---
title: "Inspector"
description: "Built-in web interface for real-time server monitoring and debugging"
icon: "monitor"
---

<Visibility for="agents">
For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://mcp-use.com/docs/llms.txt).
</Visibility>

[![See Live Inspector](/images/UseLiveSmall.svg)](https://inspector.mcp-use.com)

<Card title="MCP Inspector" img="/images/inspector/inspector-dashboard.jpg">
  The MCP Inspector is a powerful web-based debugging and inspection tool for
  MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers. It provides a beautiful, intuitive
  interface for testing tools, exploring resources, managing prompts, and
  monitoring server connections - all from your browser.
</Card>

### Key Features

- **Multi-Server Management**: Connect to and manage multiple MCP servers simultaneously
- **Tool Testing**: Interactive tool execution with schema validation and real-time results
- **Resource Browser**: Explore available resources and data sources
- **Prompt Manager**: Test and manage prompts with argument templates
- **Chat Interface**: Interactive chat with LLM integration for testing conversational flows
- **OAuth Support**: Built-in OAuth flow handling with popup authentication
- **Session Persistence**: Connections saved to localStorage with auto-reconnect
- **OpenAI Apps SDK Support**: Full widget rendering and debugging for ChatGPT Apps
- **Saved Requests**: Save and replay tool executions
- **Command Palette**: Powerful search and navigation with `Cmd/Ctrl + K`
- **Add to Client**: Quickly add MCP servers to Cursor, VS Code, Claude Desktop, and CLI tools

## Documentation

Explore the inspector documentation:

### Getting Started

- **[CLI Usage](/inspector/cli)** - Run the inspector from the command line
- **[Connection Settings](/inspector/connection-settings)** - Advanced configuration options
- **[URL Parameters](/inspector/url-parameters)** - Deep links and auto-connect

### Features

- **[Overview](/inspector/index)** - Saved requests, preview mode, and connection management
- **[Keyboard Shortcuts](/inspector/keyboard-shortcuts)** - Complete shortcuts reference
- **[Command Palette](/inspector/command-palette)** - Search and navigation guide
- **[RPC Logging](/inspector/rpc-logging)** - Monitor JSON-RPC messages in real-time

### Integration & Advanced

- **[Integration](/inspector/integration)** - Mount inspector on Express or Hono apps
- **[Debugging ChatGPT Apps](/inspector/debugging-chatgpt-apps)** - Test and debug ChatGPT Apps with OpenAI Apps SDK
- **[Self-Hosting](/inspector/self-hosting)** - Deploy your own inspector instance
- **[Development](/inspector/development)** - Development setup and contribution guide
- **[Changelog](/inspector/changelog)** - Version history and updates

# Getting Started

## Dashboard

The MCP Inspector dashboard is your central hub for managing MCP server connections.

![Dashboard](/images/inspector/dashboard.png)

What you see:

- Connected Servers panel (left)
- Connect panel with transport, URL, connection type, auth, headers (right)
- Quick actions in the top bar

Next: add the Linear MCP server to begin a live walkthrough.

### Add MCP Server

<Steps>
<Step title="Open Connect Panel">
Open the Connect panel on the right side of the dashboard.

![Connect Form](/images/inspector/connect-form.png)

</Step>

<Step title="Configure Transport">
  Set Transport Type to "Streamable HTTP" for SSE connections.
</Step>

<Step title="Enter Server URL">
  Enter the MCP server URL (e.g., `https://mcp.linear.app/mcp`).
</Step>

<Step title="Connect">
Click the Connect button to establish the connection.
</Step>
</Steps>

### OAuth Authentication

<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.
</Note>

<Steps>
<Step title="Authorization Request">
Servers like Linear require OAuth. After clicking Connect, you'll see the authorization page.

![OAuth Linear](/images/inspector/oauth-linear.png)

</Step>

<Step title="Grant Access">
Click "Approve" to grant access. The inspector handles the redirect automatically.
</Step>
</Steps>

### Connected Server

Once authenticated, the server appears in the Connected Servers list with a green indicator.

![Server Connected](/images/inspector/server-connected.png)

Click the icon buttons to Inspect, Disconnect, or Remove the server.

# Server Detail View

Clicking "Inspect" opens the detailed server view with tabs for Tools, Resources, Prompts, and Chat.

![Server Detail](/images/inspector/server-detail.png)

### Tools Tab

The Tools tab displays all available tools from the MCP server. Each tool shows its name and description.

<Frame caption="Tools list showing 23 available Linear tools">
  <img
    src="/images/inspector/tools-list.png"
    alt="Tools tab interface showing list of available tools"
  />
</Frame>

Select a tool to view its details and execute it. The right panel will show the tool's schema and an Execute button.

### Resources Tab

The Resources tab displays available resources from the MCP server. Resources are data sources the server can provide.

<Frame caption="Resources tab showing no resources available">
  <img
    src="/images/inspector/resources-empty.png"
    alt="Resources tab interface showing empty state"
  />
</Frame>

Note: Linear MCP server doesn't expose any resources, so this tab shows "No resources available".

### Prompts Tab

The Prompts tab shows pre-configured prompts from the MCP server. You can select and execute prompts with parameters.

