How do I install the dbgprobe mcp server?

Run it through your MCP client's configuration using `npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/inspector`. Add the server block to Claude Desktop's config file (or use `claude mcp add` for Claude Code), restart the client, and the tools appear automatically. Full snippets are on this page.

What credentials does it need?

It reads `DBGPROBE_JLINK_DEVICE`, `DBGPROBE_MCP_TOOL_SEPARATOR`, `PULL`, `DBGPROBE_JLINK_PATH`, `DBGPROBE_JLINK_GDBSERVER_PATH` from the environment. Store these in your client's env block or a secrets manager — never commit them to a repository — and grant the narrowest scope that still covers your use case.

Dbgprobe MCP Server — Setup Guide for Claude

Name: Dbgprobe MCP Server
Author: es617

What is the Dbgprobe MCP server?

Let AI agents interact with debug probes — connect, flash, read/write memory, and reset. Exposed over MCP by the dbgprobe mcp server, that capability becomes something an assistant can invoke while it works, not something you go and do afterwards.

What it actually does

A stateful debug probe Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for developer tooling and AI agents. Works out of the box with Claude Code, VS Code with Copilot, and any MCP-compatible runtime. Communicates over stdio and drives on-chip debug probes (J-Link first, OpenOCD and pyOCD planned) to flash, debug, and inspect embedded targets.

Flash and iterate — — build firmware, flash it, reset, check behavior — all in one conversation
Inspect memory — — read peripheral registers, check RAM contents, verify flash writes
Debug interactively — — halt, step, set breakpoints, inspect state, resume
Automate test flows — — flash → reset → read output → validate
Multi-probe setups — — connect to multiple probes simultaneously, each with its own session

Adding it to your client

Installation goes through your MCP client rather than a global install: point it at @modelcontextprotocol/inspector on npm and it is fetched when the client starts. The copy-paste blocks for Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor are further down this page.

Its toolset

Everything the assistant can do here goes through one of these:

Category — Tools
Probe — dbgprobe.probes.list, dbgprobe.connect, dbgprobe.erase, dbgprobe.disconnect, dbgprobe.reset, dbgprobe.halt, dbgprobe.go, dbgprobe.step
Introspection — dbgprobe.connections.list
ELF — dbgprobe.elf.attach, dbgprobe.elf.info, dbgprobe.elf.lookup, dbgprobe.elf.symbols
SVD — dbgprobe.svd.attach, dbgprobe.svd.info, dbgprobe.svd.read, dbgprobe.svd.write, dbgprobe.svd.set_field, dbgprobe.svd.update_fields
RTT — dbgprobe.rtt.start, dbgprobe.rtt.stop, dbgprobe.rtt.read, dbgprobe.rtt.write, dbgprobe.rtt.status
Plugins — dbgprobe.plugin.list, dbgprobe.plugin.template, dbgprobe.plugin.load, dbgprobe.plugin.reload
Tracing — dbgprobe.trace.status, dbgprobe.trace.tail
Demo — Video walkthrough — connecting to a J-Link probe, flashing firmware, loading ELF and SVD for symbol-aware debugging
Server — The Server tool exposed by this server

Configuration

You will need 5 environment variables: DBGPROBE_JLINK_DEVICE, DBGPROBE_MCP_TOOL_SEPARATOR, PULL, DBGPROBE_JLINK_PATH, DBGPROBE_JLINK_GDBSERVER_PATH. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than in a file you might commit.

Caveats

It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
With 10 tools registered it takes up a noticeable share of the context window; turn it off in projects that never touch Dbgprobe.
MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the dbgprobe mcp server does with a few real requests.

When to reach for it

Plenty of developer tooling servers cover similar ground. The differences that matter in practice are scope of access and how much setup stands between you and a working tool call. Dbgprobe's toolset — Category, Probe, Introspection and 7 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by es617; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

SyncDev reviews every entry in this directory against the project's own documentation before publishing, and revisits them as servers change.

Available tools

Tool	What it does
Category	Tools
Probe	dbgprobe.probes.list, dbgprobe.connect, dbgprobe.erase, dbgprobe.disconnect, dbgprobe.reset, dbgprobe.halt, dbgprobe.go, dbgprobe.step, dbgprobe.status, dbgprobe.flash, dbgprobe.mem.read, dbgprobe.mem.write, dbgprobe.bre
Introspection	dbgprobe.connections.list
ELF	dbgprobe.elf.attach, dbgprobe.elf.info, dbgprobe.elf.lookup, dbgprobe.elf.symbols
SVD	dbgprobe.svd.attach, dbgprobe.svd.info, dbgprobe.svd.read, dbgprobe.svd.write, dbgprobe.svd.set_field, dbgprobe.svd.update_fields, dbgprobe.svd.list_peripherals, dbgprobe.svd.list_registers, dbgprobe.svd.list_fields, dbg
RTT	dbgprobe.rtt.start, dbgprobe.rtt.stop, dbgprobe.rtt.read, dbgprobe.rtt.write, dbgprobe.rtt.status
Plugins	dbgprobe.plugin.list, dbgprobe.plugin.template, dbgprobe.plugin.load, dbgprobe.plugin.reload
Tracing	dbgprobe.trace.status, dbgprobe.trace.tail
Demo	[Video walkthrough](https://youtu.be/nLt0Vj8TAHs) — connecting to a J-Link probe, flashing firmware, loading ELF and SVD for symbol-aware debugging, RTT logging, and breakpoints.
Server	The Server tool exposed by this server.

How to install the Dbgprobe MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dbgprobe": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/inspector"],
      "env": {
        "DBGPROBE_JLINK_DEVICE": "your-value",
        "DBGPROBE_MCP_TOOL_SEPARATOR": "your-value",
        "PULL": "your-value",
        "DBGPROBE_JLINK_PATH": "your-value",
        "DBGPROBE_JLINK_GDBSERVER_PATH": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.

Configuration

Variable	Description	Required
DBGPROBE_JLINK_DEVICE	Configuration value read at startup.	Optional
DBGPROBE_MCP_TOOL_SEPARATOR	Configuration value read at startup.	Optional
PULL	Configuration value read at startup.	Optional
DBGPROBE_JLINK_PATH	Filesystem location the server is allowed to use.	Optional
DBGPROBE_JLINK_GDBSERVER_PATH	Filesystem location the server is allowed to use.	Optional

Frequently asked questions

It connects Dbgprobe to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 10 tools (Category, Probe, Introspection, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Dbgprobe directly.

Dbgprobe MCP Server

What is the Dbgprobe MCP server?

What it actually does

Adding it to your client

Its toolset

Configuration

Caveats

When to reach for it

Available tools

How to install the Dbgprobe MCP server

Configuration

Example prompts to try

Frequently asked questions

Alternatives to the Dbgprobe MCP server

Context7

Playwright

GitHub

Linear

Git

Time

Dbgprobe MCP Server

What is the Dbgprobe MCP server?

What it actually does

Adding it to your client

Its toolset

Configuration

Caveats

When to reach for it

Available tools

How to install the Dbgprobe MCP server

Configuration

Example prompts to try

Frequently asked questions

What does the dbgprobe mcp server do?

How do I install the dbgprobe mcp server?

What credentials does it need?

Alternatives to the Dbgprobe MCP server

Context7

Playwright

GitHub

Linear

Git

Time