Mcpsnoop
Mcpsnoop is a transparent proxy and live terminal UI that acts as 'Wireshark for MCP.' It sits in the real data path between your AI client (Cursor, Claude Code, Codex) and your MCP servers, capturing every JSON-RPC frame — tool calls, arguments, responses, stderr — as they actually happen. Unlike the official MCP Inspector, which connects as a second client off to the side, Mcpsnoop sees exactly what your real client and server say to each other, including calls the model never made or made with wrong arguments. It flags slow and hung calls, surfaces invalid frames, supports replay, capability inspection, and session export (JSON/HTML/text/OTLP), and runs as a single dependency-free binary (Go, MIT licensed).
✅ Pros / Advantages
- • Sees real client-to-server traffic (Inspector can't)
- • Zero-config: wrap your server, the TUI auto-pairs
- • Flags slow, hung, and invalid JSON-RPC calls
- • Replay, capability inspector, and session export
- • Single dependency-free binary (Go, MIT licensed)
❌ Cons / Limitations
- • CLI/TUI only — no GUI, not for non-technical users
- • You must only wrap servers you trust (it runs their command)
- • Focused on MCP debugging, not a general-purpose proxy
- • Young project (v0.8.0, Jul 2026)
💰 Pricing Plans
Free (Open Source, MIT)
Pricing details are gathered from public sources and are subject to change. Please visit the official website for real-time rates.
Last updated: July 2026 · 9bests editorial review
✅ Who should use Mcpsnoop
- • Sees real client-to-server traffic (Inspector can't)
- • Zero-config: wrap your server, the TUI auto-pairs
- • Flags slow, hung, and invalid JSON-RPC calls
- • Replay, capability inspector, and session export
- • Single dependency-free binary (Go, MIT licensed)
⚠️ Who should look elsewhere
- • CLI/TUI only — no GUI, not for non-technical users
- • You must only wrap servers you trust (it runs their command)
- • Focused on MCP debugging, not a general-purpose proxy
- • Young project (v0.8.0, Jul 2026)
🎯 Common use cases
Autocompleting and refactoring code
Multi-file AI edits
Debugging and test generation
⚖️ Mcpsnoop vs Cursor
| Mcpsnoop | Cursor | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5/5 | 4.8/5 |
| Pricing | Free (Open Source, MIT) | Free / $20/mo |
| Key strength | Sees real client-to-server traffic (Inspector can't) | Best AI code editor |
See the full head-to-head in our Mcpsnoop vs Cursor comparison.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Is Mcpsnoop free?
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Mcpsnoop offers a free tier (Free (Open Source, MIT)). Paid plans unlock higher limits and advanced features.
What is Mcpsnoop best for?
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Mcpsnoop is best for Sees real client-to-server traffic (Inspector can't) and Zero-config: wrap your server, the TUI auto-pairs. Mcpsnoop is a transparent proxy and live terminal UI that acts as 'Wireshark for MCP.' It sits in the real data path between your AI client (Cursor, Claude Code, Codex) and your MCP servers, capturing every JSON-RPC frame — tool calls, arguments, responses, stderr — as they actually happen. Unlike the official MCP Inspector, which connects as a second client off to the side, Mcpsnoop sees exactly what your real client and server say to each other, including calls the model never made or made with wrong arguments. It flags slow and hung calls, surfaces invalid frames, supports replay, capability inspection, and session export (JSON/HTML/text/OTLP), and runs as a single dependency-free binary (Go, MIT licensed).
How does Mcpsnoop compare to Cursor?
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Mcpsnoop (4.5/5) and Cursor (4.8/5) serve overlapping needs. Mcpsnoop stands out for Sees real client-to-server traffic (Inspector can't), while Cursor is stronger at Best AI code editor. Choose based on your priority.
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