Desktop Commander vs Code Relay
Desktop Commander is an MCP server published by wonderwhy-er. Marketplaces we read that list it: 6 (Official MCP Registry, Claude Code: claude-plugins-official, Docker MCP Catalog, Claude: knowledge-work-plugins, Claude Code: claude-plugins-community, Community GitHub marketplaces). Code Relay is an MCP server published by zarcherlot. 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 |   Desktop Commander |  Code Relay |
|---|---|---|
| Official MCP Registry | Listed Version: 0.3.0 Downloads/month (npm): 926 846 Downloads/week (npm): 204 381 Forks (GitHub): 1 281 Stars (GitHub): 10 089 Not marked · First seen |
Listed Version: 3.1.0 Downloads/month (npm): 185 Downloads/week (npm): 38 Forks (GitHub): 0 Stars (GitHub): 0 Not marked · First seen |
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-official | Listed Version: 0.2.0 Forks (GitHub): 1 281 Stars (GitHub): 10 089 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: sha256:5df787069e37 Forks (GitHub): 1 281 Pulls (Docker Hub): 237 255 Stars (Docker Hub): 22 Stars (GitHub): 10 089 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Claude: knowledge-work-plugins | Listed Version: 0.2.0 Forks (GitHub): 1 281 Stars (GitHub): 10 089 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-community | Listed Version: 0.2.0 Forks (GitHub): 1 281 Stars (GitHub): 10 089 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
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 | Desktop Commander | Code Relay |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it (differs) | 6 (better) | 1 (worse) |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 10 089 (better) | 0 (worse) |
| Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs) | 237 255 | No figure on Docker Hub |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 1 281 (better) | 0 (worse) |
| Last release (differs) | 2026-10-13 | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (@wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander) | On your machine (code-relay-mcp) |
| Transport | stdio | stdio |
| Tools it declares (differs) | 26 | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for | Not published | Not published |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | 7 | Not a bundle |
| Licence (differs) | MIT | Not stated |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/wonderwhy-er/desktopcommandermcp | github.com/zarcherlot/code-relay |
| Changes in the last 7 days (differs) | 3 | 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
Desktop Commander
MCP server for terminal commands, file operations, and process management
Code Relay
Branch-scoped runbooks, remote checkpoints, and auditable verification receipts.
How to run each
Desktop Commander As a local MCP server: npm package
claude mcp add --transport stdio desktop-commander -- npx -y @wonderwhy-er/desktop-commanderCode Relay As a local MCP server: npm package
claude mcp add --transport stdio code-relay -- npx -y code-relay-mcpCommands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
The marketplaces of Code Relay publish no list of tools, so we do not compare tools.
Settings each asks for
Neither one's marketplaces publish the settings it asks for.
What it can do: Desktop Commander · What it can do: Code Relay · Compare two other plugins
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/knowledge-work-plugins/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. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.