Print MCP server startup logs after connection test with DEBUG="*" #13469

Copilot · 2026-02-03T12:15:52Z

MCP server startup logs were not visible in GitHub Actions output, making debugging server initialization issues difficult.

Changes

Shell Scripts (actions/setup/sh/start_*_server.sh)

Set DEBUG="*" when launching server processes to collect maximum debug output
Print log file contents after successful connection test using GitHub Actions workflow commands (::notice::, ::group::)
Applied to: safe-outputs, safe-inputs, and Serena servers

Workflow Generation (pkg/workflow/mcp_setup_generator.go, mcp_serena_config.go)

Add DEBUG: '*' environment variable to MCP server start steps
Export DEBUG variable in generated workflow runs

Smoke Test Enhancement (.github/workflows/smoke-claude.md)

Add agentic-workflows tool to smoke-claude workflow for testing workflow status queries
Add actions: read permission required for workflow status access
Add test case to query smoke-claude workflow status using the agentic-workflows MCP tool
Write workflow status summary to file and display in workflow output

Example

# Before
node mcp-server.cjs >> /tmp/gh-aw/mcp-logs/safeoutputs/server.log 2>&1 &

# After
DEBUG="*" node mcp-server.cjs >> /tmp/gh-aw/mcp-logs/safeoutputs/server.log 2>&1 &
# ... connection test ...
echo "::notice::Safe Outputs MCP Server Startup Log"
echo "::group::Server Log Contents"
cat /tmp/gh-aw/mcp-logs/safeoutputs/server.log
echo "::endgroup::"

Server logs now appear as collapsible groups in GitHub Actions output, eliminating the need to download artifacts for basic debugging.

Original prompt

Update the shell script that starts the mcp-server to print the startup log file to core.info(...) once it is done testing the connection.

This is helpful to look at the server logs at a glance.

Make sure the step has DEBUG="*" to collect maximum logs.

💡 You can make Copilot smarter by setting up custom instructions, customizing its development environment and configuring Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers. Learn more Copilot coding agent tips in the docs.

Changeset

Type: patch
Description: Log MCP startup output with DEBUG="*" and Add agentic-workflows status query to smoke-claude

Ahoy! This treasure was crafted by 🏴‍☠️ Changeset Generator

github-actions · 2026-02-03T12:23:07Z

🔍 PR Triage Results

Category: chore | Risk: low | Priority: 18/100

Scores Breakdown

Impact: 10/50 - Draft WIP PR with no code changes yet; Shell script logging improvement; Low immediate impact
Urgency: 5/30 - Less than 1 hour old; Draft status; Low urgency chore task
Quality: 3/20 - CI pending; Draft status; No files changed yet; Minimal description

📋 Recommended Action: defer

This is a draft WIP PR with no code changes yet. The PR should be deferred until the implementation is complete and draft status is removed. Once ready for review, the PR can be re-triaged for fast-track or batch review consideration.

Triaged by PR Triage Agent on 2026-02-03T12:19

AI generated by PR Triage Agent

- Update shell scripts to print server log after connection test - Add DEBUG="*" environment variable to enable maximum logging - Use GitHub Actions workflow commands (::notice::, ::group::) for visibility - Apply changes to safe-outputs, safe-inputs, and Serena servers Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

github-actions · 2026-02-03T12:27:09Z

✨ The prophecy is fulfilled... Smoke Codex has completed its mystical journey. The stars align. 🌟

github-actions · 2026-02-03T12:27:10Z

📰 BREAKING: Smoke Copilot is now investigating this pull request. Sources say the story is developing...

github-actions · 2026-02-03T12:27:11Z

💀 Blimey! Changeset Generator was cancelled and walked the plank! No treasure today, matey! ☠️

github-actions · 2026-02-03T12:27:11Z

🎬 THE END — Smoke Claude MISSION: ACCOMPLISHED! The hero saves the day! ✨

pelikhan · 2026-02-03T12:28:10Z

@copilot add tools.agentic-workflows tool to smoke Claude. Update prompt to query the status of smoke-Claude to the agentic-workows MCP and print it in the repo.

github-actions · 2026-02-03T12:30:03Z

Agent Container Tool Check

Tool	Status	Version
bash	✅	5.2.21(1)-release
sh	✅	ok
git	✅	2.52.0
jq	✅	jq-1.7
yq	✅	v4.50.1
curl	✅	curl
gh	✅	2.86.0
node	✅	v24.13.0
python3	✅	Python
go	✅	go1.24.12
java	❌	not found
dotnet	❌	not found

Result: 10/12 tools available ❌ FAIL

Missing Tools:

java - Java runtime not installed
dotnet - .NET runtime not installed

Most common development tools are available, but Java and .NET runtimes are missing from the agent container environment.

