How to Debug MCP Server Connection Issues in 60 Seconds
You've spun up a shiny new MCP server, pointed your client at it, and… silence. No tools appear. No error message. Just a vague sense that something went wrong somewhere in the JSON-RPC void.
Connection debugging is the most common pain point for MCP developers, and it's unnecessarily painful because most of us do it inside a chat client where observability is near zero. Here's a 60-second workflow to isolate and fix the problem using MCP Workbench.
Step 1: Verify the Server Starts at All (10 seconds)
Before testing the client, confirm the server process itself launches cleanly. In MCP Workbench, paste your server command into the connection form and click Connect.
