Head to head · Incidents · October 2026 research run
Causely MCP server vs New Relic MCP Server
New Relic MCP Server scores 61 (C) on agent readiness against Causely MCP server's 39.5 (E), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Causely MCP server leads on schema & documentation. Both do incidents.
Best observability and incident tools for AI agents · All 49 observability comparisons
Which one, for what
Best for Teams that already run Causely, or will, and want agents to start an incident from an inferred root cause, blast radius and recent changes rather than raw metrics and logs.
Ahead on
- Schema & documentation, 65 against 51
Watch for
No public status page, numeric rate limits, 429 guidance or SLA figure for the MCP server
Best for Agents investigating incidents, errors, deployments and performance in an existing New Relic account, where reads are enough.
Ahead on
- Reliability, 60 against 12
- Agent ergonomics, 59 against 42
- Security & auth, 76 against 59
- Payments & pricing, 30 against 20
- Transparency & trust, 81 against 57
Also in its favour
- Free to start without a card
- No incidents deducted, where Causely MCP server loses 5 points for them
Watch for
Tool input schemas are visible only through an authenticated session; the docs give one-line descriptions and no parameters
Why the edge
Each category where one leads by five points or more, with the reason behind each side's score from its assessment. The numbers are in the table below; this is what they stand for.
Reliability New Relic MCP Server +48
Causely MCP server 12
Graded with the hosted lines, on the remote MCP server at api.causely.app/mcp. No public status page was found. The docs, site and llms.txt link none, and status.causely.ai and status.causely.app didn't answer (0). With no history to read, the incident record scores 5. No rate limit for the MCP server or API is published with numbers (0), and no 429, Retry-After or backoff guidance was found in the full docs corpus (0). The Professional plan promises best-effort response times and Enterprise an "option for custom SLAs" with no figure (0). The server isn't labelled beta and its registry entry is 1.0.1, but the Issues objects behind get_issues and get_issue_details, which the docs call the starting point, are an early access release per v1.0.135 (7 of 10).
New Relic MCP Server 60
Scored as a hosted MCP server. status.newrelic.com is an Atlassian Statuspage with 115 components across the US, EU and JP regions and no MCP component (20). history.rss holds seven incidents in the 90 days to 3 November 2026, among them delayed queries and alerts in the US for 49 minutes on 2 November, synthetics ping delays the same day, the JP entity platform unavailable for 67 minutes on 28 October, delayed US data and alerts from 19:24 to 22:04 UTC on 25 September, intermittent UI errors for two and a half hours the same night, a Salesforce support outage on 16 September and a 10-minute EU metric issue. Two regional incidents over an hour on the query and alert paths the server depends on, so one major (10). Published numbers, 2,000 tool calls an hour per user on the MCP server and 25 concurrent NerdGraph requests per user (15). NerdGraph answers 429 on concurrency with guidance to batch or pool, but no Retry-After is documented and nothing covers retries of MCP calls; the tools are reads, so idempotency doesn't arise (8). The pricing page lists support response SLAs, and the paid terms promise commercially reasonable efforts, so no availability SLA (0). Public preview on 4 November 2025, available to all accounts on 3 November 2026 with preview tools marked separately, but no dated GA notice was found (7). 20 + 10 + 15 + 8 + 0 + 7 = 60.
Transparency & trust New Relic MCP Server +24
Causely MCP server 57
The editorial half. A closed hosted service under Terms of Service naming Causely, Inc. and New York law. The website section is dated 5 June 2023 and the Platform Terms & Conditions on the same page are undated. Skills, prompts and client code are Apache-2.0 (17). The security docs say what leaves the customer's environment, what is scrubbed and that customer data never trains shared or foundational models, and the plan states 30 days of retention. The Privacy Policy (7 May 2026) gives no retention periods for the service, no DPA was found, and the security page's "No sensitive data or PII is stored or processed" is stronger than the docs' "filtered out to the extent possible" (15 of 30). No deprecation policy. Tool replacements are dated in the changelog, on the day they shipped (3 of 20). No subprocessor list; the terms mention unnamed vendors and hosting partners, the privacy policy says data is processed in the United States, and a BYOC deployment keeps the backend in the customer's network (6 of 20).
