How do I debug an MCP server in VS Code?

Install OrcA 0.3, right-click a running server in the MCP Servers view and choose Connect, then run OrcA: Show Traffic. Every JSON-RPC request, response and notification appears in a live timeline with latency, size and status. You can open any payload as JSON, diff two calls, copy a call as cURL, and replay it.

How can I see what GitHub Copilot sends to my MCP server?

In OrcA, right-click the server and choose Expose via Proxy, then Add to VS Code and pick Through OrcA (captured). OrcA registers a local proxy address (http://127.0.0.1:7331/mcp/ ) in .vscode/mcp.json. Copilot keeps working as usual, and every request it sends shows up in OrcA Traffic with the client name.

Can I chat with my MCP server without an API key?

Yes. OrcA's Chat can use the language models VS Code makes available to extensions, such as GitHub Copilot's models, which need no extra key. OpenAI, Anthropic, Groq, OpenRouter, Ollama, LM Studio and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint are also supported; their keys are stored in VS Code's secret storage.

Is OrcA an alternative to MCP Inspector?

For day-to-day work inside VS Code, yes. OrcA connects to several MCP servers at once, lists their tools, resources and prompts, lets an LLM use them in a chat, and records both the LLM rounds and the MCP tool calls in one correlated graph. It also captures traffic from other MCP clients through a local proxy. Calling a single tool by hand from a form is planned for a later release.

Does OrcA send my traffic or prompts anywhere?

No. OrcA has no telemetry and no vendor SDKs. Traffic stays in memory with secrets redacted, the chat only contacts the LLM provider you selected, the proxy listens on 127.0.0.1 only, and nothing is written to disk unless you save a session file.

Does OrcA support OAuth-protected MCP servers?

Not yet. OrcA 0.3 connects with static headers such as a bearer token (Set Headers…). OAuth-protected servers are detected and reported; OAuth support is planned for an upcoming release.

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Testing MCPs is the process of evaluating the functionality, performance, and security of Model Context Protocol implementations to ensure they meet specified requirements and standards.

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OrcA 0.3: See Every MCP Tool Call and LLM Round in VS Code

OrcA 0.3 lets you see exactly what your AI agent does with your MCP servers, without leaving VS Code. Chat with your servers using the model you already have, watch every LLM round and every MCP tool call in a live Git-style graph, and capture what GitHub Copilot or Claude send to your server. No telemetry, no extra app, no code changes.