MCP Inspector
Official developer tool for testing and debugging MCP servers through a web UI, CLI or terminal UI.
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About MCP Inspector
MCP Inspector is listed in our MCP servers category and is aimed at builders. Official developer tool for testing and debugging MCP servers through a web UI, CLI or terminal UI. Pricing, as the maker states it: Open source. Maturity: Mature. We last checked the official link on 2026-10-20.
What is MCP Inspector?
MCP Inspector is the official developer tool from the Model Context Protocol project for testing and debugging MCP servers. One npm package, @modelcontextprotocol/inspector, gives you four ways in: a web app, a scriptable CLI for automation and CI, an interactive terminal UI, and an experimental connection CLI (mcpdo) that keeps a named connection open across many commands.
You point it at a server over stdio or HTTP, then list and call its tools, read resources, try prompts and watch the raw protocol messages. It handles OAuth flows and stores tokens and secrets in the OS keychain where one is available, so it is the usual first stop when an MCP server misbehaves in Claude, Cursor or another client.
Sources: the official README and our directory listing, checked 2026-10-20. Official site: modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/2026-07-28/tools/inspector.
Who is MCP Inspector for?
MCP server authors and anyone wiring MCP servers into an agent who needs to see exactly what a server exposes and returns.
MCP Inspector at a glance
- Open source: Yes (Apache License 2.0 (moving from MIT; older contributions stay MIT))
- GitHub: modelcontextprotocol/inspector · 11,112 stars (as of Oct 21, 2026)
Key features
- Web UI, CLI, terminal UI and mcpdo connection CLI in one package
- Call tools, read resources and test prompts
- Inspect raw protocol traffic
- OAuth support with secrets kept in the OS keychain
- Runs with one npx command
MCP Inspector FAQ
What is MCP Inspector?
MCP Inspector is the official developer tool from the Model Context Protocol project for testing and debugging MCP servers. One npm package, @modelcontextprotocol/inspector, gives you four ways in: a web app, a scriptable CLI for automation and CI, an interactive terminal UI, and an experimental connection CLI (mcpdo) that keeps a named connection open across many commands.
Who is MCP Inspector for?
MCP server authors and anyone wiring MCP servers into an agent who needs to see exactly what a server exposes and returns.
Is MCP Inspector free?
MCP Inspector's pricing, as the maker states it: Open source. Open-source tools are free to use, though you may still pay for model API usage or a hosted plan. Check the official site for current plans.
Is MCP Inspector open source?
Yes. MCP Inspector is released under the Apache License 2.0 (moving from MIT; older contributions stay MIT), according to its GitHub repository.
What are alternatives to MCP Inspector?
Similar tools include MCP reference servers, MCP Java SDK, Brave Search MCP, MCPorter, ScrapeGraph MCP and Algolia MCP.
MCP Inspector ratings and reviews
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Popular searches with this tool
🏆 Ranked in: MCP servers that work with Cursor · MCP servers that work with Claude Code
🔁 Listed in: REA alternatives
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