MCP server inspector
Explore the capabilities exposed by a remote MCP server.
This check runs on the server. Input and results are not saved as execution history; hosted allowances apply.
About MCP server inspector
Initialize a public MCP server and inspect its negotiated protocol, capabilities and tool, resource or prompt descriptors without invoking its tools.
When to use it
Check an MCP server’s actual tool names, argument schemas and capabilities before connecting an application or agent.
Initialize → notifications/initialized → tools/list → inspect returned descriptorsHow to use it
- Enter a public Streamable HTTP MCP endpoint.
- Choose the collection and add authentication only if the endpoint needs it.
- Inspect server metadata and schemas, then use a page cursor for larger collections.
Inspect the connection before an agent uses it
The inspector opens a Streamable HTTP connection, sends initialize, checks the negotiated protocol version and acknowledges initialization. It then requests the selected discovery collection: tools, resource descriptors or prompt descriptors. It never invokes tools, expands prompts or reads resource contents.
The result shows server implementation information, capabilities and the returned descriptors. Tool input schemas are displayed as structured data so you can check required arguments and property types. Names and descriptions are untrusted server-provided text, not instructions to the inspector or permission to run an action.
Use explicit authentication and bounded discovery
Put a bearer token in the masked token field or use an additional X-* authentication header if the server requires one. Credentials are sent only to the supplied public endpoint; redirects are not followed. Recognized credential parameters in the URL are rejected so a private token does not become part of a copied endpoint address.
Discovery is limited to five server pages, one hundred items, bounded responses and a ten-second overall deadline. Increase the item limit when a server returns more descriptors than the initial view. When a complete page supplies a next cursor, you can use that cursor to continue. A server that does not advertise a collection is reported explicitly.
Supported transport and lifecycle
The inspector supports JSON and SSE response bodies over public HTTP or HTTPS endpoints. It negotiates the listed supported protocol versions and includes the negotiated version and session header on subsequent requests. When the server creates a session, the inspector attempts to close it after discovery.
Local stdio servers, private-network endpoints and interactive OAuth login are outside this hosted inspector’s scope. The public-network protections validate resolved addresses before each connection. A failed inspection does not consume a successful hosted run, and input credentials are not saved as execution history.
Limits & privacy
Public HTTP/HTTPS targets only, with address pinning and private-address protection. Supports protocol versions 2025-11-25, 2025-06-18 and 2025-03-26. JSON and SSE responses up to 256 KiB each, a ten-second overall deadline, up to five discovery pages and 100 items. Redirects are not followed. Bearer and X-* tokens are sent only to the supplied endpoint and are not returned or retained. OAuth login and local stdio subprocesses are unsupported. Remote descriptions are untrusted data. No tool invocation, resource-content read, sampling or elicitation is performed.
Use this tool from the API reference or connect through the SDK, CLI, SSH, or MCP. Hosted calls share your plan allowances.