AI generated by Agent Container Smoke Test

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

github-actions · 2026-02-03T12:31:22Z

Smoke test (Codex) results:
PR: Fix Issue Monster workflow to mandate noop when no issues assigned
PR: Document MCP server configuration analysis: alpine:latest vs alpine:3.20
GitHub MCP merged PRs ✅
safeinputs-gh pr list ✅
Serena activate ✅
Playwright GitHub title ❌
Tavily search ✅
File write/read ✅ | Build ✅ | Discussion comment ✅
Overall: FAIL

AI generated by Smoke Codex

github-actions · 2026-02-03T12:31:27Z

Smoke Test: Claude - Run 21630163891

Status: ⚠️ PARTIAL PASS (8/9)

Results:

✅ GitHub MCP (Add shared agentic-workflows component using tools.agentic-workflows #13468, Fix Issue Monster workflow to mandate noop when no issues assigned #13466)
✅ GH CLI (PRs Add changelog-from-changesets agentic workflow #13471, Print MCP server startup logs after connection test with DEBUG="*" #13469)
✅ Serena MCP
✅ Make Build
❌ Playwright (firewall blocked)
✅ Tavily Search
✅ File Writing
✅ Bash Tool
✅ Discussion Comment

Note: Playwright blocked by cdn.playwright.dev firewall (403), but GitHub accessibility verified via curl workaround.

AI generated by Smoke Claude

github-actions · 2026-02-03T12:32:00Z

Smoke Test Results: 8/9 Passed ✅

PRs Tested:

#13466: Fix Issue Monster workflow
#13458: Document MCP server configuration

Test	Result
GitHub MCP	✅
Safe Inputs GH CLI	✅
Serena MCP	✅
Playwright	❌
File Writing	✅
Bash Tool	✅
Discussion Interaction	✅
Build gh-aw	✅
Workflow Dispatch	✅

Overall: PARTIAL PASS (Playwright browser install failed)

cc @pelikhan

AI generated by Smoke Copilot

github-actions · 2026-02-03T12:32:17Z

📰 VERDICT: Smoke Copilot has concluded. All systems operational. This is a developing story. 🎤

- Add agentic-workflows tool to tools configuration - Add actions: read permission required for workflow status queries - Add test case 10: Query smoke-claude workflow status using agentic-workflows MCP - Write status summary to file and display in workflow output Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2026-02-03T12:38:23Z

@copilot add tools.agentic-workflows tool to smoke Claude. Update prompt to query the status of smoke-Claude to the agentic-workows MCP and print it in the repo.

Done in 36b9a83. Added the agentic-workflows tool to smoke-claude with:

Tool configuration added with actions: read permission
New test case (Remove ai-inference, opencode, genaiscript agentic engines for now #10) that queries smoke-claude workflow status using the status method
Status summary written to /tmp/gh-aw/agent/smoke-claude-status-${{ github.run_id }}.txt
Bash command displays the file contents in workflow output

github-actions · 2026-02-03T12:40:10Z

📰 BREAKING: Smoke Copilot is now investigating this pull request. Sources say the story is developing...

github-actions · 2026-02-03T12:40:10Z

🎬 THE END — Smoke Claude MISSION: ACCOMPLISHED! The hero saves the day! ✨

github-actions · 2026-02-03T12:40:12Z

✨ The prophecy is fulfilled... Smoke Codex has completed its mystical journey. The stars align. 🌟

github-actions · 2026-02-03T12:40:47Z

🎉 Yo ho ho! Changeset Generator found the treasure and completed successfully! ⚓💰

github-actions · 2026-02-03T12:42:41Z

Agent Container Tool Check

Tool	Status	Version
bash	✅	5.2.21
sh	✅	available
git	✅	2.52.0
jq	✅	1.7
yq	✅	4.50.1
curl	✅	8.5.0
gh	✅	2.86.0
node	✅	24.13.0
python3	✅	3.13.11
go	✅	1.24.12
java	❌	command not found
dotnet	❌	command not found

Result: 10/12 tools available ⚠️

Missing Tools:

java - Java runtime not installed
dotnet - .NET runtime not installed

Note: Core development tools (shell, git, JSON/YAML processing, HTTP, Node.js, Python, Go) are all available and functional.

AI generated by Agent Container Smoke Test

github-actions · 2026-02-03T12:44:14Z

Add changelog-from-changesets agentic workflow
Fix Issue Monster workflow to mandate noop when no issues assigned
GitHub MCP ✅
safeinputs-gh PR list ✅
Serena activate ✅
Playwright title check ❌ (no Playwright tool)
Tavily search ✅
File write+cat ✅
Discussion query+comment ✅
Build gh-aw ✅
Overall: FAIL

AI generated by Smoke Codex

github-actions · 2026-02-03T12:44:42Z

PR Titles Retrieved:

Print MCP server startup logs after connection test with DEBUG="*" #13469: Print MCP server startup logs after connection test with DEBUG="*"
chore(deps): bump astro from 5.16.12 to 5.17.1 in /docs #13453: chore(deps): bump astro from 5.16.12 to 5.17.1 in /docs

Test Results:

