Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

  • .NET 10 SDK or later
  • A modern web browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari)
  • Git (optional, for cloning the repository)

Installation Methods

  1. Clone the repository

      git clone https://github.com/garrardkitchen/mcp-explorer.git
cd mcp-explorer

  2. Restore dependencies

      dotnet restore

  3. Build the application

      dotnet build

  4. Run the application

      dotnet run --project src/Garrard.Mcp.Explorer

  5. Open your browser

    Navigate to the URL displayed in the terminal, typically:

    • HTTPS: https://localhost:5001
    • HTTP: http://localhost:5000

    info: First Run: You may be prompted to accept the development HTTPS certificate. This is normal for local development.

Method 2: Docker (Production)

Run MCP Explorer using the pre-built Docker image:

  docker run -p 8080:8080 garrardkitchen/mcp-explorer:latest

Then open your browser to http://localhost:8080

Custom port mapping:

  docker run -p 5001:8080 garrardkitchen/mcp-explorer:latest

DX Tip:

Here’s what I run when using on different platforms:

Windows Content

  $dataRoot="$HOME\AppData\Local\McpExplorer-docker"
Start-Process -FilePath "C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" -ArgumentList "http://localhost:8080"
docker run --rm -it -p 8080:8080 -v "${dataRoot}:/root/.local/share/McpExplorer" garrardkitchen/mcp-explorer:latest
  
  dataRoot="$HOME/Library/Application Support/McpExplorer-docker"
open -a "Google Chrome" "http://localhost:8080"
docker run --rm -it -p 8080:8080 -v "${dataRoot}:/root/.local/share/McpExplorer" garrardkitchen/mcp-explorer:latest

Example content specific to Mac operating systems

Linux Content

  dataRoot="$HOME/.config/McpExplorer-docker"
google-chrome http://localhost:8080
docker run --rm -it -p 8080:8080 -v "${dataRoot}:/root/.local/share/McpExplorer" garrardkitchen/mcp-explorer:latest

Verify Installation

After starting the application, you should see:

  1. Console output showing the application has started
  2. Web interface when you navigate to the local URL
  3. Navigation tabs for Connections, Tools, Prompts, Resources, etc.

Expected Console Output 

  info: Microsoft.Hosting.Lifetime[14]
      Now listening on: https://localhost:5001
info: Microsoft.Hosting.Lifetime[14]
      Now listening on: http://localhost:5000
info: Microsoft.Hosting.Lifetime[0]
      Application started. Press Ctrl+C to shut down.

Next Steps

Troubleshooting

Port Already in Use

If port 5001 or 5000 is already in use:

  # Specify a different port
dotnet run --urls "https://localhost:7001;http://localhost:7000"

Certificate Trust Issues

On first run, trust the development certificate:

  dotnet dev-certs https --trust

Build Errors

Ensure you’re using .NET 9 SDK or later:

  dotnet --version

For more help, see the Troubleshooting Guide.