Plural Pinelabs Pinelabs Online MCP Pinelabs MCP Troubleshoot

Pine Labs MCP Troubleshoot

Diagnose and resolve issues with the Pine Labs MCP server running locally.

When to Use

• Server won't start or crashes immediately
• MCP client shows "server disconnected" or "failed to connect"
• Authentication errors (401, invalid credentials, token failures)
• Tools don't appear in the MCP client
• API calls return unexpected errors
• Tests fail after setup
• Docker container exits or won't build

Diagnostic Procedure

Follow this sequence — each step narrows the problem category.

Step 1: Verify Python Environment

# Check Python version (need 3.10+)
python3 --version

# Check virtual environment is active
which python
# Should point to .venv/bin/python, NOT system Python

# If not active:
source .venv/bin/activate

# Check dependencies installed
pip list | grep -E "fastmcp|httpx|pydantic"
# All three must be present

Common fix: pip install -r requirements.txt

Step 2: Verify Server Starts

# Start with debug logging
python -m cli.pinelabs_mcp_server.main stdio \
  --client-id <ID> --client-secret <SECRET> \
  --env uat --log-level DEBUG --log-file /tmp/mcp-debug.log

Check the log file for errors:

cat /tmp/mcp-debug.log

Common errors:

Step 3: Verify Credentials

# Test authentication directly
python -c "
import asyncio
from pkg.pinelabs.client import PineLabsClient

async def test():
    client = PineLabsClient(
        client_id='<ID>',
        client_secret='<SECRET>',
        base_url='https://pluraluat.v2.pinepg.in/api',
        token_url='https://pluraluat.v2.pinepg.in/api/auth/v1/token',
    )
    token = await client._get_token()
    print(f'Token obtained: {token[:20]}...')
    await client.close()

asyncio.run(test())
"

Common errors:

Step 4: Verify MCP Client Config

VS Code

1. Open Command Palette → MCP: List Servers
2. Check if "pinelabs" appears
3. If not, verify .vscode/mcp.json exists and has correct syntax
4. Check Output panel → "MCP" channel for errors
5. Verify python command resolves to the correct interpreter (venv)

Fix for wrong Python path: Use absolute path in config:

"command": "/path/to/project/.venv/bin/python"

Claude Desktop

1. Check config at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
2. Verify JSON is valid (no trailing commas)
3. Restart Claude Desktop after config changes
4. Check Console.app for claude process errors (macOS)

Cursor

1. Check .cursor/mcp.json in project root
2. Verify JSON syntax
3. Restart Cursor after changes
4. Check Developer Console (Help → Toggle Developer Tools)

Step 5: Verify Tools Are Registered

# Run tests to confirm tool registration works
make test

If only some tools are missing, check:

• --toolsets flag — may be limiting which toolsets load
• --read-only flag — hides write tools
• Check pkg/pinelabs/tools.py for registration order

Step 6: Check Docker Issues

# Verify image builds
docker build -t pinelabs-mcp-server .

# Run with debug logging
docker run --rm \
  -e PINELABS_CLIENT_ID=<ID> \
  -e PINELABS_CLIENT_SECRET=<SECRET> \
  -e PINELABS_ENV=uat \
  -e LOG_LEVEL=DEBUG \
  pinelabs-mcp-server

# Check for permission issues (non-root user)
docker run --rm --entrypoint sh pinelabs-mcp-server -c "whoami && ls -la /app"

Common Docker issues:

Error Pattern Reference

API Errors (from tool responses)

Environment Mismatches

Quick Fixes Checklist

• Python 3.10+ and venv activated?
• pip install -r requirements.txt done?
• Running from project root directory?
• Credentials correct for the target environment?
• Network access to pluraluat.v2.pinepg.in or api.pluralpay.in?
• MCP client config has valid JSON?
• MCP client restarted after config change?
• make test passes?
• Log file shows successful token acquisition?

Source: plural-pinelabs/pinelabs-online-mcp — distributed by TomeVault.