Arcmira vs SearchAPI.io

Arcmira

Four code-mode tools over a documented v1 API, OAuth 2.1 with four scopes, a read-only sign-up key from two API calls and no card, and a 1,000-credit free month. No status page, SLA or security.txt, breaking v1 changes shipped in October with same-day notice, the server is at 0.10.7, and the index covers the shows Arcmira transcribes.

SearchAPI.io

99.9% SLA on every plan and no incidents on the status page since August. MCP exposes over 100 tools with no toolsets.

Arcmira

1. Call arcmira_describe once per session and write one program per question for arcmira_execute_read; return only the fields the answer needs, since output is cut at 12,000 characters and 3,000 per string.
2. Resolve names with arcmira.resolve (free) before any about, by, entity_ids or channel filter; a name in a filter fails with id_required. Plain keyword search needs no resolver call.
3. Check arcmira.status() or GET /v1/me for the plan, scopes and usage.credits.available before metered reads; on Free, media newer than 30 days and pages past the first fail with freshness_requires_paid and pagination_gated.
4. A Premium read of an untranscribed video starts a transcription that uses credits (300 per started 15 minutes) and may return pending; read the same video again later, which is never charged twice, and send retry: true only when the user asks.
5. Over HTTP send Authorization: Bearer arc_sk_..., an Idempotency-Key on every POST and PATCH, honour Retry-After on 429, and switch on error.code, following unlock.url on 402 and 403 rather than re-authenticating.
6. Use arcmira_execute_write only after listing the user's monitors; it creates, follows and pauses but never deletes, and a connection made before server 0.9.0 answers insufficient_scope until reconnected.

SearchAPI.io

1. Send the key as Authorization: Bearer, not api_key= in the URL
2. Connect the MCP through OAuth or the X-MCP-Token header, not the registry's ?token= URL
3. Call the REST API with engine= when context is tight. The MCP loads over 100 tool definitions
4. Page Google results with page. num is fixed at 10
5. Pace bursts. One hour can use at most 20 per cent of the plan's monthly searches