Question 1

What is OpenTool?

Accepted Answer

OpenTool is an open-source, self-hosted MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that gives AI agents like Claude, GPT, and Cursor secure, authenticated access to tools like GitHub, Notion, Slack, and more. It is the open-source alternative to Arcade.dev.

Question 2

What is an MCP server?

Accepted Answer

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a standard by Anthropic that lets AI agents call external tools securely. An MCP server handles authentication, tool execution, and security so your agent can create GitHub issues, send Slack messages, or query databases.

Question 3

How is OpenTool different from Arcade.dev?

Accepted Answer

OpenTool is fully open-source (MIT licensed), self-hosted (runs on your infrastructure), and free forever. Your OAuth tokens and API keys never leave your server. Arcade.dev is proprietary, cloud-hosted, and paid.

Question 4

Which AI agents work with OpenTool?

Accepted Answer

Any MCP-compatible agent — Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Code, and any custom agent using the MCP SDK.

Question 5

How do I deploy OpenTool?

Accepted Answer

One command: docker compose up -d. OpenTool ships as a Docker image with PostgreSQL included. No external dependencies needed.

Question 6

Is my data secure with OpenTool?

Accepted Answer

Yes. OpenTool runs entirely on your infrastructure. OAuth tokens are encrypted with AES-256-GCM. API keys are hashed with bcrypt. Every tool call is logged in an audit trail. Your tokens never leave your server.

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