mcp-tunnels vs Utilix
mcp-tunnels is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by Anthropic. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Claude Code: claude-plugins-official). Utilix is an MCP server published by utilix-tech. Marketplaces we read that list it: 2 (Official MCP Registry, npm registry (MCP servers)). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-11-13. 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 |  Utilix | |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-official | Listed Version: not stated Forks (GitHub): 4 886 Stars (GitHub): 47 083 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Official MCP Registry | Not listed | Listed Version: 0.106.0 Forks (GitHub): 0 Stars (GitHub): 0 Not marked · First seen |
| npm registry (MCP servers) | Not listed | Listed Version: 0.106.0 Downloads/month (npm): 3 452 Downloads/week (npm): 1 016 Forks (GitHub): 0 Stars (GitHub): 0 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 | mcp-tunnels | Utilix |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it (differs) | 1 (worse) | 2 (better) |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 47 083 (better) | 0 (worse) |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 4 886 (better) | 0 (worse) |
| Last release (differs) | Not published | 2026-11-13 |
| Where it runs (differs) | Installs as a plugin bundle | Remote server or your machine |
| Transport (differs) | Not stated | Streamable HTTP |
| Tools it declares | Not published | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | Not published | 1, secrets among them: 1 |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | 1 | Not a bundle |
| Licence (differs) | Not stated | MIT |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-official | github.com/utilix-tech/utilix-mcp |
| Changes in the last 7 days (differs) | 0 | 20 or more |
| First seen (differs) | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-12 |
| Endpoint at the last check (differs) | no remote endpoint we check | Responded 11 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
mcp-tunnels
Connect Claude to a private MCP server through an Anthropic MCP tunnel. The /create-docker-mcp-tunnel command drives the Docker Compose quickstart end to end: certificates, proxy config, cloudflared, and a verifiable sample server.
Utilix
300+ offline developer utilities, plus 21 AI tools with a free API key. JSON, JWT, regex, cron, SQL.
How to run each
mcp-tunnels As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin install mcp-tunnels@claude-plugins-officialUtilix As a remote MCP server
claude mcp add --transport http utilix-mcp https://mcp.utilix.tech --header "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_TOKEN>"Requires: UTILIX_API_KEY (secret), Authorization header
Commands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Only Utilix has a remote endpoint we check. How we check endpoints
Tools each declares
Neither one's marketplaces publish a list of tools, so there is nothing to compare.
Settings each asks for
The marketplaces of mcp-tunnels publish no settings it asks for, so we do not compare settings.
What it can do: mcp-tunnels · What it can do: Utilix · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the public marketplace file https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-official/blob/HEAD/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json. Data comes from the Official MCP Registry (registry.modelcontextprotocol.io), CC0 1.0. Package data comes from the public npm registry (registry.npmjs.org). Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.