context-mode vs dev.ctxfile/ctxfile
context-mode is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by mksglu. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Claude Code: claude-plugins-community). dev.ctxfile/ctxfile is an MCP server published by ctxfile.dev. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Official MCP Registry). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-13. 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 |  context-mode |  dev.ctxfile/ctxfile |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-community | Listed Version: 1.0.169 Forks (GitHub): 1 938 Stars (GitHub): 27 154 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Official MCP Registry | Not listed | Listed Version: 0.6.0 Downloads/month (npm): 842 Downloads/week (npm): 96 Forks (GitHub): 0 Stars (GitHub): 5 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-mode | dev.ctxfile/ctxfile |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 1 | 1 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 27 154 (better) | 5 (worse) |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 1 938 (better) | 0 (worse) |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | Installs as a plugin bundle | On your machine (ctxfile) |
| Transport (differs) | Not stated | stdio |
| Tools it declares | Not published | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | Not published | 1, secrets among them: 1 |
| Hooks it runs (differs) | 14 | Not published |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | 15 | Not a bundle |
| Licence (differs) | Elastic-2.0 | Not stated |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/mksglu/context-mode | github.com/ctxfile/ctxfile |
| 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
context-mode
MCP is the protocol for tool access. We're the virtualization layer for context.
dev.ctxfile/ctxfile
Local-first MCP server that snapshots your project's working state into one context object.
How to run each
context-mode As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community
/plugin install context-mode@claude-communitydev.ctxfile/ctxfile As a local MCP server: npm package
claude mcp add --env "NOTION_TOKEN=<YOUR_NOTION_TOKEN>" --transport stdio ctxfile -- npx -y ctxfileRequires: NOTION_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 context-mode publish no settings it asks for, so we do not compare settings.
What it can do: context-mode · What it can do: dev.ctxfile/ctxfile · 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.