MCP Probe - Production-grade MCP Debugger

MCP Probe

Production-grade Model Context Protocol debugger and client built in Rust

What is MCP Probe?

MCP Probe is a powerful terminal-based debugger and CLI tool for Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers. It provides both an interactive TUI for real-time debugging and a comprehensive SDK for building MCP clients.

🎯 Perfect for:

• MCP Server Developers - Debug and validate your servers before deployment
• LLM Application Builders - Test MCP integrations with confidence
• DevOps Engineers - Automate MCP server testing and monitoring
• AI Researchers - Explore and understand MCP protocol implementations

🚀 Quick Start

Installation

Homebrew

brew install conikeec/tap/mcp-probe

Cargo

cargo install mcp-cli

Binary

Download from GitHub releases

Basic Usage

# Debug an MCP server via stdio
mcp-probe debug --stdio python server.py

# Debug via HTTP+SSE
mcp-probe debug --http-sse http://localhost:3000/sse

# Run automated tests
mcp-probe test --stdio python server.py

# Export capabilities
mcp-probe export --stdio python server.py --format json

✨ Key Features

🛠️ Comprehensive Toolset

• Interactive TUI - Rich terminal interface with real-time debugging
• Non-interactive CLI - Perfect for automation and CI/CD pipelines
• Multi-transport Support - stdio, HTTP+SSE, and HTTP streaming
• Validation Engine - Comprehensive MCP protocol compliance testing
• Export Capabilities - Generate reports in JSON, YAML, Markdown, and HTML
• Session Management - Save, replay, and share debugging sessions

🔧 Developer Experience

• Smart Parameter Validation - Auto-fix common issues (e.g., URL prefixing)
• File Organization - Automatic date-prefixed reports and organized logs
• Version Management - Automated release workflows and consistent versioning
• Cross-platform - Works seamlessly on Linux, macOS, and Windows

🏃‍♂️ Quick Demo

Debug the Playwright MCP server in seconds:

# Install MCP Probe
cargo install mcp-cli

# Debug Playwright MCP server
mcp-probe debug --stdio npx @playwright/mcp@latest

# Output:
# ✅ Connected to MCP server successfully!
# 📋 Tools (25): browser_navigate, browser_click, browser_type...
# 📁 Resources (0):
# 💬 Prompts (0):
# ✅ Debug session completed successfully!

📚 Protocol Support

MCP Probe implements the complete Model Context Protocol specification:

Transport Layer Support

• 📡 Stdio - Local process communication (most common)
• 🌐 HTTP+SSE - Server-Sent Events for real-time updates
• 🔄 HTTP Streaming - Full-duplex HTTP communication
• 🔒 Authentication - Bearer tokens, Basic auth, OAuth 2.0

🎥 Live Examples

Interactive TUI Mode

Launch the rich terminal interface for real-time debugging:

mcp-probe debug --stdio python my_mcp_server.py

Features beautiful syntax highlighting, real-time message inspection, and intuitive navigation.

Automated Testing

Perfect for CI/CD pipelines:

mcp-probe test --stdio python server.py --report --output-dir ./reports

Generates comprehensive test reports with protocol compliance analysis.

Export & Analysis

Generate detailed capability reports:

mcp-probe export --stdio python server.py --format markdown --output server-capabilities.md

🤝 Community & Support

🏆 Why Choose MCP Probe?