What is the key difference between MCP Agent Trace Inspector and Agentlens?

MCP Agent Trace Inspector belongs to the Monitoring category with local stdio execution, while Agentlens belongs to the Monitoring category with local stdio execution.

How do I install MCP Agent Trace Inspector or Agentlens in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are MCP Agent Trace Inspector and Agentlens free or paid?

MCP Agent Trace Inspector operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). Agentlens operates under a Free / Open Source model (API Key required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

MCP Agent Trace Inspector lists 13 tools with 0 views and 0 GitHub stars. Agentlens lists 6 tools with 3 views and 23 GitHub stars.

Can I use both MCP Agent Trace Inspector and Agentlens together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

MCP Agent Trace Inspector vs Agentlens

In-depth architectural comparison of the MCP Agent Trace Inspector and Agentlens MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.

At a Glance & Executive Verdict

MCP Agent Trace Inspector

Monitoring · Local stdio

Quality: 43/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required

Agentlens

Monitoring · Local stdio

Quality: 57/100 (Good) | Auth: API Key required

Verdict Summary: Choose MCP Agent Trace Inspector if you need specialized Monitoring tools running via a local process. Choose Agentlens if your workspace requires Monitoring integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose MCP Agent Trace Inspector when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Monitoring domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: trace_start, trace_step, trace_end.

Explore MCP Agent Trace Inspector Details

Choose Agentlens when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Monitoring domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: SHA-256 hash-chained audit events, Audit-chain verification, Signed JSON audit export.

Explore Agentlens Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	MCP Agent Trace Inspector Monitoring	Agentlens agentkitai Monitoring
Summary	Step-by-step observability for MCP agent workflows	Tamper-evident observability for AI agents: a SHA-256 hash-chained audit log with chain verification and signed export (EU AI Act Art. 12). Instrument any agent with zero code via npx -y @agentlensai/mcp; also ingests OpenTelemetry GenAI traces.
Category & Scope	Monitoring

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

MCP Agent Trace Inspector Tools (13)

trace_start

begin a new trace; returns a `trace_id` for subsequent calls

trace_step

record one tool call step (inputs, outputs, optional token count and latency)

trace_end

mark a trace as completed

list_traces

list stored traces with names, statuses, and timestamps

get_trace_summary

token totals, step count, latency, and cost estimate for a trace

compare_traces

diff two traces side by side (step counts, tokens, latency)

Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations

Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).

MCP Agent Trace Inspector Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-agent-trace-inspector": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/inspector"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Agentlens Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "agentkitai-agentlens": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@agentkitai/agentlens-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

MCP Agent Trace Inspector is categorized under Monitoring and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Agentlens belongs to Monitoring using local stdio subprocess. Select MCP Agent Trace Inspector when you need capabilities focused on monitoring and Agentlens when you require tools for monitoring.

More alternatives to MCP Agent Trace Inspector More alternatives to Agentlens Monitoring category hub Canonical compare URL