aspire-mcp-inspector

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

// WRONG for DAB
.WithMcpServer(dabServer, transportType: McpTransportType.Sse)

// CORRECT for DAB
.WithMcpServer(dabServer, transportType: McpTransportType.StreamableHttp)

Dependency wait syntax

// CORRECT: Inspector waits for running MCP server resource
.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

• Local DAB stack: aspire-data-api-builder