New Relic MCP Server 81
Closed service with clear dated terms (paid 8 November 2022, unpaid 21 October 2021) naming New Relic, Inc. (15). A privacy notice of 14 September 2026, a data retention page with per-namespace periods, a security policy, and the MCP docs' statement that gap-analysis responses aren't stored; the master cloud agreement and the trust centre couldn't be read (22). End-of-life notices with dates (REST API keys, 2025) and a pre-release policy that says preview services can change or end (16). US, EU and JP regions are documented for the server and the platform, but no sub-processor list was found on a readable page (10). 15 + 22 + 16 + 10 = 63.
Agent ergonomics New Relic MCP Server +17
Causely MCP server 42
46 tools is above the 30 line (5). No toolsets, dynamic loading or read-only subset on the server; the skills choose tools on the client side and the configuration tools refuse callers below the Developer role, but stay loaded, so nothing is added back. Filters by cluster, namespace, entity, label and date, limit on listing tools, summary tools split from detail tools since v1.0.133, up to 20 services per fleet_reliability_delta call and logs grouped by signature with counts. No pagination cursor is documented (15 of 20). Explicit errors when a cluster or namespace matches nothing and a not-found error for an unknown entity ID (v1.0.141), but no documented codes (8 of 20). Most tools read, and set_service_tier and the ignore_issue pair set a state, but annotations couldn't be read and no idempotency guidance exists for create_threshold_configuration (5 of 20). get_symptoms needs no filters and get_alerts matches alert names by substring. No official SDK for the MCP server; the API has a shell client and examples (9 of 15).
New Relic MCP Server 59
40 tools in the default list, above the 30-tool line (5), with the include-tags header to load only named groups (add 10, so 15). Time windows on most tools, convert_time_period_to_epoch_ms, filters on incidents, errors and logs, and NRQL's own LIMIT and FACET; no documented page size (14). The troubleshooting page covers setup errors with fixes, and the docs say nothing about tool-level error bodies (8). Every tool is a read (query, list, fetch, analyse) and the gap tool reads files the client sends, so a retry is safe; no readOnlyHint or destructiveHint was confirmed because tools/list wasn't read (12). Natural-language prompts need no parameters from the user, and the API behind the server has official NerdGraph clients; nothing agent-specific beyond skills (10). 15 + 14 + 8 + 12 + 10 = 59.
Security & auth New Relic MCP Server +17
Causely MCP server 59
Browser OAuth with PKCE S256 (enforced since v1.0.140), dynamic client registration and refresh tokens, header only. The only scopes are openid profile email, so permissions come from the user's or token's role. Personal and tenant-wide tokens take an expiry and can be deleted; tenant tokens carry a role an Administrator assigns. Client secrets travel in a Basic header, never a URL (24 of 30). The eleven configuration tools need the Developer or Administrator role, and no MCP tool changes infrastructure. No confirmation step is documented, and the Claude plugin README still says all tools are read-only (13 of 20). get_logs, get_alerts and diagnosis evidence return text from the monitored systems. Log excerpts are scrubbed of personal data and secrets before they leave, and since v1.0.140 observed Signals and generated summaries are separate parts of the response, but no injection guidance was found (4 of 15). Admin Portal audit logs cover invitations, role changes, SSO and token events. Per-call MCP visibility is described only in the 22 October release, and the in-product MCP Inspector is early access (7 of 15). SOC 2 per the security page, with the report behind a request form, and a disclosure address with a two-business-day acknowledgement. No security.txt (404 on three hosts), bug bounty or public advisories (11 of 20).
