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Every MCP server runs somewhere, and where it runs is the first thing to check before you install one. A remote server is a service on the internet. A local server is a small program that runs on your own Mac. The two look similar in the Isa Hub, but they differ in where your data goes, which devices they work on, and what your Mac needs before they run.

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Understand the two kinds

Remote means the server runs on someone else’s computer, and Isa reaches it over the internet — like a website. There is nothing to install or run on your side. Every request the Primary Agent sends travels over the internet to wherever the server is hosted, so the data in that request leaves your device. Local means Isa starts the server as a small program on your own Mac and talks to it directly. The conversation between Isa and the server never leaves your machine. The Apple Mail server on the Community Hub is a good example: it reads and sends mail through the Mail app on the same Mac — no third party sits in between.
“Local” describes where the server runs, not necessarily where your data ends up. A local server that manages Apple Mail works entirely on your Mac; a local server built to query an online service still sends requests to that service. Read the server’s Intended Use description to see what it connects to.

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Compare local and remote

Local servers are Mac only because iPhone and iPad don’t let apps run server programs on the device.

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Tell them apart on the Hub

On the Community Hub, a local server’s page carries Local and macOS only badges, and its Package section shows the command Isa will run. A remote server’s page shows the URL it is reached at instead.

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Know what a local server needs

A local server isn’t a Mac app you download and double-click. It’s published as a package — a piece of software that a small helper tool fetches and starts on demand. When the server runs, Isa executes the command shown on the server’s page, for example:
The first word of the command is the helper tool, and it has to be on your Mac already — Isa doesn’t bring it along. It’s the same idea as file types: a .docx file only opens if Word or Pages is installed. A command that starts with npx only runs if Node.js is installed; one that starts with uvx needs uv, a Python tool. Checking for the helper tool and installing it takes a few minutes — Use a local MCP server walks you through it step by step.
The first time a local server starts, the helper tool downloads the server’s package, so the first run needs an internet connection and takes a moment longer. After that it starts from the copy on your Mac.

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Next

MCP servers

Understand what MCP servers are and how the Primary Agent reaches them.

Use a local MCP server

Get your Mac ready and install a local server step by step.

Add an MCP server

Publish a local or remote server on the Community Hub.