MCP Agent Trace Inspector vs MCP Server
A side-by-side look at the MCP Agent Trace Inspector and MCP Server MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
M
MCP ServerMonitoring · Local subprocess (stdio)Local MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for integrating LLMs with Mackerel.60GoodAuth: api key requiredVerdict: choose MCP Agent Trace Inspector for monitoring work as a local process; choose MCP Server for monitoring as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose MCP Agent Trace Inspector when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Monitoring domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
trace_start, trace_step, trace_end.
MChoose MCP Server when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Monitoring domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
MACKEREL_APIKEY. - You want tools like
list_alerts, get_alert, get_alert_logs.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | M MCP Server | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Monitoring | Monitoring |
| Quality signal | 49/100 · Fair | 60/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | API key required |
| Pricing | Not declared | BYOK (pay the provider) |
| Required env vars | None listed | MACKEREL_APIKEY |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 7 |
| Directory activity | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 13 | 16 |
| Full listing | View MCP Agent Trace Inspector | View MCP Server |
Tools & capabilities
MCP Agent Trace Inspector tools 13
trace_startbegin a new trace; returns a `trace_id` for subsequent callstrace_steprecord one tool call step (inputs, outputs, optional token count and latency)trace_endmark a trace as completedlist_traceslist stored traces with names, statuses, and timestampsget_trace_summarytoken totals, step count, latency, and cost estimate for a tracecompare_tracesdiff two traces side by side (step counts, tokens, latency)extract_reasoning_chainextract only reasoning/thinking steps from a traceexport_dashboardgenerate a self-contained single-file HTML dashboard with latency waterfallexport_otelexport one or all traces in OpenTelemetry OTLP JSON span formatexport_compliance_logexport the compliance audit log as JSON or CSV, with optional date range filteringconfigure_alertsconfigure alert rules on latency, error rate, or cost; fire to Slack or generic webhooksset_retention_policyset how many days to keep traces (in-memory; must be called before `apply_retention`)- +1 more on the listing page
MCP Server tools 16
list_alertsRetrieve alerts.get_alertRetrieve a specific alert.get_alert_logsRetrieve logs for a specific alert.list_dashboardsRetrieve dashboards.get_dashboardRetrieve a specific dashboard.update_dashboardUpdate a specific dashboard.list_hostsRetrieve hosts.get_host_metricsRetrieve metrics data for a specific host.list_servicesRetrieve services.get_service_metricsRetrieve metrics data for a specific service.list_monitorsRetrieve monitor configurations.get_monitorRetrieve a specific monitor configuration.- +4 more on the listing page
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
MCP Agent Trace Inspector
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-agent-trace-inspector": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"mcp-agent-trace-inspector@latest"
]
}
}
}
MCP Server
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-server-180": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@mackerel/mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"MACKEREL_APIKEY": "YOUR_MACKEREL_APIKEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
MCP Agent Trace Inspector is categorized under Monitoring and uses a local stdio subprocess. MCP Server belongs to Monitoring and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick MCP Agent Trace Inspector for monitoring work and MCP Server for monitoring.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
MCP Agent Trace Inspector has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. MCP Server is bring-your-own-key: usage is billed by the API provider you supply a key for. Auth: api key required. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add mcp-agent-trace-inspector and mcp-server-180 as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, MCP Agent Trace Inspector has a quality signal of 49/100 (Fair) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. MCP Server has 60/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 7 GitHub stars.