Needle Remote vs io.github.spacecowboyian/brains
Needle Remote is an MCP server published by docker. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). io.github.spacecowboyian/brains is an MCP server published by spacecowboyian. 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: not stated No figure published Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Official MCP Registry | Not listed | Listed Version: 1.99.0 Downloads/month (npm): 12 632 Downloads/week (npm): 790 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 | io.github.spacecowboyian/brains |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 1 | 1 |
| Last release (differs) | Not published | 2026-10-14 |
| Where it runs (differs) | Remote server (mcp.needle.app/mcp) | On your machine (brains-mcp) |
| Transport (differs) | Streamable HTTP | stdio |
| Tools it declares | Not published | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | 1, secrets among them: 1 | 8, secrets among them: 3 |
| Licence (differs) | Apache-2.0 | Not stated |
| Repository (differs) | Not stated | github.com/spacecowboyian/brains |
| Changes in the last 7 days (differs) | 0 | 4 |
| First seen | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-11 |
| 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.
io.github.spacecowboyian/brains
Personal wiki and memory for AI assistants: store, search, and recall structured notes.
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)
io.github.spacecowboyian/brains As a local MCP server: npm package
claude mcp add --env "GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=<YOUR_GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET>" --env "GOOGLE_REFRESH_TOKEN=<YOUR_GOOGLE_REFRESH_TOKEN>" --env "SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY=<YOUR_SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY>" --transport stdio brains -- npx -y brains-mcpRequires: GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET (secret), GOOGLE_REFRESH_TOKEN (secret), SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY (secret)
Commands 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 io.github.spacecowboyian/brains asks for
DRIVE_FOLDER_IDGOOGLE_CLIENT_IDGOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET (secret)GOOGLE_REFRESH_TOKEN (secret)STORAGE_BACKENDSUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY (secret)SUPABASE_URLWIKI_DIR
Settings as each marketplace publishes them. Asking for fewer is not better in itself.
What it can do: Needle Remote · What it can do: io.github.spacecowboyian/brains · 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.