by modelcontextprotocol · modelcontextprotocol/inspector
The official debugger for MCP servers — connect to any server, call its tools live, see the raw protocol traffic.
MCP Inspector is the canonical dev tool for MCP. Point it at a server (local or remote), enumerate tools and resources, fire calls with structured inputs, and watch frames go by. First thing to reach for when your server misbehaves.
%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-inspector": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@modelcontextprotocol/inspector"
]
}
}
}Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-inspector": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@modelcontextprotocol/inspector"
]
}
}
}Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-inspector": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@modelcontextprotocol/inspector"
]
}
}
}Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-inspector": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@modelcontextprotocol/inspector"
]
}
}
}Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.
{
"mcpServers": [
{
"name": "mcp-inspector",
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@modelcontextprotocol/inspector"
]
}
]
}Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.
{
"context_servers": {
"mcp-inspector": {
"command": {
"path": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@modelcontextprotocol/inspector"
]
}
}
}
}Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.
claude mcp add mcp-inspector -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/inspectorOne-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.
When to use: Claude says 'tool failed' and you need to see what really happened.
Outcome: Server bug isolated without LLM noise.
Build a FastMCP server; debug it with the Inspector before shipping
| Tool | Inputs | When to call | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| tools.call | (see docs) | Invoke any tool the server advertises | 1 call |
| resources.list | (see docs) | Browse resources | 1 call |
Run untrusted MCP servers against your auth tokensServer won't connectCheck transport (stdio vs SSE); confirm the binary path
| Alternative | When to use it instead | Tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| mcp2cli | You prefer command-line | No GUI for protocol inspection |