looker vs model2data studio
looker is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by gemini-cli-extensions. Marketplaces we read that list it: 3 (Claude Code: claude-plugins-official, Claude Code: claude-plugins-community, Community GitHub marketplaces). model2data studio is an MCP server published by JB-Analytica. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Official MCP Registry). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-14. 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 |  looker |  model2data studio |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-official | Listed Version: 0.3.11 Forks (GitHub): 5 Stars (GitHub): 57 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-community | Listed Version: 0.3.10 Forks (GitHub): 5 Stars (GitHub): 57 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Official MCP Registry | Not listed | Listed Version: 0.1.0 Downloads/month (PyPI): 212 Downloads/week (PyPI): 64 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 | looker | model2data studio |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it (differs) | 3 (better) | 1 (worse) |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 57 | No figure on GitHub |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 5 | No figure on GitHub |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | Installs as a plugin bundle | On your machine (model2data-studio) |
| Transport (differs) | Not stated | stdio |
| Tools it declares | Not published | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | 7, secrets among them: 1 | 2, secrets among them: 1 |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | 2 | Not a bundle |
| Licence (differs) | Apache-2.0 | Not stated |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/gemini-cli-extensions/looker | Not stated |
| Changes in the last 7 days (differs) | 2 | 0 |
| First seen | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-11 |
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
looker
Connect to Looker and interact with your data using LookML.
model2data studio
Realistic fake data from a schema designed in model2data studio: preview rows, write seeds.
How to run each
looker As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin install looker@claude-plugins-officialmodel2data studio As a local MCP server: PyPI package
claude mcp add --env "MODEL2DATA_STUDIO_KEY=<YOUR_MODEL2DATA_STUDIO_KEY>" --transport stdio model2data-studio -- uvx --from "model2data-studio[mcp]" model2data-studio mcpRequires: MODEL2DATA_STUDIO_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 looker asks for
LOOKER_BASE_URLLOOKER_CLIENT_IDLOOKER_CLIENT_SECRET (secret)LOOKER_SHOW_HIDDEN_EXPLORESLOOKER_SHOW_HIDDEN_FIELDSLOOKER_SHOW_HIDDEN_MODELSLOOKER_VERIFY_SSL
Only model2data studio asks for
MODEL2DATA_STUDIO_KEY (secret)MODEL2DATA_STUDIO_URL
Settings as each marketplace publishes them. Asking for fewer is not better in itself.
What it can do: looker · What it can do: model2data studio · 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 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. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.