Local Dev
Install, build and run the Inspector locally, and place a dependency correctly.
Install
npx skills add modelcontextprotocol/inspector --skill local-dev -g -a claude-code -y- Repository
- modelcontextprotocol/inspector11.2k
- Category
- Git and review
- Updated
- 6d ago
- License
- See repository
- Context cost
- Mediumabout 3,000 tokens
- Runs scripts
- No, instructions only
What it does
Install, build and run the Inspector locally, and place a dependency correctly. Use when starting the web, cli, tui or launcher client; when asking whether a build or rebuild is needed before a run script works; when an install, an @inspector/core import or a client bundle fails at run time; when adding or bumping a dependency and choosing which package.json declares it; or when a bundler external, a version skew or a git worktree is the suspect.
Local development
The rules a reviewer cites (TypeScript, Mantine/React, testing, the gate)
stay in AGENTS.md. This skill is how to get the thing
running and where a package goes.
Install
Requires Node >=22.19.0.
npm install # at the REPO ROOT
v2 is not an npm workspace, each client under clients/* keeps its own
package.json and node_modules. A single root npm install is still all you
need: the root postinstall (scripts/install-clients.mjs) cascades
npm install into clients/web, clients/cli, clients/mcpdo,
clients/tui, and clients/launcher.
- Fresh clone:
npm installat the root. - After a pull that changes a client's dependencies: re-run
npm installat the root to re-sync every client.
The cascade is dev-only, it exits early when the package is installed under
node_modules, and a consumer never needs it because the tarball ships
prebuilt artifacts (each client's build/, plus clients/web/dist and
clients/web/static) rather than sources to compile. Set
INSPECTOR_SKIP_CLIENT_INSTALL=1 to skip it. The files allowlist itself is
docs/publishing.md.
⚠️ In a git worktree, do a real npm install. A symlinked node_modules
passes lint, tests and coverage, then fails every Storybook story file on Vite's
fs.allow.
Running
For day-to-day web iteration, run Vite directly, fast HMR, no launcher build needed:
cd clients/web && npm run dev
The launcher-driven scripts run the built launcher, so npm run build
first:
npm run build # web → cli → mcpdo → tui → launcher
npm run web # prod web launcher against clients/web/dist
npm run web:dev # web launcher in --dev mode (Vite)
