Simpletel vs Trace Forge
A side-by-side look at the Simpletel and Trace Forge 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 declaredVerdict: choose Simpletel for monitoring work; choose Trace Forge for monitoring as a local process. 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.
Choose Trace Forge when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Monitoring domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | S Simpletel | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Monitoring | Monitoring |
| Quality signal | 45/100 · Fair | 37/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Not confirmed yet | Confirmed |
| Transport | — | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | SIMPLETEL_ENDPOINTSIMPLETEL_TEAMSIMPLETEL_ADMIN_TOKENSIMPLETEL_TOKENSIMPLETEL_CONFIG |
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).
Trace Forge 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.
Simpletel
No confirmed install command for Simpletel yet — follow the setup steps linked from its listing page rather than a guessed package name.
Trace Forge
{
"mcpServers": {
"trace-forge": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"trace-forge-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Simpletel is categorized under Monitoring and uses an install path we have not confirmed yet. Trace Forge belongs to Monitoring and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Simpletel for monitoring work and Trace Forge 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. Simpletel has no confirmed install command yet — follow its own setup instructions.
Simpletel has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Trace Forge 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 simpletel and trace-forge 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. Trace Forge has 37/100 (Fair) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.
