Simpletel vs MCP Trace
A side-by-side look at the Simpletel and MCP Trace MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
S
SimpletelMonitoringQuery your simpletel OpenTelemetry traces and account usage from a coding agent.45FairAuth: not declaredM
MCP TraceMonitoringQuery OpenTelemetry traces from agent runs through MCP.47FairAuth: no auth requiredVerdict: choose Simpletel for monitoring work; choose MCP Trace for monitoring. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
SChoose Simpletel when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Monitoring domain.
- You have the keys it needs:
SIMPLETEL_ENDPOINT, SIMPLETEL_TEAM, SIMPLETEL_ADMIN_TOKEN, SIMPLETEL_TOKEN, SIMPLETEL_CONFIG. - You want tools like
get_traces, get_trace, verify.
MChoose MCP Trace when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Monitoring domain.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You want tools like
list_runs, run_summary, span_tree.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | S Simpletel | M MCP Trace |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Monitoring | Monitoring |
| Quality signal | 45/100 · Fair | 47/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Not confirmed yet | Not confirmed yet |
| Transport | — | — |
| Auth | Not declared | No auth required |
| Pricing | Not declared | Free |
| Required env vars | SIMPLETEL_ENDPOINTSIMPLETEL_TEAMSIMPLETEL_ADMIN_TOKENSIMPLETEL_TOKENSIMPLETEL_CONFIG | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 4 | 12 |
| Full listing | View Simpletel | View MCP Trace |
Tools & capabilities
Simpletel tools 4
get_tracesLists this team's traces newest-first. The JSON document `simpletel get traces --format json` produces. Use it to find a failing or slow request.get_traceFetches one trace in full — spans, span events, and correlated log records. The JSON document `simpletel get trace <id> --format json` produces.verifyRuns the `simpletel verify` onboarding check: polls until `service` has a fresh trace carrying spans from a library instrumentation. Returns the rung report and the exit status (`0` verified, `1` deadline miss). A deadline miss is a completed check, not a tool error.usageShows the account's plan, month-to-date records, allowance, and spend cap. The JSON document `simpletel usage --format json` produces. Account-scoped (needs a logged-in user token).
MCP Trace tools 12
list_runsStarting out — recent runs with task, model, duration, cost, decision countsrun_summaryOne run at a glance (accepts trace-id prefix)span_tree"What did the agent actually do?" — nested shape of the runslowest_spans"Why was it slow?" — top-k spans by durationapproval_logHITL audit — every approve/deny/**edit**, who decided, and *the rationale*token_usageCost questions — aggregated across runs or per-runsearch_spansFind spans by tool name, file path, "denied", …failure_reportFind actionable, bounded, redacted errors and failed tool calls.tool_statsRank tools by volume, error rate, denials, and latency.security_auditAudit caller identity, tenant, server provenance, risk, and approval evidence.recent_activityPoll new spans with a cursor while a run is active.compare_runsCompare selected traces for regressions across models or versions.
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.
Simpletel
No confirmed install command for Simpletel yet — follow the setup steps linked from its listing page rather than a guessed package name.
MCP Trace
No confirmed install command for MCP Trace yet — follow the setup steps linked from its listing page rather than a guessed package name.
Frequently asked questions
Simpletel is categorized under Monitoring and uses an install path we have not confirmed yet. MCP Trace belongs to Monitoring and uses an install path we have not confirmed yet. Pick Simpletel for monitoring work and MCP Trace for monitoring.
Neither server has a confirmed install command yet, so we don't publish a guessed config. Follow each project's own setup instructions, linked from its listing page.
Simpletel has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. MCP Trace is listed as free. Auth: no auth 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 simpletel and mcp-trace as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Simpletel has a quality signal of 45/100 (Fair) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. MCP Trace has 47/100 (Fair) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.