<Frame caption="Prompts tab showing no prompts available">
  <img
    src="/images/inspector/prompts-empty.png"
    alt="Prompts tab interface showing empty state"
  />
</Frame>

Note: Linear MCP server doesn't provide any prompts, so this tab shows "No prompts available".

### Elicitation Tab

The Elicitation tab appears when a tool requests user input during execution.

What you can do:

- Review pending elicitation requests
- Fill form fields generated from the server's schema
- Accept, decline, or cancel requests
- Jump back to tool results after response submission

Supported schema patterns include all SEP-1330 enum variants:

- Untitled single-select: `type: "string"` + `enum`
- Titled single-select: `type: "string"` + `oneOf[{ const, title }]`
- Legacy titled enum: `type: "string"` + `enum` + `enumNames`
- Untitled multi-select: `type: "array"` + `items.enum`
- Titled multi-select: `type: "array"` + `items.anyOf[{ const, title }]`

These schemas render as dropdowns (single-select) or checkbox groups (multi-select), while submitted values always use the underlying enum/const values.

# Chat Tab

<Note>
  The Chat feature uses a BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) model. 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.
</Note>

The Chat tab provides an interactive interface to test the MCP server with an LLM. Configure your API key to start chatting.

### Chat Setup

To use the chat:

<Steps>
<Step title="Configure API Key">
Click "Configure API Key" to open the configuration modal.

![Chat Configure](/images/inspector/chat-configure.png)

![Chat API Modal](/images/inspector/chat-api-modal.png)

- **Provider**: Select your LLM provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.)
- **Model**: Choose the model to use (gpt-5.5, claude-sonnet-4-6, etc.)
- **API Key**: Enter your API key (stored locally in browser)
- Click "Save Configuration" to activate the chat
</Step>

<Step title="Enter Credentials">
Once configured, the chat interface becomes active.

![Chat Active](/images/inspector/chat-active.png)

</Step>

<Step title="Start Chatting">
  Type natural language queries to test the MCP server.
</Step>

<Step title="View Results">
See tool calls and responses in real-time with detailed JSON output.

![Chat Interaction](/images/inspector/chat-interaction.png)

When you send a message, the inspector shows real-time tool calls and responses.

</Step>
</Steps>

Key features of the chat interface:

- **Message Input**: Natural language queries to test MCP server functionality
- **Tool Call Visualization**: Shows which tools are being called with indicators
- **Tool Call Details**: Side panel displays arguments and results in JSON format
- **Response Display**: Shows the assistant's response based on tool results
- **Real-time Feedback**: See exactly how the MCP server processes requests

### Using Prompts in Chat

If your MCP server provides prompts, you can invoke them directly from the chat interface. This allows you to execute prompts and include their results in your message context before sending.

<Warning>
  Prompts with arguments are not supported yet. Only prompts without parameters
  can be executed from the chat interface.
</Warning>

<Steps>
<Step title="Trigger Prompts Dropdown">
Type `/` in the chat input field to open the prompts dropdown menu.

<Frame caption="Prompts dropdown showing available prompts">
  <img
    src="/images/inspector/prompts-selection.png"
    alt="Chat input with prompts dropdown showing available prompts after typing /"
  />
</Frame>

The dropdown displays all available prompts from the connected MCP server.

</Step>

<Step title="Select a Prompt">
Navigate through available prompts using:
- **Arrow Keys** (↑/↓): Move between prompts
- **Mouse Click**: Select a prompt directly
- **Enter**: Execute the focused prompt
- **Escape**: Close the dropdown without selecting

Each prompt shows its name and description to help you choose the right one.

</Step>

<Step title="Execute and Include Results">
When you select a prompt, it executes immediately and its result is included in your message context.

<Frame caption="Selected prompt with results displayed in chat">
  <img
    src="/images/inspector/prompts-selected.png"
    alt="Chat showing executed prompt result included in the message"
  />
</Frame>

The prompt result appears in the chat input area, and you can continue typing your message or send it directly.

</Step>
</Steps>

Key points about prompts in chat:

- **Arguments Not Supported**: Only prompts without parameters are currently supported
- **Results Included First**: Prompt results are added to your message context before sending
- **Keyboard Navigation**: Use arrow keys, Enter, and Escape for quick selection
- **Inline Execution**: Prompts execute immediately upon selection without blocking the chat

# Add to Client

The inspector includes a "Add to Client" button in the header that allows you to quickly add the current MCP server to various AI clients and code editors.

![Add to Client Dropdown](/images/inspector/add-to-client-dropdown.png)

## Keyboard Shortcuts

The inspector includes powerful keyboard shortcuts for quick navigation:

![Quick Search](/images/inspector/quick-search.png)

**Cmd/Ctrl + K** opens the quick search modal where you can:

- Quickly connect to a new server
- Access documentation and tutorials
- Jump to recently used servers
- Search and execute tools directly
- Navigate to different tabs (Tools, Prompts, Resources, Chat)

For a complete list of all keyboard shortcuts, see the [Keyboard Shortcuts](/inspector/keyboard-shortcuts) guide.

## Persistency

The inspector automatically saves your server configurations to localStorage:

- Server connections persist across page reloads
- Credentials are stored securely in your browser
- Clear all sessions with the "Clear All" button

Visit [inspector.mcp-use.com](https://inspector.mcp-use.com) to start inspecting your MCP servers today!
