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SolarWinds Logs MCP Server

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:

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

For local testing, you can:

Copy .env.example to .env and add your token
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