Manufact
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What is Manufact?
The MCP Inspector is a powerful web-based debugging and inspection tool for MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers developed by Manufact. It provides a beautiful, intuitive interface for testing tools, exploring resources, managing prompts, and monitoring server connections - all from your browser. The tool enables developers to connect to MCP servers, test tool execution with schema validation, and view real-time results without complex setup.
Key features include multi-server management allowing simultaneous connection to multiple MCP servers, interactive tool testing with schema validation and real-time results, a resource browser for exploring available data sources, a prompt manager for testing prompts with argument templates, an interactive chat interface with LLM integration for testing conversational flows, built-in OAuth flow handling with popup authentication, and session persistence with connections saved to localStorage and auto-reconnect capability. The chat feature uses a BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) model where API keys are stored locally in the browser and never sent to Manufact's servers.
The MCP Inspector is designed for MCP server developers, AI application engineers, and teams building Model Context Protocol integrations. It is particularly useful for developers who need to debug MCP servers, test tool functionality before production deployment, validate server compliance, and share testing results with team members. The tool supports various MCP servers including Linear and other enterprise integrations.
Manufact pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
The MCP Inspector is available as a free open-source tool. It can be run locally using npx @mcp-use/inspector or accessed via the hosted version at inspector.manufact.com. No credit card is required. The tool uses a BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) model for LLM integration where users provide their own API keys. Server connections and credentials are stored securely in the user's browser local storage, not on Manufact's servers.
Manufact pros
- Web-based interface requiring no installation
- Multi-server management for connecting multiple MCP servers simultaneously
- Interactive tool testing with real-time schema validation
- Built-in OAuth flow handling with popup authentication
- Session persistence with localStorage and auto-reconnect
- BYOK chat model with API keys stored locally in browser
- Resource browser for exploring available data sources
- Prompt manager with argument templates for testing
- Real-time tool call visualization with detailed JSON output
- Keyboard shortcuts including Cmd/Ctrl+K for quick search
- No server-side storage of authentication tokens
- Automatic connection to MCP server on npm run dev
- Detailed metadata showing MCP server compliance information
- Side panel displays tool arguments and results in JSON format
- Clear All button to reset all sessions easily
Manufact cons
- Requires browser with JavaScript enabled
- API key configuration needed for chat functionality
- Some servers may have no resources available
- Some servers may have no prompts available
- Local storage dependency means data lost if browser cache cleared
- OAuth required for some servers adds connection complexity
- Chrome browser recommended for best experience
- Requires MCP server URL to be accessible
Frequently asked questions about Manufact
What is the MCP Inspector?
The MCP Inspector is a powerful web-based debugging and inspection tool for MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers. It provides a beautiful, intuitive interface for testing tools, exploring resources, managing prompts, and monitoring server connections - all from your browser.
How do I connect to an MCP server?
Open the Connect panel on the right side of the dashboard, set Transport Type to Streamable HTTP for SSE connections, enter the MCP server URL (e.g., https://mcp.linear.app/mcp), and click the Connect button to establish the connection.
Is my API key stored on Manufact servers?
No. The MCP Inspector uses a BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) model. Your API key is stored locally in your browser and never sent to Manufact's servers. All requests are made directly from your device to your LLM provider.
How do I test tools in the MCP Inspector?
Navigate to the Tools tab which displays all available tools from the MCP server. Each tool shows its name and description. Select a tool to view its details and schema, then click the Execute button to run it and see real-time results.
What authentication methods are supported?
The MCP Inspector supports OAuth authentication with built-in flow handling and popup authentication. Servers like Linear require OAuth. After clicking Connect, you'll see the authorization page where you click Approve to grant access, and the inspector handles the redirect automatically.
Do my server connections persist after closing the browser?
Yes. The inspector automatically saves your server configurations to localStorage. Server connections persist across page reloads, and credentials are stored securely in your browser. You can clear all sessions with the Clear All button.
What keyboard shortcuts are available?
The main keyboard shortcut is Cmd/Ctrl + K which opens the quick search modal where you can quickly connect to a new server, access documentation and tutorials, jump to recently used servers, search and execute tools directly, and navigate to different tabs. Esc closes modals and overlays.
Can I test conversational flows with the MCP Inspector?
Yes. The Chat tab provides an interactive interface to test the MCP server with an LLM. After configuring your API key by selecting your LLM provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.), choosing a model, and entering your API key, you can type natural language queries to test the MCP server and see tool calls and responses in real-time.
What transport types are supported?
The MCP Inspector supports Streamable HTTP for SSE (Server-Sent Events) connections. You set Transport Type to Streamable HTTP in the Connect panel when configuring your server connection.
How do I view tool call details?
When you send a message in the Chat tab, the inspector shows real-time tool calls with indicators showing which tools are being called. The side panel displays arguments and results in JSON format, showing exactly how the MCP server processes requests.