SolarWinds Observability Logs

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for accessing and visualizing SolarWinds Observability logs.

Note -

This server is currently incomplete as it does not support structured data search (a limitation of the REST API?). I'm uncertain if it also needs to accept a data center to use in the api endpoint calls. Will address both when time allows (needed it for a real work problem, have to fix that first)

Tools

search_logs

Search SolarWinds Observability logs with optional filtering

• Takes search parameters including filter, time range, and pagination options
• Returns formatted log entries with timestamps, hostnames, and messages
• Supports advanced filtering by group, entity, and more
• Default search range is the last 24 hours

visualize_logs

Generate a histogram json response for of log events

• Formatted for Claude and canvas representations
• Configurable time intervals (minute, hour, day)
• Supports UTC or local time zones
• Customizable query filters and time ranges
• Default visualization range is the last 24 hours

Resources

SolarWinds Log Search

• URI Template: solarwinds://{query}/search
• Returns log entries matching the specified query
• Example: solarwinds://error/search

Installation

Optionally install from npm:

npm install -g mcp-solarwinds

Or clone and build from source:

git clone https://github.com/@jakenuts/mcp-solarwinds.git
cd mcp-solarwinds
npm install
npm run build

Or just use npx in your configurations

For Cline VSCode Extension

Add to %APPDATA%/Code - Insiders/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "solarwinds": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-solarwinds"],
      "env": {
        "SOLARWINDS_API_TOKEN": "your-api-token"
      },
      "autoApprove": ["search_logs", "visualize_logs"]
    }
  }
}

For Claude Desktop

Add to the appropriate config file:

Windows: %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json MacOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "solarwinds": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-solarwinds"],
      "env": {
        "SOLARWINDS_API_TOKEN": "your-api-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Special Windows Configuration

If you encounter the ENOENT spawn npx issue on Windows, use this alternative configuration that specifies the full paths:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "solarwinds": {
      "command": "C:\\Users\\[username]\\AppData\\Roaming\\nvm\\[node-version]\\node.exe",
      "args": [
        "C:\\Users\\[username]\\AppData\\Roaming\\npm\\node_modules\\npm\\bin\\npx-cli.js",
        "-y",
        "mcp-solarwinds"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SOLARWINDS_API_TOKEN": "your-api-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuration

The SolarWinds Observability MCP server requires an API token to authenticate with the SolarWinds Observability API.

Configuration Methods

There are multiple ways to provide the API token:

1. MCP Settings Configuration (Recommended): Configure the token in your MCP settings file
2. Environment Variable: Set the SOLARWINDS_API_TOKEN environment variable
3. Local .env File (For Testing): Create a .env file in the project root with SOLARWINDS_API_TOKEN=your-token

For local testing, you can:

1. Copy .env.example to .env and add your token
2. Run the example script: node examples/local-test.js

Tool Usage Examples

search_logs

Basic search:

{
  "filter": "error"
}

Advanced search with time range and pagination:

{
  "filter": "error",
  "entityId": "web-server",
  "startTime": "2025-03-01T00:00:00Z",
  "endTime": "2025-03-05T23:59:59Z",
  "pageSize": 100,
  "direction": "backward"
}

visualize_logs

Basic histogram (ASCII chart):

{
  "filter": "error",
  "interval": "hour"
}

Advanced visualization (ASCII chart):

{
  "filter": "error",
  "entityId": "web-server",
  "startTime": "2025-03-01T00:00:00Z",
  "endTime": "2025-03-05T23:59:59Z",
  "interval": "day",
  "use_utc": true
}

Claude visualization (JSON format):

{
  "filter": "error",
  "interval": "hour",
  "format": "json"
}

The JSON format returns data that Claude can visualize as a chart:

{
  "timeRanges": ["12:02", "12:03", "12:04", "12:05", "12:06", "12:07", "12:08", "12:09"],
  "counts": [261, 47, 48, 48, 31, 262, 270, 33],
  "total": 1000,
  "queryParams": {
    "query": "error",
    "startTime": "2025-03-05T00:00:00.000Z",
    "endTime": "2025-03-05T23:59:59.000Z"
  }
}

Development

Install dependencies:

npm install

Build the server:

npm run build

Debugging

Since MCP servers communicate over stdio, debugging can be challenging. The MCP Inspector provides helpful debugging tools:

npm run debug:inspector

This will provide a URL to access the inspector in your browser, where you can:

• View all MCP messages
• Inspect request/response payloads
• Test tools interactively
• Monitor server state

For local testing without the MCP framework:

# Create a .env file with your token
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env to add your token
# Run the example script
node examples/local-test.js

Technical Details

• Built with TypeScript and the MCP SDK
• Uses axios for API communication
• Supports ISO 8601 date formats for time ranges
• Generates ASCII histograms for log visualization
• Default search range: last 24 hours
• Default page size: 50 logs
• Supports multiple authentication methods