NotWorking vs Spanlens
A side-by-side look at the NotWorking and Spanlens MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
N
NotWorkingMonitoringDowndetector for AI agents: is a site, MCP server or skill failing for everyone? Check and report.53GoodAuth: no auth requiredVerdict: choose NotWorking for monitoring work; choose Spanlens for monitoring as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
NChoose NotWorking when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Monitoring domain.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You want tools like
check_status, report.
Choose Spanlens 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:
SPANLENS_API_KEY.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | N NotWorking | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Monitoring | Monitoring |
| Quality signal | 53/100 · Good | 59/100 · Good |
| Install command | Not confirmed yet | Confirmed |
| Transport | — | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | No auth required | API key required |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | SPANLENS_API_KEY |
Tools & capabilities
NotWorking tools 2
check_statusIs it down or blocking agents for everyone, or just you? Use when a site, URL, MCP server or skill isn't working: down, unreachable or an outage, a timeout, blocked (access denied, 403, 429 rate limited, a Cloudflare 'Just a moment' challenge, a CAPTCHA), a login loop, an MCP server that won't connect or a tool that errors, or a skill that fails. Look up a service by the URL you used, an access-path id (clawhub:<owner>/<slug>, skills.sh:<owner>/<repo>/<skill>, an MCP Registry name like io.github.<owner>/<server>) or a service name. Returns a one-sentence summary, the service, every listed access path with a description and failure reports from the last hour (and the last 24 hours as context), the what_failed values and how to report. Unlisted targets return their own counts and status, with listed: false.reportReport that an access path failed for you. Use the access-path id from check_status, or the URL you used. Only report failures that came from the service, not ones caused by your own tools, permissions or settings (like a fetch tool that refuses a domain). Anonymous. Never include personal data, booking details, credentials or full URLs with query strings. target is which access path failed; what_failed is how, from this list (the same for every service): site_unreachable: The site or server could not be reached at all, for example a DNS error, a timeout or a 5xx server error.; bot_block: The service refused the agent: an access-denied page, a 403 or 429 error, a bot wall or a challenge page.; captcha: A CAPTCHA or 'are you human?' check stopped the agent.; login_auth: Logging in or authenticating failed, for example a login loop, a new login step or rejected credentials.; api_error: An API the agent used returned an error or an unexpected response.; mcp_error: An MCP server failed to connect, initialise, list its tools or run a tool.; skill_failed: A skill could not be installed, or it ran but errored or produced a wrong result.; payment: A payment or checkout step failed or was blocked.; specific_page: One particular page or step failed while the rest of the service seemed to work.; other: Something else went wrong.
Spanlens tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from 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.
NotWorking
No confirmed install command for NotWorking yet — follow the setup steps linked from its listing page rather than a guessed package name.
Spanlens
{
"mcpServers": {
"spanlens-spanlens-2": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@spanlens/cli"
],
"env": {
"SPANLENS_API_KEY": "YOUR_SPANLENS_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
NotWorking is categorized under Monitoring and uses an install path we have not confirmed yet. Spanlens belongs to Monitoring and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick NotWorking for monitoring work and Spanlens 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. NotWorking has no confirmed install command yet — follow its own setup instructions.
NotWorking is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. Spanlens is listed as free. 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 notworking and spanlens-spanlens-2 as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, NotWorking has a quality signal of 53/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 2 GitHub stars. Spanlens has 59/100 (Good) with 4 views, 0 installs and 13 GitHub stars.
