Get started with MCP Watchtower

Run your first scan, pick an install option, and get oriented in a single short page.

MCP Watchtower catches MCP tool definition problems before they turn into routing failures, ambiguous tool behavior, or noisy server surfaces in production.

What you need

• Node.js 18 or later
• an MCP server or exported tools manifest

Check your Node version:

node --version

For a first run, use npx. You do not need to install anything.

Run your first scan

npx mcp-watchtower scan --server "python my_server.py"

If you want a pinned version for CI or team workflows, install mcp-watchtower as a dev dependency and run it from your project scripts. Otherwise, npx is the fastest way to start.

Next steps

Static analysis

Learn how to use MCP Watchtower in local development, CI, manifest mode, and multi-server platforms.

Semantic workflow

Learn when to use --semantic, how to read overlap findings, and how the Smithery-backed corpus works.

CLI reference

See every input mode, flag, JSON output field, and exit code in one compact reference page.

Use the TypeScript API

Embed the analyzer in your own scripts, tooling, or registry workflows.