Comparison
MCP Router is archived.
Here is a way to move to MCPProxy.
MCP Router stopped development and security updates on 2026-09-18. If you want a maintained, open-source MCP proxy with a similar job, MCPProxy can hold the same kinds of servers (local stdio and remote HTTP or SSE). There is no one-click importer for MCP Router today, so the move is manual.
What happened to MCP Router
On 2026-09-18 the MCP Router project ended development, support and security updates. Its README says v0.6.4 is the final desktop release, local features keep working, and “new adoption is not recommended”. The repository is archived on GitHub (MCP Router README, end-of-support and migration guide, both read 2026-10-22).
The cloud service, sign-in, cloud sync and billing have ended. Existing local connections and saved settings keep working, and you can keep running it. The risk is that it will get no more security fixes, so many people prefer to move.
What MCPProxy is, in one paragraph
MCPProxy is an open-source (MIT) MCP proxy that runs on your machine. You add your MCP servers once. Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Cursor and other clients connect to one local endpoint. By default, new servers are held for admission review, and changed tool definitions are blocked until approved. Each agent can be limited to the servers and tool types you choose. An MCP client with admin access can approve held tools itself, so use scoped credentials for agents.
How MCP Router ideas map to MCPProxy
| In MCP Router | In MCPProxy |
|---|---|
| A list of servers in the desktop app | Servers in the Web UI, macOS app, CLI, or mcp_config.json |
| Projects and workspaces | Profiles: named groups of servers with an optional read, write or destructive tool cap |
| Per-tool on/off toggles | Per-server enabled and disabled tools, plus profile allow and deny rules |
| Local request logs | The activity log |
App token and npx @mcp_router/cli connect | A per-client credential written by mcpproxy connect <client> |
| Cloud sync and sign-in | Not applicable. MCPProxy is local-first |
| DXT package import | Not a listed import format. Add the server’s command and arguments directly |
Manual migration, step by step
-
Install MCPProxy. On macOS:
brew install smart-mcp-proxy/mcpproxy/mcpproxy, thenmcpproxy serve. Windows and Linux installers are on the download page. -
Export from MCP Router. In its app, for each local workspace, use Export on the Servers screen. The MCP Router guide notes this is a server configuration export, not a full backup. Treat the file as private, because environment variables in it can hold credentials.
-
Bring the servers in. MCPProxy’s config import reads Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and Gemini config files, and it also accepts pasted or uploaded JSON or TOML. Open the Web UI, choose Add Server, then Import, and see whether your export is recognised in the preview. There is no MCP Router-specific importer, so if the preview does not recognise it, add each server yourself:
mcpproxy upstream add notion https://mcp.notion.com/sse mcpproxy upstream add fs -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~/notes -
Review before you trust. New and imported servers are held in quarantine by default. Look at each server’s tools, then approve what you want. This is the main behavioural difference from MCP Router.
-
Recreate your projects as profiles. Put the servers each project needs in a profile, for example
mcpproxy profile create research --servers arxiv,wikipedia. -
Point your clients at MCPProxy. Run
mcpproxy connect claude-code,mcpproxy connect cursorand so on. See one setup for every client. -
Test, then retire MCP Router. Make one real tool call from each client and look for it in the activity log. Keep the MCP Router export until you are sure.
Honest differences
- MCP Router was a desktop-first app for Windows and macOS. MCPProxy also runs on Linux and has a CLI, a Web UI and a macOS menu bar app.
- MCPProxy does more around safety (review of new servers, change detection, scanners) and access control (profiles, scoped tokens). If you only want a tidy list of servers, that is extra to learn.
- Credentials: OAuth tokens and secrets you reference as
${keyring:NAME}live in your operating system keyring. Secrets you typed into MCP Router’s database do not move over by themselves. Re-enter them.