✅ GitHub MCP
✅ Safe Inputs GH
✅ Serena MCP
✅ Make Build
⚠️ Playwright (container limitation)
✅ Tavily
✅ File Writing
✅ Bash
✅ Discussion
❌ Agentic Workflows MCP

Overall: ⚠️ PARTIAL PASS (9/10)

AI generated by Smoke Claude

github-actions · 2026-02-03T12:44:50Z

🎉 Smoke Test Complete

PRs Reviewed:

Add changelog-from-changesets agentic workflow #13471: Add changelog-from-changesets workflow
Fix Issue Monster workflow to mandate noop when no issues assigned #13466: Fix Issue Monster noop requirement

Test Results:

✅ GitHub MCP
✅ Safe Inputs GH CLI
✅ Serena MCP
⚠️ Playwright (known limitation)
✅ File Writing
✅ Bash Tool
✅ Discussion Interaction
✅ Build gh-aw
✅ Workflow Dispatch

Overall: PASS (8/9)

@pelikhan @Copilot

AI generated by Smoke Copilot

github-actions · 2026-02-03T12:45:06Z

📰 VERDICT: Smoke Copilot has concluded. All systems operational. This is a developing story. 🎤

Copilot

Pull request overview

This PR enhances MCP server debugging by enabling verbose logging and exposing server startup logs directly in GitHub Actions output, along with adding workflow status query capabilities to the smoke-claude workflow.

Changes:

Enable DEBUG="*" for all MCP server startups (safe-outputs, safe-inputs, Serena) to capture maximum debug information
Print server logs after successful health checks using GitHub Actions workflow commands for improved visibility
Add agentic-workflows MCP tool to smoke-claude workflow with workflow status query test case

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 148 out of 148 changed files in this pull request and generated no comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
`actions/setup/sh/start_serena_server.sh`	Add DEBUG="*" to uvx command and print log contents after health check
`actions/setup/sh/start_safe_outputs_server.sh`	Add DEBUG="*" to node command and print log contents after health check
`actions/setup/sh/start_safe_inputs_server.sh`	Add DEBUG="*" to node command and print log contents after health check
`pkg/workflow/mcp_setup_generator.go`	Add DEBUG environment variable and export statement to safe-outputs and safe-inputs setup steps
`pkg/workflow/mcp_serena_config.go`	Add DEBUG environment variable to Serena server start step
`.github/workflows/*.lock.yml`	Regenerated workflow files with DEBUG additions (80+ files consistently updated)
`.github/workflows/smoke-claude.md`	Add agentic-workflows tool, actions:read permission, and workflow status query test
`.github/workflows/smoke-claude.lock.yml`	Add gh-aw extension installation and agentic-workflows MCP server configuration
`.changeset/patch-log-mcp-startup-and-smoke-claude-status.md`	Document the changes in the changeset

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Initial plan

38bf882

Copilot AI assigned Copilot and pelikhan Feb 3, 2026

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan February 3, 2026 12:16 View session

github-actions bot added pr-action:defer pr-agent:copilot pr-priority:low pr-risk:low pr-type:chore labels Feb 3, 2026

pelikhan added the smoke label Feb 3, 2026

Final verification and documentation complete

a934824

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

github-actions bot mentioned this pull request Feb 3, 2026

Smoke Test: Claude - 21630163891 #13473

Closed

github-actions bot mentioned this pull request Feb 3, 2026

Smoke Test: Copilot - 21630163879 #13475

Closed

github-actions bot added the smoke-copilot label Feb 3, 2026

Copilot AI changed the title ~~[WIP] Update mcp-server startup script to log to core.info~~ Print MCP server startup logs after connection test with DEBUG="*" Feb 3, 2026

github-actions bot removed the smoke label Feb 3, 2026

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan February 3, 2026 12:32

Copilot AI requested a review from pelikhan February 3, 2026 12:32

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Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan February 3, 2026 12:39

pelikhan added the smoke label Feb 3, 2026

github-actions bot mentioned this pull request Feb 3, 2026

Smoke Test: Claude - 21630559529 #13479

Closed

github-actions bot added the smoke-claude label Feb 3, 2026

github-actions bot mentioned this pull request Feb 3, 2026

Smoke Test: Copilot - 21630559520 #13480

Closed

github-actions bot removed the smoke label Feb 3, 2026

Add changeset [skip-ci]

47e744a

pelikhan marked this pull request as ready for review February 3, 2026 12:47

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings February 3, 2026 12:47

pelikhan merged commit 513277f into main Feb 3, 2026
1 check passed

pelikhan deleted the copilot/update-mcp-server-startup-log branch February 3, 2026 12:47

Copilot started reviewing on behalf of pelikhan February 3, 2026 12:47 View session

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Print MCP server startup logs after connection test with DEBUG="*" #13469

Print MCP server startup logs after connection test with DEBUG="*" #13469

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🔍 PR Triage Results

Scores Breakdown

📋 Recommended Action: defer

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Agent Container Tool Check

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Smoke Test: Claude - Run 21630163891

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Smoke Test Results: 8/9 Passed ✅

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