Evaluate Phoenix MCP server for trace exploration #7

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opened 2026-05-23 20:55:18 +00:00 by coilysiren · 1 comment

coilysiren commented

2026-05-23 20:55:18 +00:00

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Originally filed by @coilysiren on 2026-05-06T23:56:19Z - https://github.com/coilysiren/otel-a2a-relay/issues/3

Arize publishes a Phoenix MCP server. Phoenix is already a first-class viewer for the OTel traces this relay emits, so an MCP-driven loop on top of it could turn relayed A2A traffic into something an agent (or Claude Code) can query directly.

What to evaluate

Does the Phoenix MCP server expose the trace/span queries needed to inspect A2A traffic captured via this relay?
Can it filter by attributes the relay sets (agent IDs, A2A method, message correlation IDs)?
Latency / auth model when pointed at a self-hosted Phoenix vs. Arize-hosted.
What's the smallest end-to-end demo: relay → OTel exporter → Phoenix → MCP query → answer.

Out of scope

Building anything new on the relay side. This is pure evaluation of an existing tool against the existing trace shape.

Outcome

A short writeup (yes / no / with-caveats) plus a recorded demo session if it works. If it works, follow-up issue to document the wiring in the README.

_Originally filed by @coilysiren on 2026-05-06T23:56:19Z - [https://github.com/coilysiren/otel-a2a-relay/issues/3](https://github.com/coilysiren/otel-a2a-relay/issues/3)_ Arize publishes a [Phoenix MCP server](https://github.com/Arize-ai/phoenix/tree/main/js/packages/phoenix-mcp). Phoenix is already a first-class viewer for the OTel traces this relay emits, so an MCP-driven loop on top of it could turn relayed A2A traffic into something an agent (or Claude Code) can query directly. ## What to evaluate - Does the Phoenix MCP server expose the trace/span queries needed to inspect A2A traffic captured via this relay? - Can it filter by attributes the relay sets (agent IDs, A2A method, message correlation IDs)? - Latency / auth model when pointed at a self-hosted Phoenix vs. Arize-hosted. - What's the smallest end-to-end demo: relay → OTel exporter → Phoenix → MCP query → answer. ## Out of scope - Building anything new on the relay side. This is pure evaluation of an existing tool against the existing trace shape. ## Outcome A short writeup (yes / no / with-caveats) plus a recorded demo session if it works. If it works, follow-up issue to document the wiring in the README.

coilysiren commented

2026-05-30 05:44:03 +00:00

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Owner

Iceboxed in the 2026-05-29 backlog burn-down: Evaluate/explore Phoenix MCP server, speculative. Reopen anytime if it becomes real.

coilysiren

2026-05-30 05:44:03 +00:00