| name | aspire-mcp-inspector |
| description | Add MCP Inspector to a .NET Aspire AppHost for debugging MCP servers such as Data API Builder. |
MCP Inspector in .NET Aspire
Use this skill to run MCP Inspector as an Aspire-managed resource next to your MCP server.
When to use
- Add Inspector to Aspire AppHost
- Debug MCP connectivity/tool discovery
- Test DAB MCP endpoints locally
Canonical pattern
var mcpInspector = builder
.AddMcpInspector("mcp-inspector", options =>
{
options.InspectorVersion = "0.20.0";
})
.WithMcpServer(dabServer, transportType: McpTransportType.StreamableHttp)
.WithParentRelationship(dabServer)
.WithEnvironment("DANGEROUSLY_OMIT_AUTH", "true")
.WaitFor(dabServer);
Critical defaults
- Pin Inspector version (avoid buggy defaults).
- Use
StreamableHttp for DAB.
- For local dev, set
DANGEROUSLY_OMIT_AUTH=true to avoid auth-token friction.
- Do not override generated dashboard URLs in a way that removes Inspector links.
Troubleshooting
- Connection Error: transport mismatch (
Sse vs StreamableHttp) or MCP server not healthy.
- Auth prompt: missing
DANGEROUSLY_OMIT_AUTH=true.
- No server URL prefill: verify
WithMcpServer(...) targets the right resource.
Transport syntax
.WithMcpServer(dabServer, transportType: McpTransportType.Sse)
.WithMcpServer(dabServer, transportType: McpTransportType.StreamableHttp)
Dependency wait syntax
.WaitFor(dabServer)
Prerequisites
- Node.js +
npx available on host
- MCP server resource (for example DAB) already configured
- Docker running if MCP server is containerized
Completion checks
- Inspector appears in Aspire dashboard
- Inspector UI opens successfully
- Connection succeeds and MCP tools are listed
Related
- Azure deployment:
azure-mcp-inspector
- Local DAB stack:
aspire-data-api-builder