MCP Inspector

🔍 MCP Inspector by mcp-use is an open-source, interactive developer tool for testing and debugging MCP servers with support for MCP-UI and OpenAI Apps SDK widgets. It provides a beautiful, intuitive interface for testing tools, exploring resources, managing prompts, and monitoring server connections - all from your browser.

🚀 Try it:

- Online: inspector.mcp-use.com
- Locally: Run npx @mcp-use/inspector
- Repository: github.com/mcp-use/mcp-use

🎥 Demo


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For detailed usage instructions and guides, visit mcp-use.com/docs/inspector

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📦 Related Packages

| Package | Description | Version |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| mcp-use | Core MCP framework |  |
| @mcp-use/cli | Build tool for MCP apps |  |
| create-mcp-use-app | Create MCP apps |  |

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✨ Key Features

| Feature | Description |
| -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| 🚀 Auto-Mount | Automatically available at /inspector for all mcp-use servers |
| 🔌 Multi-Connection | Connect to and manage multiple MCP servers simultaneously |
| 🎯 Interactive Testing | Test tools with live execution and real-time results |
| 📊 Real-time Status | Monitor connection states, errors, and server health |
| 🔐 OAuth Support | Built-in OAuth flow handling with popup authentication |
| 💾 Persistent Sessions | Connections saved to localStorage and auto-reconnect |
| 🎨 Beautiful UI | Modern, responsive interface built with React and Tailwind |
| 🔍 Tool Explorer | Browse and execute all available tools with schema validation |
| 📁 Resource Browser | View and copy resource URIs with syntax highlighting |
| 💬 Prompt Manager | Test and manage prompts with argument templates |
| 🌐 Universal Support | Works with HTTP/SSE and WebSocket connections |
| 🎨 Widget Support | Full support for MCP-UI and OpenAI Apps SDK widgets |
| 🔑 BYOK Chat | Bring Your Own Key chat interface for testing conversational flows |
| 💾 Saved Tool Calls | Save and replay tool executions for repeated testing |
| ⌨️ Quick Actions | Cmd + K keyboard shortcuts for rapid navigation |
| 🐳 Docker Ready | Self-host with a single Docker container for production use |

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🚀 Quick Start

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There are three ways to use the MCP Inspector:

#### 1. Online Version (Recommended for Testing)

Visit inspector.mcp-use.com - no installation required!

#### 2. Run Locally

``bash
npx @mcp-use/inspector
`

Opens the inspector in your browser at http://localhost:8080

#### 3. Auto-mounted with mcp-use Servers

When you create an MCP server with mcp-use, the inspector is automatically available at /inspector:

`typescript
import { MCPServer } from "mcp-use/server";

const server = new MCPServer({
name: "my-server",
version: "1.0.0",
});

// Add your tools, resources, prompts...

server.listen(3000);
// 🎉 Inspector automatically available at http://localhost:3000/inspector
`

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📖 Usage Guide

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The main dashboard is your central hub for managing MCP server connections:

- Connected Servers Panel (left): View all your connected servers
- Connect Panel (right): Add new server connections with transport, URL, auth, and headers configuration
- Quick Actions: Access settings and clear sessions from the top bar

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To connect to an MCP server:

1. Open Connect Panel: Click the Connect panel on the right side of the dashboard
2. Configure Transport:
- Select "Streamable HTTP" for SSE connections
- Select "WebSocket" for WS connections
- Configure "stdin/stdio" for local process connections
3. Enter Server URL: Input the MCP server endpoint (e.g., https://mcp.linear.app/mcp)
4. Configure Authentication (if needed): Add OAuth credentials or API headers
5. Click Connect: Establish the connection

Example URLs:

- Linear: https://mcp.linear.app/mcp
- Local: http://localhost:3000/mcp

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For servers requiring OAuth (like Linear):

1. After clicking Connect, you'll see the authorization page
2. Click "Approve" to grant access
3. The inspector handles the redirect automatically
4. Server appears in Connected Servers list with a green indicator

> Privacy Note: All authentication tokens and credentials are stored securely in your browser's local storage. Nothing is sent to our servers - everything stays on your device.

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Once connected, each server shows:

- Connection status indicator (green = connected)
- Server name and URL
- Available tools count
- Action buttons: Inspect, Disconnect, Remove

Click "Inspect" to open the detailed server view.

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🔍 Server Detail View

After clicking "Inspect" on a connected server, you'll see four main tabs:

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The Tools tab displays all available tools from the MCP server.

Features:

- Browse all available tools with their names and descriptions
- Select a tool to view its detailed schema
- Click "Execute" to test the tool
- Enter JSON parameters in the input panel
- View real-time results with syntax highlighting
- Support for MCP-UI and OpenAI Apps SDK widgets

Example: When connected to Linear MCP server, you'll see 23+ tools for managing issues, projects, and teams.

