MCP Debugger
About / protocol diagnostics

What is MCP Debugger?

Test a server →

MCP Debugger tests Model Context Protocol servers for spec compliance. Paste a server URL and get an independent report of how it behaves on the wire.

This tool is built and maintained by Nate Barbettini, author of OIDC Debugger and a contributor to the MCP specification.

Grading reference

The letter grade is a quick signal, not the whole diagnosis. Use it to orient yourself, then inspect the checks and evidence in the report.

  1. AClean pass

    No failures or warnings, and the server reports a recent supported MCP protocol version.

  2. BMostly works

    No failures, but at least one warning.

  3. CSpec gaps exist

    One or more failures (often tied to a capability the server reported).

  4. DMajor problems

    Most MCP clients will struggle (e.g. deprecated/unknown protocol version, auth issues, ping fails).

  5. FUnusable

    Clients can't connect or core checks fail (network/DNS, invalid JSON/JSON-RPC, terminal auth discovery failures).

Open-source acknowledgments

MCP Debugger uses and extends the server side of the official MCP conformance suite, maintained by the MCP team. It is also built with the projects below.