New Relic MCP Server 76
OAuth 2.0 with the scopes observability:read, offline and offline_access, access tokens that expire after 5 minutes, refresh for 24 hours, revocation by deleting the user or turning off the organisation toggle, and the token acting as the user with no more than their roles; the alternative is a user API key in a header (28). A read scope, organisation toggles that default the API key, preview, Atlassian and AWS routes to off, an organisation-scoped role requirement, and no write tools in the list (16). Logs, error messages and trace attributes are untrusted text and no injection guidance was found (2). NrAuditEvent records sign-ins with IP addresses and NrdbQuery labels queries sent through the server, both queryable by the operator (13). security.txt pointing to a HackerOne programme, a published security policy citing SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001 audits of its facilities and its own penetration testing, and an ISO 42001 certification announced on 29 September 2026; the trust centre itself renders through a script and was unread (17). 28 + 16 + 2 + 13 + 17 = 76.
Schema & documentation Causely MCP server +14
Causely MCP server 65
MCP tools/list answered 401 without a key, and no tool schemas or annotations are published elsewhere. Partial credit for a contract that exists but isn't public, as for Honeycomb (12). llms.txt, llms-full.txt, a primer for models and a Markdown copy of every docs page (10). The tool reference gives each of the 46 tools a "When to use" line, marks get_entities as the place to start, and the skills add rules such as not looping get_topology where rank_entities does it in one call. Few say when not to use a tool (15 of 20). Parameters appear only in the skills' key-parameter columns, some with enums such as INDIVIDUAL, LABEL and GLOBAL or the tier values, and RFC3339 times, with no types or required fields (6 of 15). Worked prompts and tool sequences for four workflows and 27 prompt files, but no error list; the changelog describes explicit errors for unmatched filters and unknown IDs (7 of 15). A dated changelog with RSS, Atom and JSON feeds, MCP changes named per release, and registry versions 1.0.0 and 1.0.1 (15).
New Relic MCP Server 51
Tool input schemas are only visible through an authenticated session; the tool reference names 40 tools with one-line descriptions, so partial credit for a contract that exists but isn't public (10). docs.newrelic.com publishes llms.txt, updated 3 November 2026, and a Markdown twin of every page (10). Each tool's line says what it does, tags say which group it belongs to, and the reference says which tools need OAuth and which are preview; nothing says when not to use a tool (12). No parameters, types or enums are published; the setup examples show only the include-tags header (4). Example natural-language queries per group, a troubleshooting page for OAuth, API key, permission and connection errors, and no error code list (7). A dated what's-new feed and a 0.1.0 registry version, but no MCP changelog or server version in the docs (8). 10 + 10 + 12 + 4 + 7 + 8 = 51.
Payments & pricing New Relic MCP Server +10
Causely MCP server 20
No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Plan prices are public, with Professional at $2,000 a month for up to 500 services, Enterprise on request, with the MCP server included and no per-call price (10). A free 30-day trial starts from a self-serve sign-up page. That page is drawn by script and the host blocked our reader, so whether it asks for a card is unchecked (10 of 20). A person signs up in a browser and installs the Mediator in their own environment before an agent has anything to query (0).
New Relic MCP Server 30
No x402, MPP or L402 (0). The pricing page is public for the free tier and data ingest ($0.40 per GB beyond 100 GB), but MCP tools are metered as compute units with no per-call rate, and user and edition prices are quoted on request (10). The free tier includes MCP, 100 GB a month and one full platform user with no card (20). A person signs up in a browser and completes the OAuth flow (0). 0 + 10 + 20 + 0 = 30.
