Cloudinary MCP Server

# MCP Inspector Guide for LLMs This guide provides detailed information about using the MCP Inspector tool for testing, debugging, and validating MCP servers. ## 1. Getting Started ### Installation and Basic Usage ```bash # Run directly without installation npx mcp-inspector <server-command> # For NPM/PyPi packages npx mcp-inspector npx -y @your-package/server-name # For local development npx mcp-inspector node path/to/your/server.js npx mcp-inspector python path/to/your/server.py ``` ### Server Connection Setup 1. Select appropriate transport (stdio/SSE) 2. Configure command-line arguments 3. Set required environment variables 4. Test initial connection ## 2. Core Features ### Server Connection Pane 1. Transport Selection: - stdio for local servers - SSE for network-based servers - Custom transport configuration 2. Connection Settings: - Command-line arguments - Environment variables - Connection timeouts 3. Status Monitoring: - Connection state - Protocol version - Capability negotiation ### Resources Tab 1. Resource Listing: ```typescript // Example resource listing structure { resources: [ { uri: "custom://resource", name: "Resource Name", description: "Resource description", mimeType: "text/plain" } ] } ``` 2. Resource Inspection: - View metadata - Examine content - Check MIME types - Test resource reading 3. Subscription Testing: - Subscribe to updates - Monitor changes - Test unsubscribe ### Prompts Tab 1. Template Inspection: ```typescript // Example prompt structure { name: "prompt-name", description: "Prompt description", arguments: [ { name: "arg1", description: "Argument description", required: true } ] } ``` 2. Testing Features: - View available templates - Test with custom arguments - Preview generated messages - Validate responses ### Tools Tab 1. Tool Discovery: ```typescript // Example tool listing { tools: [ { name: "tool-name", description: "Tool description", inputSchema: { type: "object", properties: { // Parameter definitions } } } ] } ``` 2. Testing Features: - List available tools - Validate schemas - Test execution - Monitor results ### Notifications Pane 1. Message Types: - Server logs - Error messages - Status updates - Progress notifications 2. Monitoring: - Real-time updates - Message filtering - Error tracking ## 3. Testing Workflows ### Development Workflow 1. Initial Testing: ```bash # Start Inspector with development server npx mcp-inspector npm run dev ``` 2. Development Cycle: - Make code changes - Restart server - Test affected features - Monitor logs - Debug issues 3. Feature Testing: - Verify basic functionality - Test edge cases - Check error handling - Validate responses ### Resource Testing 1. Listing Verification: - Check resource discovery - Validate metadata - Test pagination - Check updates 2. Content Testing: - Read resource content - Verify MIME types - Test binary data - Check encoding 3. Subscription Testing: - Subscribe to resources - Monitor updates - Test unsubscribe - Verify notifications ### Tool Testing 1. Discovery Testing: - List available tools - Verify schemas - Check descriptions - Validate metadata 2. Execution Testing: - Test with valid inputs - Try invalid inputs - Check error handling - Monitor progress - Validate results ### Prompt Testing 1. Template Verification: - Check available prompts - Validate arguments - Test descriptions - Verify schemas 2. Generation Testing: - Test with arguments - Check message format - Validate content - Test error cases ## 4. Debugging ### Common Issues 1. Connection Problems: - Check server process - Verify transport - Monitor initialization - Check capabilities 2. Message Errors: - Validate formats - Check handlers - Monitor responses - Track errors 3. Resource Issues: - Check permissions - Verify paths - Test content types - Monitor updates ### Debugging Tools 1. Console Logging: ```typescript // Server-side logging console.error("Debug message"); ``` 2. Message Inspection: - View raw messages - Check formatting - Track request/response - Monitor timing 3. Error Analysis: - Stack traces - Error codes - Response validation - Context examination ## 5. Best Practices ### Testing Strategy 1. Systematic Approach: - Test core features first - Add edge cases - Verify error handling - Check performance 2. Resource Management: - Monitor memory usage - Check file handles - Verify cleanup - Test limits 3. Error Handling: - Test all error paths - Verify messages - Check recovery - Monitor cleanup ### Security Testing 1. Input Validation: - Test boundaries - Try invalid input - Check sanitization - Verify limits 2. Authentication: - Test credentials - Check permissions - Verify tokens - Monitor access 3. Resource Protection: - Test access control - Check paths - Verify isolation - Monitor usage ## 6. Performance Testing ### Response Time 1. Operation Timing: - Track latency - Monitor variance - Check thresholds - Log outliers 2. Batch Operations: - Test concurrent requests - Monitor memory - Check throughput - Verify ordering ### Resource Usage 1. Memory Monitoring: - Track allocation - Check leaks - Monitor peaks - Verify cleanup 2. Connection Management: - Test connection stability - Check timeouts - Monitor states - Verify cleanup This guide should be used as a reference when testing and debugging MCP servers using the Inspector tool. Always consider the specific requirements of your server while following these guidelines.