light-mcp vs io.github.cliwant/mcp-sam-gov
light-mcp is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by light-space. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Claude Code: claude-plugins-community). io.github.cliwant/mcp-sam-gov is an MCP server published by cliwant. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Official MCP Registry). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-18. 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 |  light-mcp |  io.github.cliwant/mcp-sam-gov |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-community | Listed Version: 34ee2f6 Forks (GitHub): 0 Stars (GitHub): 0 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Official MCP Registry | Not listed | Listed Version: 1.17.0 Downloads/month (npm): 2 050 Downloads/week (npm): 156 Forks (GitHub): 3 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 | light-mcp | io.github.cliwant/mcp-sam-gov |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 1 | 1 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 0 (worse) | 12 (better) |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 0 (worse) | 3 (better) |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | Installs as a plugin bundle | On your machine (@cliwant/mcp-sam-gov) |
| Transport (differs) | Not stated | stdio |
| Tools it declares | Not published | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | Not published | 14, secrets among them: 12 |
| Licence | Not stated | Not stated |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/light-space/light-mcp | github.com/cliwant/mcp-sam-gov |
| Changes in the last 7 days | 0 | 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
light-mcp
Light's MCP integration lets you use AI tools to query your financial data, search invoices, look up vendors, and run reports, without switching context.
io.github.cliwant/mcp-sam-gov
Keyless-first MCP: 153 tools for US federal + state/local (SLED) contracting, spending & regulation
How to run each
light-mcp As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community
/plugin install light-mcp@claude-communityio.github.cliwant/mcp-sam-gov As a local MCP server: npm package
claude mcp add --env "BEA_API_KEY=<YOUR_BEA_API_KEY>" --env "BLS_API_KEY=<YOUR_BLS_API_KEY>" --env "CENSUS_API_KEY=<YOUR_CENSUS_API_KEY>" --env "COURTLISTENER_API_TOKEN=<YOUR_COURTLISTENER_API_TOKEN>" --env "DATA_GOV_API_KEY=<YOUR_DATA_GOV_API_KEY>" --env "DOL_API_KEY=<YOUR_DOL_API_KEY>" --env "FRED_API_KEY=<YOUR_FRED_API_KEY>" --env "LDA_API_KEY=<YOUR_LDA_API_KEY>" --env "NVD_API_KEY=<YOUR_NVD_API_KEY>" --env "OPENFDA_API_KEY=<YOUR_OPENFDA_API_KEY>" --env "SAM_GOV_API_KEY=<YOUR_SAM_GOV_API_KEY>" --env "SOCRATA_APP_TOKEN=<YOUR_SOCRATA_APP_TOKEN>" --transport stdio mcp-sam-gov -- npx -y @cliwant/mcp-sam-govRequires: BEA_API_KEY (secret), BLS_API_KEY (secret), CENSUS_API_KEY (secret), COURTLISTENER_API_TOKEN (secret), DATA_GOV_API_KEY (secret), DOL_API_KEY (secret), FRED_API_KEY (secret), LDA_API_KEY (secret), NVD_API_KEY (secret), OPENFDA_API_KEY (secret), SAM_GOV_API_KEY (secret), SOCRATA_APP_TOKEN (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
The marketplaces of light-mcp publish no settings it asks for, so we do not compare settings.
What it can do: light-mcp · What it can do: io.github.cliwant/mcp-sam-gov · 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 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.