MCP inspector

An interactive tool for testing and debugging MCP servers — browse tools, inspect schemas, and fire test calls without an AI client.

The MCP inspector is an interactive developer tool for testing and debugging MCP servers. It lets you browse available tools, inspect their schemas, and fire test calls with custom inputs — without configuring an AI client first.

It is the fastest way to verify a connection, check that a token has the right permissions, explore what a server exposes, or reproduce a failed agent call in isolation.

Running the inspector

You can run the MCP inspector directly via npx, without installing it:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector

This starts a local web interface in your browser where you can connect to any MCP server.

Connecting to Commerce Layer MCP servers

Choose the server you want to validate, then follow the matching setup. The endpoint and auth requirements vary by server, but the flow stays the same.

Core MCP

1

Set the transport type and connection type

In the inspector UI, set the transport to Streamable HTTP and the connection type to Via Proxy.

2

Enter the endpoint URL

Fill the related field with the Core MCP server URL:

https://core-mcp.commercelayer.io/mcp

3

Add your access token

In the Authentication section, under Custom Header, add Authorization as the header name and enter your access token as the value:

Bearer {{your_access_token}}

Replace {{your_access_token}} with the token you have generated from your set of API credentials.

Click on the toggle to enable the header.

4

Connect and explore

Click Connect. The Tools tab will list all the available tools. Select any tool to see its full input schema and run a test call with custom inputs.

Metrics MCP

Documentation MCP

For the full reference, see the MCP inspector documentation.