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Browse available resources from the MCP server:

- View resource descriptions and metadata
- Copy resource URIs for use in your applications
- Check MIME types and resource properties
- Preview resource content

> Note: Some servers (like Linear) may not expose resources, in which case you'll see "No resources available".

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Test and manage pre-configured prompts:

- View all available prompts with descriptions
- Select a prompt to see its schema
- Fill in required arguments in the form
- Click "Render" to execute the prompt
- Copy the rendered output for use

> Note: Not all servers provide prompts. If none are available, you'll see "No prompts available".

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The Chat tab provides an interactive interface to test the MCP server with an LLM using BYOK (Bring Your Own Key).

> Privacy: Your API key is stored locally in your browser and never sent to our servers. All requests are made directly from your device to your LLM provider.

Setup:

1. Click "Configure API Key" to open the configuration modal
2. Select your Provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.)
3. Choose the Model (gpt-4o, claude-3-5-sonnet, etc.)
4. Enter your API Key (stored locally in browser)
5. Click "Save Configuration"

Using Chat:

- Type natural language queries to test the MCP server
- View tool calls in real-time with visual indicators
- See detailed JSON output for arguments and results
- Watch the assistant's response based on tool results
- Track exactly how the MCP server processes requests

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⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts

| Shortcut | Action |
| -------------- | --------------------------- |
| Cmd/Ctrl + K | Quick search and navigation |
| Esc | Close modals and overlays |

Quick Search (Cmd/Ctrl + K) allows you to:

- Quickly connect to a new server
- Access documentation and tutorials
- Jump to recently used servers
- Search and execute tools directly
- Navigate to different tabs

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💾 Persistency

The inspector automatically saves your configurations:

- Server connections persist across page reloads
- Credentials are stored securely in your browser's localStorage
- Session preferences are maintained automatically
- Clear all sessions anytime with the "Clear All" button

Your data never leaves your browser - everything is stored locally for privacy and security.

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🐳 Self-Hosting

Deploy the MCP Inspector to your own infrastructure with a single Docker container. Perfect for enterprise environments, air-gapped networks, or when you need full control over your debugging environment.

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The official Docker image is available on Docker Hub.

Quick Start:

`bash
docker run -d -p 8080:8080 --name mcp-inspector mcpuse/inspector:latest
`

Then visit http://localhost:8080 to access your self-hosted inspector.

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Using Docker Run:

`bash
docker run -d \
--name mcp-inspector \
-p 8080:8080 \
-e NODE_ENV=production \
mcpuse/inspector:latest
`

Using Docker Compose:

`yaml
version: "3.8"
services:
mcp-inspector:
image: mcpuse/inspector:latest
ports:
- "8080:8080"
environment:
- NODE_ENV=production
- PORT=8080
restart: unless-stopped
healthcheck:
test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://localhost:8080"]
interval: 30s
timeout: 10s
retries: 3
`

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All configuration is optional. The inspector works out of the box with sensible defaults.

| Variable | Default | Description |
| ---------- | ---------- | ---------------------------- |
| NODE_ENV | production | Node.js environment |
| PORT | 8080 | Port to run the inspector on |
| HOST | 0.0.0.0 | Host to bind to |

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📊 Telemetry & Privacy

The MCP Inspector collects anonymized usage data to help us improve the tool.

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We collect:

- Usage events: When you connect to servers, execute tools, read resources, or call prompts
- Anonymous user ID: A randomly generated UUID stored in your browser's localStorage
- Technical information: Package version, browser type, and connection types
- Performance data: Tool execution duration and success/failure rates

We DO NOT collect:

- Personal information (names, emails, etc.)
- Actual tool arguments or results
- Server credentials or API keys
- Resource content or data

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You can disable telemetry in several ways:

Option 1: Environment Variable

`bash


Set before starting the inspector

`javascript
// In browser console
localStorage.setItem("mcp_inspector_telemetry_disabled", "true");
`

Option 3: Package-level

`json
// Add to your package.json
{
"scarfSettings": {
"enabled": false
}
}
``

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We use:

- PostHog: For product analytics and feature usage tracking
- Scarf: For package download analytics and company insights

Both providers respect your privacy and follow GDPR compliance.

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions!

See our contributing guide for details.

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📚 Learn More

- Inspector Documentation - Complete usage guide and tutorials
- Self-Hosting Guide - Deploy your own instance
- mcp-use Documentation - Full framework documentation
- Model Context Protocol - Official MCP specification
- GitHub Repository - Source code and examples

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📜 License

MIT © mcp-use