) |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | No figure on GitHub | 1 |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | No figure on GitHub | 0 |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | Remote server (mcp.needle.app/mcp) | Installs as a plugin bundle |
| Transport (differs) | Streamable HTTP | Not stated |
| Tools it declares | Not published | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | 1, secrets among them: 1 | 1, secrets among them: 0 |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | Not a bundle | 7 |
| Licence (differs) | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Repository (differs) | Not stated | github.com/aks129/smarthealthconnect |
| Changes in the last 7 days (differs) | 0 | 2 |
| First seen (differs) | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-12 |
| Endpoint at the last check (differs) | not checked yet | no remote endpoint we check |
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
Needle Remote
Production-ready RAG service to search and retrieve data from your documents.
smarthealthconnect
SmartHealthConnect turns Claude into a patient-facing health copilot. Six auto-discoverable skills invoke themselves based on natural prompts: • care-completion — tracks preventive screenings, referrals, and follow-ups against HEDIS and USPSTF quality measures. Triggers on "what screenings am I due for", "show my care gaps". • medication-refills — monitors refill windows, requests refills, and projects 90-day timelines. Triggers on "refill my lisinopril", "which meds am I about to run out of". • healthy-habits — a longitudinal health operating picture integrating sleep, exercise, medication adherence, vitals, and goal progress. • diet-exercise — logs activity and meals and analyzes correlations between exercise/diet and clinical outcomes (BP, HbA1c, weight). • kids-health — CDC immunization schedules, well-child visit cadence, and state-specific school health compliance. • research-monitor — filters bioRxiv / medRxiv preprints, ClinicalTrials.gov, and OpenFDA drug-safety signals to the patient's actual condit
How to run each
Needle Remote As a remote MCP server
claude mcp add --transport http needle https://mcp.needle.app/mcpRequires: NEEDLE_API_KEY (secret)
smarthealthconnect As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community
/plugin install smarthealthconnect@claude-communityCommands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
Neither one's marketplaces publish a list of tools, so there is nothing to compare.
Settings each asks for
Only Needle Remote asks for
NEEDLE_API_KEY (secret)
Only smarthealthconnect asks for
SMARTHEALTHCONNECT_API_URL
Settings as each marketplace publishes them. Asking for fewer is not better in itself.
What it can do: Needle Remote · What it can do: smarthealthconnect · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the Docker MCP Catalog (desktop.docker.com/mcp/catalog) and Docker Hub. Data comes from the public marketplace file https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/HEAD/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json. Data comes from public marketplace files in GitHub repositories of their authors. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.