context-bar vs io.github.grafana/mcp-grafana
context-bar is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by Hamza Zafar. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Community GitHub marketplaces). io.github.grafana/mcp-grafana is an MCP server published by grafana. Marketplaces we read that list it: 5 (Official MCP Registry, Claude Code: claude-plugins-official, Docker MCP Catalog, Claude Code: claude-plugins-community, Community GitHub marketplaces). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-27. 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 |  io.github.grafana/mcp-grafana | |
|---|---|---|
| Community marketplace hamzafer/claude-code-mods | Listed Version: 0.1.3 Forks (GitHub): 44 Stars (GitHub): 394 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Official MCP Registry | Not listed | Listed Version: v2.1.1 Forks (GitHub): 479 Stars (GitHub): 3 607 Not marked · First seen |
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-official | Not listed | Listed Version: 0.2.0 Forks (GitHub): 5 Stars (GitHub): 19 Not marked · First seen |
| Docker MCP Catalog | Not listed | Listed Version: sha256:9362bcf6aa0e Forks (GitHub): 479 Pulls (Docker Hub): 1 113 738 Stars (Docker Hub): 22 Stars (GitHub): 3 607 Not marked · First seen |
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-community | Not listed | Listed Version: 0.2.0 Forks (GitHub): 5 Stars (GitHub): 19 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 | context-bar | io.github.grafana/mcp-grafana |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it (differs) | 1 (worse) | 5 (better) |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 394 (worse) | 3 607 (better) |
| Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs) | No figure on Docker Hub | 1 113 738 |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 44 (worse) | 479 (better) |
| Last release (differs) | Not published | 2026-10-20 |
| Where it runs (differs) | Installs as a plugin bundle | Remote server or your machine |
| Transport (differs) | Not stated | Streamable HTTP, stdio |
| Tools it declares (differs) | Not published | 65 |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | Not published | 7, secrets among them: 2 |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | Not published | 2 |
| Licence (differs) | Not stated | Apache-2.0 |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/hamzafer/claude-code-mods | github.com/grafana/mcp-grafana |
| Changes in the last 7 days | 0 | 0 |
| First seen (differs) | 2026-10-20 | 2026-10-11 |
| Endpoint at the last check (differs) | no remote endpoint we check | Responded 3 days ago, requires a key |
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
context-bar
Your context window as a stacked bar above the prompt, a color per category, with token counts and the compaction point. /context-bar shows or hides it.
io.github.grafana/mcp-grafana
An MCP server giving access to Grafana dashboards, data and more.
How to run each
context-bar As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin marketplace add hamzafer/claude-code-mods
/plugin install context-bar@claude-code-modsio.github.grafana/mcp-grafana As a remote MCP server
claude mcp add --transport http mcp-grafana https://mcp.grafana.com/mcpRequires: GRAFANA_PASSWORD (secret), GRAFANA_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN (secret), GRAFANA_URL
Commands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Only io.github.grafana/mcp-grafana has a remote endpoint we check. How we check endpoints
Tools each declares
The marketplaces of context-bar publish no list of tools, so we do not compare tools.
Settings each asks for
The marketplaces of context-bar publish no settings it asks for, so we do not compare settings.
What it can do: context-bar · What it can do: io.github.grafana/mcp-grafana · Compare two other plugins
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 public marketplace file https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-official/blob/HEAD/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json. 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. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.