The Tusk Drift MCP server enables AI assistants to search, analyze, and debug API traffic data captured by Tusk Drift, including HTTP requests, database queries, and distributed traces.
Core Capabilities:
Search and Filter API Traffic (
query_spans) - Find specific API calls using flexible criteria like endpoint names, HTTP methods, status codes, duration, errors, and custom JSON path filters with pagination supportGet Schema Information (
get_schema) - Understand available fields and structure for different instrumentation types (HTTP, database, gRPC, etc.) with example payloadsDiscover Available Data (
list_distinct_values) - List unique and frequently occurring values for fields like endpoints, instrumentation packages, environments, status codes, and JSONB values to assist in query buildingCalculate Aggregated Metrics (
aggregate_spans) - Compute statistics including latency percentiles (p50, p95, p99), error rates, request counts, performance comparisons across endpoints or environments, and time-series trends (hourly, daily, weekly)View Distributed Traces (
get_trace) - Retrieve complete end-to-end traces as hierarchical trees showing the full call chain, timings, and dependencies to identify bottlenecksFetch Specific Spans (
get_spans_by_ids) - Get detailed information and full request/response payloads for individual span recordings by ID
Common Use Cases: Debug failed or slow API requests, analyze endpoint performance patterns, track errors across distributed systems, understand API traffic and usage patterns, monitor database query performance, and investigate specific requests end-to-end.
Setup: Connect via remote server (recommended) or local installation with API key authentication. Supports multiple AI assistants including Cursor and Claude Desktop with easy configuration.
Click on "Install Server".
Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state.
In the chat, type
@followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@Tusk Drift MCPshow me the slowest API endpoints from the last hour"
That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed.
Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.
Tusk Drift MCP
An MCP server for querying API traffic data captured by Tusk Drift. This enables AI assistants to search, analyze, and debug your application's API traffic, including HTTP requests, database queries, and distributed traces.
New to Tusk Drift? Check out our docs and sign up for an account.
Setup
Option 1: Remote MCP Server (Recommended)
Connect directly to the hosted Tusk Drift MCP server. This is the easiest setup and doesn't require running anything locally.
For Cursor:
Add to your Cursor MCP settings (~/.cursor/mcp.json or workspace .cursor/mcp.json):
For Claude Desktop:
Option 2: Local Installation (via NPX)
Run the MCP server locally. This is useful if you need offline access or custom configuration.
For Claude Desktop / Cursor:
Add to your claude_desktop_config.json or Cursor MCP settings:
Configuration (env vars for local installation)
Variable | Required | Description |
| Yes | Your API token |
| No | Tusk API URL (defaults to |
| No | Service ID (auto-discovered from |
Available Tools
Tool | Description |
| Search API traffic with flexible filters |
| Get structure/schema of captured traffic |
| Discover available endpoints and field values |
| Calculate latency percentiles, error rates, counts |
| View distributed traces as hierarchical trees |
| Fetch specific spans with full payloads |
Support
Need help? Open an issue or contact us at support@usetusk.ai.