> ## Documentation Index

> Fetch the complete documentation index at: /llms.txt

> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

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# Inspecting Servers

View a server’s components and metadata

New in version `2.9.0` `fastmcp inspect` loads a server and reports what it contains — its tools, resources, prompts, version, and metadata. The default output is a human-readable summary:

    fastmcp inspect server.py

    Server: MyServer
    Instructions: A helpful MCP server
    Version: 1.0.0

    Components:
      Tools: 5
      Prompts: 2
      Resources: 3
      Templates: 1

    Environment:
      FastMCP: 2.0.0
      MCP: 1.0.0

    Use --format [fastmcp|mcp] for complete JSON output

##
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JSON Output

For programmatic use, two JSON formats are available: FastMCP format (`--format fastmcp`) includes everything FastMCP knows about the server — tool tags, enabled status, output schemas, annotations, and custom metadata. Field names use `snake_case`. This is the format for debugging and introspecting FastMCP servers. MCP protocol format (`--format mcp`) shows exactly what MCP clients see through the protocol — only standard MCP fields, `camelCase` names, no FastMCP-specific extensions. This is the format for verifying client compatibility and debugging what clients actually receive.

    # Full FastMCP metadata to stdout
    fastmcp inspect server.py --format fastmcp

    # MCP protocol view saved to file
    fastmcp inspect server.py --format mcp -o manifest.json

##
​
Options

Option | Flag | Description
--- | --- | ---
Format | `--format`, `-f` | `fastmcp` or `mcp` (required when using `-o`)
Output File | `--output`, `-o` | Save to file instead of stdout

##
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Entrypoints

The `inspect` command supports the same local entrypoints as `fastmcp run`: inferred instances, explicit entrypoints, factory functions, and `fastmcp.json` configs.

    fastmcp inspect server.py                  # inferred instance
    fastmcp inspect server.py:my_server        # explicit entrypoint
    fastmcp inspect server.py:create_server    # factory function
    fastmcp inspect fastmcp.json               # config file

`inspect` only works with local files and `fastmcp.json` — it doesn’t connect to remote URLs or standard MCP config files.
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