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

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

How do I install MCP Agent Trace Inspector or Opik MCP 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 Opik MCP free or paid?

MCP Agent Trace Inspector operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). Opik MCP operates under a BYOK (Pay Provider Direct) 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. Opik MCP lists 1 tools with 1 views and 217 GitHub stars.

Can I use both MCP Agent Trace Inspector and Opik MCP 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 Opik MCP

In-depth architectural comparison of the MCP Agent Trace Inspector and Opik MCP 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

Opik MCP

Monitoring · Local stdio

Quality: 61/100 (Good) | Auth: API Key required

Verdict Summary: Choose MCP Agent Trace Inspector if you need specialized Monitoring tools running via a local process. Choose Opik MCP 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 Opik MCP when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Monitoring domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (BYOK (Pay Provider Direct)).
You have access to required keys: OPIK_API_KEY, OPIK_WORKSPACE, COMET_WORKSPACE, COMET_URL_OVERRIDE, OPIK_URL, OPIK_MCP_ANALYTICS_SOURCE.
Primary tools included: read_skill.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	MCP Agent Trace Inspector Monitoring	Opik MCP Comet-ML Monitoring
Summary	Step-by-step observability for MCP agent workflows	Use natural language to explore LLM observability, traces, and monitoring data captured by Opik.
Category & Scope	Monitoring	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"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Opik MCP Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "comet-ml-opik-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "opik-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "OPIK_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPIK_API_KEY_HERE",
        "OPIK_WORKSPACE": "YOUR_OPIK_WORKSPACE_HERE",
        "COMET_WORKSPACE": "YOUR_COMET_WORKSPACE_HERE",
        "COMET_URL_OVERRIDE": "YOUR_COMET_URL_OVERRIDE_HERE",
        "OPIK_URL": "YOUR_OPIK_URL_HERE",
        "OPIK_MCP_ANALYTICS_SOURCE": "YOUR_OPIK_MCP_ANALYTICS_SOURCE_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

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

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