alation vs io.github.schemacrawler/schemacrawler-ai
alation is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by Alation. Marketplaces we read that list it: 2 (Claude Code: claude-plugins-community, Community GitHub marketplaces). io.github.schemacrawler/schemacrawler-ai is an MCP server published by schemacrawler. Marketplaces we read that list it: 2 (Official MCP Registry, Docker MCP Catalog). 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 |  alation |  io.github.schemacrawler/schemacrawler-ai |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-community | Listed Version: 1.0.1 Forks (GitHub): 1 Stars (GitHub): 8 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Official MCP Registry | Not listed | Listed Version: v17.16.0-1 Forks (GitHub): 4 Stars (GitHub): 12 Not marked · First seen |
| Docker MCP Catalog | Not listed | Listed Version: sha256:3321b42e2bb8 Forks (GitHub): 4 Pulls (Docker Hub): 13 522 Stars (Docker Hub): 2 Stars (GitHub): 12 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 | alation | io.github.schemacrawler/schemacrawler-ai |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 2 | 2 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 8 (worse) | 12 (better) |
| Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs) | No figure on Docker Hub | 13 522 |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 1 (worse) | 4 (better) |
| Last release (differs) | Not published | 2026-10-14 |
| Where it runs (differs) | Remote server (documentation.alation.com/mcp) | On your machine (schemacrawler/schemacrawler-ai:17.16.0-1) |
| Transport (differs) | Streamable HTTP | stdio |
| Tools it declares (differs) | Not published | 8 |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | Not published | 13, secrets among them: 2 |
| Hooks it runs (differs) | 1 | Not published |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | 10 | Not a bundle |
| Licence (differs) | Apache-2.0 | NOASSERTION |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/alation/alation-plugins | github.com/schemacrawler/schemacrawler-ai |
| Changes in the last 7 days | 2 | 2 |
| 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
alation
Claude plugin for the Alation platform. Query data products, explore catalogs, automate workflows, curate metadata, and configure AI agents — all through natural language.
io.github.schemacrawler/schemacrawler-ai
Enables natural language schema queries — explore tables, keys, procedures, and get SQL help fast
How to run each
alation As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community
/plugin install alation@claude-communityio.github.schemacrawler/schemacrawler-ai As a local MCP server: Docker image
claude mcp add --env "SCHCRWLR_DATABASE_PASSWORD=<YOUR_SCHCRWLR_DATABASE_PASSWORD>" --env "SCHCRWLR_DATABASE_USER=<YOUR_SCHCRWLR_DATABASE_USER>" --transport stdio schemacrawler-ai -- docker run -i --rm -e SCHCRWLR_DATABASE_PASSWORD -e SCHCRWLR_DATABASE_USER schemacrawler/schemacrawler-ai:17.16.0-1Requires: SCHCRWLR_DATABASE_PASSWORD (secret), SCHCRWLR_DATABASE_USER (secret)
Commands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
The marketplaces of alation publish no list of tools, so we do not compare tools.
Settings each asks for
The marketplaces of alation publish no settings it asks for, so we do not compare settings.
What it can do: alation · What it can do: io.github.schemacrawler/schemacrawler-ai · Compare two other plugins
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. Data comes from the Official MCP Registry (registry.modelcontextprotocol.io), CC0 1.0. Data comes from the Docker MCP Catalog (desktop.docker.com/mcp/catalog) and Docker Hub. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.