llm-observability-mcp/README.md

LLM Observability MCP for PostHog

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides a tool to capture LLM Observability events and send them to PostHog.

Overview

This project is an MCP server designed to track and observe Large Language Model (LLM) interactions using PostHog's LLM Observability features. It allows you to capture detailed information about LLM requests, responses, performance, and costs, providing valuable insights into your AI-powered applications.

The server can be run as a local process communicating over stdio or as a remote http server, making it compatible with any MCP client, such as AI-powered IDEs (e.g., VS Code with an MCP extension, Cursor) or custom applications.

Features

• Capture LLM Metrics: Log key details of LLM interactions, including model, provider, latency, token counts, and more.
• Flexible Transport: Run as a local stdio process for tight IDE integration or as a standalone http server for remote access.
• Dynamic Configuration: Configure the server easily using environment variables.
• Easy Integration: Connect to MCP-compatible IDEs or use the programmatic client for use in any TypeScript/JavaScript application.

Installation for Development

Follow these steps to set up the server for local development.

1. Prerequisites:

   • Node.js (>=18.x)
   • A PostHog account with an API Key and Host URL.

2. Clone and Install:

   git clone https://github.com/sfiorini/llm-observability-mcp.git
   cd llm-observability-mcp
   npm install
   

3. Configuration: Create a .env file in the root of the project by copying the example file:

   cp .env.example .env
   

   Then, edit the .env file with your PostHog credentials and desired transport mode.

Configuration

The server is configured via environment variables.

Variable	Description	Default	Example
POSTHOG_API_KEY	Required. Your PostHog Project API Key.	-	phc_...
POSTHOG_HOST	Required. The URL of your PostHog instance.	-	https://us.i.posthog.com
TRANSPORT_MODE	The transport protocol to use. Can be http or stdio.	http	stdio
DEBUG	Set to true to enable detailed debug logging.	false	true

Running the Server

You can run the server in two modes:

• HTTP Mode: Runs a web server, typically for remote clients or IDEs like Cursor.

  npm run mcp:http
  

  The server will start on http://localhost:3000.

• STDIO Mode: Runs as a command-line process, ideal for local IDE integration where the IDE manages the process lifecycle.

  npm run mcp:stdio
  

Usage

Connecting to an IDE (VS Code, Cursor, etc.)

You can integrate this tool with any MCP-compatible IDE. Add one of the following configurations to your IDE's MCP settings (e.g., in .vscode/settings.json for VS Code or .kilocode/mcp.json for a global setup).

Option 1: Local Stdio Process (Recommended)

This method lets the IDE manage the server as a local background process. It's efficient and doesn't require a separate terminal.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "llm-observability-mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/path/to/your/projects/llm-log-mcp-server/dist/index.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "TRANSPORT_MODE": "stdio",
        "POSTHOG_API_KEY": "phc_...",
        "POSTHOG_HOST": "https://us.i.posthog.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: Replace /path/to/your/projects/llm-log-mcp-server with the absolute path to this project directory.

Option 2: Remote HTTP Server

Use this if you prefer to run the server as a standalone process.

1. Run the server in a terminal: npm run mcp:http
2. Add the server URL to your IDE's configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "llm-observability-mcp": {
      "url": "http://localhost:3000/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Automatic Triggering via System Prompt

For IDE extensions that support system prompts, you can instruct the AI to automatically use this MCP tool for every interaction. Add the following to your IDE's system prompt configuration:

Use `capture_llm_observability` MCP.
Make sure to include all parameters and for the `userId`, send `<my_username>`:
userId - The distinct ID of the user
traceId - The trace ID to group AI events
model - The model used (e.g., gpt-4, claude-3, etc.)
provider - The LLM provider (e.g., openai, anthropic, etc.)
input - The input to the LLM (messages, prompt, etc.)
outputChoices - The output from the LLM
inputTokens - The number of tokens in the input
outputTokens - The number of tokens in the output
latency - The latency of the LLM call in seconds
httpStatus - The HTTP status code of the LLM call
baseUrl - The base URL of the LLM API

Replace <my_username> with a unique identifier for yourself. This ensures that all LLM activity is automatically logged in PostHog without needing to give the command each time.

Programmatic Usage

You can use an MCP client library to interact with the server programmatically from your own applications.

import { McpClient } from '@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/client';

async function main() {
  // Assumes the MCP server is running in HTTP mode
  const client = new McpClient({
    transport: {
      type: 'http',
      url: 'http://localhost:3000/mcp',
    },
  });

  await client.connect();

  const result = await client.useTool('capture_llm_observability', {
    userId: 'user-123',
    model: 'gpt-4',
    provider: 'openai',
    input: 'What is the capital of France?',
    outputChoices: [{ text: 'Paris.' }],
    inputTokens: 8,
    outputTokens: 2,
    latency: 0.5,
  });

  console.log('Tool result:', result);

  await client.disconnect();
}

main().catch(console.error);

Tool Reference: capture_llm_observability

This is the core tool provided by the server. It captures LLM usage in PostHog for observability, including requests, responses, and performance metrics.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
userId	string	Yes	The distinct ID of the user.
model	string	Yes	The model used (e.g., gpt-4, claude-3).
provider	string	Yes	The LLM provider (e.g., openai, anthropic).
traceId	string	No	The trace ID to group related AI events.
input	any	No	The input to the LLM (e.g., messages, prompt).
outputChoices	any	No	The output choices from the LLM.
inputTokens	number	No	The number of tokens in the input.
outputTokens	number	No	The number of tokens in the output.
latency	number	No	The latency of the LLM call in seconds.
httpStatus	number	No	The HTTP status code of the LLM API call.
baseUrl	string	No	The base URL of the LLM API.

Development

• Run in dev mode (HTTP): npm run dev:http
• Run tests: npm test
• Lint and format: npm run lint and npm run format

License

MIT License