MCP Server vs MCP Agent Trace Inspector
A side-by-side look at the MCP Server and MCP Agent Trace Inspector 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 Server for monitoring work as a local process; choose MCP Agent Trace Inspector for monitoring as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
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.
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.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | M MCP Server | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Monitoring | Monitoring |
| Quality signal | 60/100 · Good | 49/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | API key required | Not declared |
| Pricing | BYOK (pay the provider) | Not declared |
| Required env vars | MACKEREL_APIKEY | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 7 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 16 | 13 |
| Full listing | View MCP Server | View MCP Agent Trace Inspector |
Tools & capabilities
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
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
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 Server
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-server-180": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@mackerel/mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"MACKEREL_APIKEY": "YOUR_MACKEREL_APIKEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
MCP Agent Trace Inspector
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-agent-trace-inspector": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"mcp-agent-trace-inspector@latest"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
MCP Server is categorized under Monitoring and uses a local stdio subprocess. MCP Agent Trace Inspector belongs to Monitoring and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick MCP Server for monitoring work and MCP Agent Trace Inspector 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 Server is bring-your-own-key: usage is billed by the API provider you supply a key for. Auth: api key required. MCP Agent Trace Inspector has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. 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-server-180 and mcp-agent-trace-inspector as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, MCP Server has a quality signal of 60/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 7 GitHub stars. MCP Agent Trace Inspector has 49/100 (Fair) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.