vMCP Inspector

Overview

Inspector is Obot's built-in MCP client. It connects to a vMCP as the signed-in user, so you can list and call its tools, read its prompts and resources, test it with a chat model, and watch the MCP messages exchanged. Use it to confirm that a vMCP works before you set up an AI client, or to separate gateway problems from client problems.

Open Inspector

1. Open vMCPs and open the vMCP.
2. Select Inspector in the vMCP designer. Alternatively, select Test vMCP, the icon beside Connect on the vMCP's card.
3. If Start Session appears, select it. Supply any requested configuration and authorize remote services if prompted.

Test vMCP walks you through connection setup first if you have not connected to the vMCP yet, then opens Inspector.

Inspector is available for shared vMCPs you can connect to and for personal vMCPs you own.

The header shows the vMCP's status. Inspector opens on the Chat tab. The other tabs are Tools, Prompts, Resources, and MCP Log.

Whose access Inspector tests

Inspector connects using your own vMCP instance and your own grants. It lists only the tools your profiles grant you, and it uses the configuration and service authorizations saved for your account.

An administrator's successful test does not show what another user can do. To check another user's experience, have that user open Inspector under their own account. See Tools and profiles for how profiles determine the tools each user receives.

Chat

The Chat tab tests the vMCP with a language model. The model sees the vMCP's tools, as they were when the chat started, and can request tool calls in response to your messages.

Chat works as follows:

• Every tool call needs your approval. When the model requests a tool, Inspector shows its name and arguments. Select Approve <tool> to run it or Reject <tool> to deny it. While an approved call runs, you can cancel it. Your browser makes approved calls through your Inspector session. The model never calls the vMCP directly.
• Staged prompts and resources from the Prompts and Resources tabs appear above the composer. Nothing staged is sent until you send a message.
• Each turn is limited to 10 model rounds. When a turn reaches this limit, send another message, such as "Continue", to start a new turn.
• Conversations are not saved. New Chat clears the conversation, staged context, approvals, and the tool snapshot. Leaving or refreshing the page also discards the conversation.

Which model Chat uses

• With a model provider configured, Chat uses the default Language Model (Chat) model through Obot's LLM gateway. You must have access to that model under a model access policy. Requests are subject to the same policies and audit logging as other LLM gateway traffic. If no default is set, or the default is inactive or not available to you, Chat explains why it cannot run.
• With no model provider configured, Chat can use Obot's hosted model service. This requires a registered Obot license. Administrators without one see Unlock Chat & More! and a free registration form. Alternatively, configure a model provider. Other users are told to contact an administrator.

The hosted model service receives the chat conversation, including the vMCP's tool definitions and any tool results you approve. To disable this, configure your own model provider, or set OBOT_SERVER_MODEL_PROXY_URL to an empty string to remove the service. See Server configuration.

Tools

The Tools tab lists the tools the vMCP exposes to you. Use the search box to filter the list.

Select a tool to see its description, Input schema, Output schema, and Raw tool metadata. To call it:

1. Enter arguments in the Generated form, which is built from the tool's input schema. To paste or edit the arguments as a single object, switch to Raw JSON.
2. Select Call.
3. Review the result. The call is marked Succeeded or Failed, or Cancelled if you stop it. Results show rendered content, structured content when the tool returns it, and the Raw MCP response.

Tool calls run against the real upstream service. When testing, start with read-only tools whose effects you understand.

Prompts

The Prompts tab lists the prompts the vMCP provides. Select a prompt, fill in its arguments, and select Get prompt to preview the resolved messages.

To send a resolved prompt to a chat, select Use in Chat. Only prompts with text content up to 100 KiB can be staged.

If the vMCP's servers do not provide prompts, the tab shows This server does not provide prompts.

Resources

The Resources tab lists the resources the vMCP provides. Select a resource to read it and preview its contents.

Text resources up to 100 KiB can be staged for chat with Use in Chat. Binary and unsupported content can still be inspected, but cannot be staged.

MCP Log

The MCP Log tab records the MCP messages exchanged during the session, including calls made from the Chat, Tools, Prompts, and Resources tabs.

• Filter entries by kind: Requests, Responses, Notifications, Errors, or Transport.
• Search by method name or request ID.
• Expand an entry to see its payload, or copy it as JSON. Large payloads are collapsed until you select Render anyway.
• Copy All copies the listed entries. The output may contain tool arguments, so handle it accordingly.

The log keeps only this session in your browser. For the persistent record, see the MCP audit logs.

Auditing

Calls made from Inspector go through the Obot MCP Gateway, like calls from any other client, and are recorded in the MCP audit logs with your user attribution.

When Inspector cannot connect

Inspector shows one of these messages when it cannot open a session.

• Start your vMCP to use chat and inspect tools. You do not have a session for this vMCP yet. Select Start Session.
• Before you can continue inspecting this vMCP, an update is required. Your saved configuration is incomplete or out of date. Select Update Configuration.
• Reauthentication required: A remote service authorization has expired or been revoked. Select Manage authentication.
• Server setup required: A component still needs configuration. Select Launch to complete it.
• Server unavailable: The deployment is not healthy, so Inspector skipped the connection. Select Retry to force an attempt.
• Access denied: You no longer have permission to connect to this vMCP. Check your profile grants.