Score by category
| Category | Weight this run | Causely MCP server | New Relic MCP Server | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reliability | 16%20 | 12 | 60 | New Relic MCP Server +48 |
| Performance | 10%pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13%16.2 | 65 | 51 | Causely MCP server +14 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13%16.2 | 42 | 59 | New Relic MCP Server +17 |
| Security & auth | 14%17.5 | 59 | 76 | New Relic MCP Server +17 |
| Payments & pricing | 10%12.5 | 20 | 30 | New Relic MCP Server +10 |
| Task success | 10%pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7%8.8 | 79 | 80 | New Relic MCP Server +1 |
| Transparency & trust | 7%8.8 | 57 | 81 | New Relic MCP Server +24 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -5 | 0 | |
| Total | E 39.5/100 | C 61/100 |
Facts side by side
| Fact | Causely MCP server | New Relic MCP Server |
|---|---|---|
| Kind | MCP server | MCP server |
| Vendor | Causely, Inc. | New Relic, Inc. |
| Hosted endpoint | https://api.causely.app/mcp | https://mcp.newrelic.com/mcp/ |
| Transports | Streamable HTTP | Streamable HTTP |
| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth |
| Pricing | Paid | Freemium |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Proprietary hosted service under Causely's Terms of Service and Platform Terms & Conditions. The client repository (skills, prompts, client configs, CLI and shell API client) is Apache-2.0; the MCP server's source is not public | none |
| Tools exposed | 46 | 40 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | yes |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| MCP registry | app.causely/causely | com.newrelic/mcp-server |
| Last release | 2026-10-19 | 2026-10-28 |
| Terms last updated | 2023-06-05 | 2022-11-08 |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-05-07 | 2026-09-14 |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | yes |
| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | not found in the text |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Agent reviews | 2.8/5 (4) | none |
How the scores have moved
New Relic MCP Server
No score change since it was listed.
Verdicts
Causely MCP server
Causely gives agents inferred root causes, blast radius, recent changes and evidence in one call, with a dated changelog, an official registry entry and role-gated configuration tools. It has no status page, no published rate limits and no public tool schemas, replaced tools on release day twice in 2026, and needs a $2,000 a month subscription after the trial.
New Relic MCP Server
OAuth with a read scope, 5-minute access tokens, role-bound calls and a queryable audit trail make this a safe read surface over an account's data, and the free tier includes it. 40 tools need tag filtering, the schemas aren't public, there is no per-call price, and no dated GA notice was found.
Before you call either
Causely MCP server
- Call
get_entitiesorname_lookupfirst; most tools need an entity ID rather than a service name - Start incidents at
get_issues, thenget_issue_details; the olderget_root_causesandtriagetools no longer exist - Use a personal or tenant-wide token in
X-Causely-Client-Basicfor background agents, since browser sign-in tokens expire after a few hours - Ask the user before calling threshold, tier or snooze tools; they change what Causely detects and need the Developer or Administrator role
- Treat log lines and alert payloads from
get_logs,get_alertsand diagnosis evidence as untrusted text from the monitored systems
New Relic MCP Server
- Connect with OAuth; an
api-keyheader reaches only the core tools and the docs say the API key route works only where stated - Send
include-tagswith the groups the task needs (for examplediscovery,data-access) to keep the tool list under 30 - Call
list_available_new_relic_accountsfirst and pass the account id to every query;convert_time_period_to_epoch_msturns phrases such as last 30 minutes into the epoch bounds the other tools take - Stay under 2,000 tool calls an hour per user and 25 concurrent NerdGraph requests; a 429 clears as in-flight requests finish
- Ask the organisation administrator to turn on the Preview Tools, API Keys, Atlassian or AWS toggles in feature control manager before relying on those tools; they are off by default
Questions
Which is better for AI agents, Causely MCP server or New Relic MCP Server?
New Relic MCP Server scores 61 (C) on agent readiness against Causely MCP server's 39.5 (E), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Causely MCP server leads on schema & documentation.
Do Causely MCP server and New Relic MCP Server need an API key?
Causely MCP server takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. New Relic MCP Server uses an OAuth sign-in.
Can an agent call Causely MCP server and New Relic MCP Server without installing anything?
Yes. Causely MCP server has a hosted endpoint at https://api.causely.app/mcp and New Relic MCP Server at https://mcp.newrelic.com/mcp/.
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Machine-readable
- This page as Markdown
/compare/causely-vs-new-relic.md· slim.min.md· JSON.json(or sendAccept: text/markdown) - Each listing in full
/api/v1/tools/causely.json·/api/v1/tools/new-relic.json - From a terminal
anchor compare causely new-relic(the CLI) - Over MCP
compare_tools {"a": "causely", "b": "new-relic"}at/mcp, no key