## What you connect

Inspector provides a local MCP server for an MCP client such as GitHub Copilot
in VS Code. The server exposes the current Visual Components session through a
Streamable HTTP endpoint; the server itself does not provide the AI reasoning.

The default endpoint is:

```text
http://localhost:3000/mcp
```

The port is configurable. Use the URL shown by Inspector after changing it,
because the client URL must match the running server.

## Start the server

![Inspector MCP Server Configuration showing a running localhost endpoint, port 3000, read-only tool groups, and activity log](https://inspector.4111778.xyz/assets/captures/mcp-server-read-only-tools-panel.png)

1. Open the **HOME** tab in Visual Components.
2. In the Inspector group, select **MCP Server**.
3. In **Server and startup settings**, check **Status** and **URL**.
4. Select **Start Server** when the status is **Stopped**.
5. Leave **Auto start** selected when the server should start with Visual
   Components.

The configuration window is a reversible UI action. Starting or stopping the
server changes client availability, but does not change the layout.

## Configure the endpoint

Set the MCP client server URL to the exact value shown in Inspector. This
workspace uses the following public configuration entry:

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "visual-components": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://localhost:3000/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

The checked-in `.vscode/mcp.json` also contains `winapp` and
`documentation-tools` stdio entries for this documentation workspace. They are
support services for authoring and native UI verification, not additional
Inspector layout-data endpoints.

After the client connects, its MCP server list should contain the
`visual-components` server. A client can then initialize the connection and
request the available tools from the running Inspector process.

## Control tool access

Use **Tool Access** to enable or disable individual tools or a complete tool
group. Inspector reports that editing access changes are applied to connected
clients, while tool selection changes apply the next time the MCP server
starts.

* Read-only inspection tools are enabled by default in the tool metadata.
* Edit-capable tools are grouped separately and are disabled until the
  simulation-editing access gate is enabled and confirmed.
* Review the current checkboxes in your own session before sending an action
  through an external client.

See [Inspector MCP tool access](https://inspector.4111778.xyz/docs/mcp/tool-access/) for the complete tool list and
the difference between reading, UI state changes, file output, and live edits.

## Check a connection

Use the **Activity Log** in the configuration window to confirm requests and
responses. A running status with a matching URL and recent client activity is
the useful connection result.

If the client cannot connect:

* Check that Visual Components is still running and **Status** is not
  **Stopped**.
* Compare the client URL with the displayed URL, including the `/mcp` path.
* Check for a port conflict by trying a different **Port**, then start the
  server and update the client URL.
* Restart the MCP server after changing tool selection.
* Use the activity log to distinguish a missing client request from a tool
  execution error.

## Related tasks

Use [Inspect a layout through MCP](https://inspector.4111778.xyz/docs/mcp/inspect-layout/) for a read-focused
investigation sequence. See [Configure Copilot Chat](https://inspector.4111778.xyz/docs/copilot/configure-copilot-chat/)
for the Inspector Chat endpoint, which is derived from the same server
settings.