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Hosted MCP vs local MCP — which should you use?
Local MCP runs small programs on your laptop. Private and fast—good for solo experiments.
Zephex is a hosted MCP server: the same ten tools for Cursor, Claude Code, VS Code, and your teammates—one API key, package audits included, no reinstalling MCP servers on every machine.
Use local when you must keep everything on-device. Use hosted when the team needs the same setup and real package intelligence.
| Local MCP (stdio) | Zephex | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup per editor | Install + config per client | One snippet; same tools everywhere |
| Setup per teammate | Repeat for each developer | Share docs + API key policy |
| Package CVE scanning | Bring your own scripts | check_package (task=upgrade|security) built in |
| Code search quality | Depends on which server you picked | find_code + read_code (AST-aware) |
| Usage visibility | None central | Dashboard per API key |
| Offline use | Works offline (local only) | Requires network to zephex.dev |
| Process management | You babysit Node versions | No local scanner processes |
| Security boundary | Data stays on disk | Ephemeral processing; see /data-use |
| Onboarding new hire | Re-document local installs | Same quickstart link for everyone |
How it works
Local MCP runs a process on your machine (often Node via stdio). Zephex is still usually reached through npx zephex in the editor, but the heavy tools run on the hosted endpoint—same version for everyone, with usage visible in the dashboard.
Developer
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Cursor / Claude Code / VS Code (MCP client)
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npx zephex (stdio bridge) OR HTTPS + Bearer
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https://zephex.dev/mcp (hosted MCP server)
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10 tools: get_project_context, find_code, read_code,
check_package, project_memory, explain_architecture, …When local MCP wins
- Air-gapped or strict on-device-only policy.
- You need raw filesystem read/write with path allowlists.
- Solo experiments — swap servers weekly without team coordination.
- Offline development with no network to a hosted endpoint.
When hosted Zephex wins
- Teammates run Cursor, Claude Code, VS Code, and JetBrains — config drift hurts.
- You want check_package before every npm install without maintaining scripts.
- New hires should connect in two minutes, not a Slack thread of local installs.
- You need usage analytics and key rotation from one dashboard.
When to use both
Local MCP for disk mutations and niche custom servers. Zephex for repo intelligence the whole team shares. Do not duplicate — if Zephex find_code already answers the search, drop the redundant local grep MCP to save context tokens.
| Scenario | Local MCP | Zephex hosted |
|---|---|---|
| Solo hackathon, offline | Yes | No network |
| 10-person eng team, mixed editors | Painful drift | One rollout doc |
| npm typosquat check in agent loop | BYO security server | check_package built in |
| AST search across monorepo | Depends on server | find_code + read_code |
| Custom internal MCP prototype | Yes | Optional alongside |
Real prompt examples
Local-only filesystem session
Use the filesystem MCP to list ./src and write a new file ./src/utils/format.ts with a formatCurrency helper.
Hosted Zephex session
Zephex get_project_context, then find_code for "formatCurrency". read_code only that symbol. check_package on "dinero.js" before we add it.
Hybrid — scope with Zephex, write locally
Zephex check_test for "extract billing formatters to utils/format.ts". Use editor write tools (or filesystem MCP) to apply the edit in the listed files only.
Step-by-step: try Zephex in 5 minutes
- Create an API key at zephex.dev.
- Replace local MCP entries with the Zephex snippet from your editor guide.
- Restart the editor completely.
- Verify ten zephex tools connect.
- Run get_project_context, then check_package on a dependency you plan to add.
Migration path (local → Zephex)
- Create an API key at install.
- Replace local server entries with the Zephex block from your editor guide.
- Restart the editor fully; verify ten tools connect.
- Remove unused local MCP npm installs to avoid duplicate tool names.
- Share team rollout doc so the next hire matches your stack.
Workflow: dependency upgrade with hosted tools
Local grep cannot tell you if a major bump removed an API your app calls. With Zephex, chain project_memory → check_test → read_code in one session. See audit dependency upgrades.
Transport details: HTTP vs stdio explains why Cursor often uses npx zephex while VS Code can use direct HTTP to the same backend.
Common questions
Is hosted MCP less private than local MCP?
Can I still use stdio with Zephex?
npx -y zephex in mcp.json — stdio transport to the CLI, which authenticates to the hosted backend. You get local editor compatibility without maintaining separate MCP server repos.