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](https://inspector.mcp-use.com/inspector)
- **Locally**: Run `npx @mcp-use/inspector`
- **Repository**: [github.com/mcp-use/mcp-use](https://github.com/mcp-use/mcp-use/tree/main/libraries/typescript/packages/inspector)
## 🎥 Demo
[](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvsNSABz1GM)
### 📖 Documentation
For detailed usage instructions and guides, visit [mcp-use.com/docs/inspector](https://mcp-use.com/docs/inspector)
---
## 📦 Related Packages
| Package | Description | Version |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [mcp-use](https://github.com/mcp-use/mcp-use/tree/main/libraries/typescript/packages/mcp-use) | Core MCP framework | [](https://www.npmjs.com/package/mcp-use) |
| [@mcp-use/cli](https://github.com/mcp-use/mcp-use/tree/main/libraries/typescript/packages/cli) | Build tool for MCP apps | [](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@mcp-use/cli) |
| [create-mcp-use-app](https://github.com/mcp-use/mcp-use/tree/main/libraries/typescript/packages/create-mcp-use-app) | Create MCP apps | [](https://www.npmjs.com/package/create-mcp-use-app) |
---
## ✨ 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 |
---
## 🚀 Quick Start
### Access the Inspector
There are three ways to use the MCP Inspector:
#### 1. Online Version (Recommended for Testing)
Visit [inspector.mcp-use.com](https://inspector.mcp-use.com/inspector) - 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
```
---
## 📖 Usage Guide
### Dashboard
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
### Adding an MCP Server
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`
### OAuth Authentication
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.
### Connected Servers
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.
---
## 🔍 Server Detail View
After clicking **"Inspect"** on a connected server, you'll see four main tabs:
### Tools Tab
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.
### Resources Tab
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".
### Prompts Tab
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".
### Elicitation Tab
The Elicitation tab handles tool requests that require user input during execution.
**Features:**
- View pending elicitation requests in a dedicated queue
- Fill and submit form-mode responses directly in the inspector
- Accept, decline, or cancel requests
- Jump back to tool results after responding
**Supported field types:**
- Text, number/integer, and boolean fields
- Single-select enum dropdowns:
- `type: "string" + enum`
- `type: "string" + oneOf[{ const, title }]`
- `type: "string" + enum + enumNames` (legacy)
- Multi-select enum groups:
- `type: "array" + items.enum`
- `type: "array" + items.anyOf[{ const, title }]`
This aligns with SEP-1330 enum schema variants used by MCP conformance scenarios.
### Chat Tab
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, Google, or Ollama)
3. Choose the **Model** (gpt-4o, claude-3-5-sonnet, etc.)
4. Enter your **API Key** (stored locally in browser)
5. Click **"Save Configuration"**
For **Ollama**, the API key is optional and you can point the inspector at a local or remote Ollama host by setting the **Base URL** (defaults to `http://localhost:11434`).
**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
---
## ⌨️ 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
---
## 💾 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.
---
## 🐳 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.
### Docker Image
The official Docker image is available on [Docker Hub](https://hub.docker.com/r/mcpuse/inspector).
**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.
### Docker Deployment Options
**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
```
### Environment Variables
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 |
---
## 📊 Telemetry & Privacy
The MCP Inspector collects anonymized usage data to help us improve the tool.
### What Data is Collected?
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
### How to Opt Out
You can disable telemetry in several ways:
**Option 1: Environment Variable**
```bash
# Set before starting the inspector
export MCP_USE_ANONYMIZED_TELEMETRY=false
```
**Option 2: localStorage (Browser)**
```javascript
// In browser console
localStorage.setItem("mcp_inspector_telemetry_disabled", "true");
```
**Option 3: Package-level**
```json
// Add to your package.json
{
"scarfSettings": {
"enabled": false
}
}
```
### Telemetry Providers
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](https://github.com/mcp-use/mcp-use/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) for details.
---
## 📚 Learn More
- [Inspector Documentation](https://mcp-use.com/docs/inspector) - Complete usage guide and tutorials
- [Self-Hosting Guide](https://mcp-use.com/docs/inspector/self-hosting) - Deploy your own instance
- [mcp-use Documentation](https://mcp-use.com/docs) - Full framework documentation
- [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) - Official MCP specification
- [GitHub Repository](https://github.com/mcp-use/mcp-use) - Source code and examples
---
## 📜 License
MIT © [mcp-use](https://github.com/mcp-use)
