• LOGS
  • CONFIG
  • ERROR
  • HUMAN

How to debug real-time message flows with your AI

Connect Ably to your AI client once. From there, your agent can scan message history and channel settings to find the root cause of delivery issues.

Ask AI about this page

Short answer

How do I debug real-time message flows with my AI?

Your AI uses Ably tools to pull specific message logs and channel configurations. It compares what was sent against the current channel state to find gaps in the flow. You get a clear picture of where messages dropped or metadata was misconfigured.

Where every issue lands.

Debugging outcomes

The AI categorizes findings based on the data it pulls from your Ably channels.

LOGS

Message gaps identified

The AI compares message sequences to find missing IDs or unexpected gaps in the stream.

CONFIG

Metadata mismatches found

It checks channel settings against expected values to see if permissions or attributes are blocking traffic.

ERROR

Failure points isolated

The agent pinpoints the exact timestamp or channel where the flow broke down.

HUMAN

Manual fixes required

The AI flags issues that need you to manually update channel settings or code logic in your app.

The workflow

What your AI does when a debug request arrives.

The AI moves through your Ably environment to reconstruct the timeline of a failure.

  1. Scan history

    The agent pulls a sequence of recent messages to establish a baseline of the communication flow.

    get_messages

  2. Inspect specific events

    It looks at individual message details to check payloads and timestamps for errors.

    get_message

  3. Verify channel state

    The AI checks the channel's configuration and properties to ensure the environment is set up correctly.

    get_channel_metadata

  4. Report findings

    The agent summarizes the discrepancy between the message history and the channel metadata.

    get_messagesget_channel_metadata

Try it

Copy these to start.

Use these prompts to kick off a debugging session.

Starting points

Replace the channel names and message IDs with your actual Ably identifiers.

Ably Connector

You're all set. Choose your MCP client and follow the setup instructions.

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_7FhLG86kkySnDPZ823hCqylyJCaovl8f3hyGPw7a/mcp

Claude Desktop

Follow the steps below to connect in seconds.

  1. 1In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Connectors.
  2. 2Click “Add custom connector” and paste the connector link above as the remote MCP server URL.
  3. 3Click Add and start a new chat — Ably capabilities are ready to use.
Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ably-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_7FhLG86kkySnDPZ823hCqylyJCaovl8f3hyGPw7a/mcp"
    }
  }
}
Copy into chat04

  • Check the message history for the 'chat-room-1' channel and tell me if any messages are missing.

  • Look at the metadata for the 'alerts-stream' channel to see if the current settings match my expected config.

  • Find the details for message ID 'msg_98765' in the 'orders' channel and check for payload errors.

  • Compare the recent messages in 'sensor-data' with the channel metadata to find why updates are lagging.

  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
  • Cursor
  • VS Code
  • Windsurf
  • Claude Code
  • JetBrains
  • Cline

Start here

Connect Ably once, then ask.

One connection link is all it takes. Your credentials stay encrypted, and you can start debugging immediately in your preferred AI client.

Connect Ably to your AI

FAQ

How the debugging task behaves

  • 01

    Can the AI change my Ably channel settings?

    No. The AI can only read message history and channel metadata. You must make any configuration changes yourself.

  • 02

    Can the AI delete messages to clean up the stream?

    No. The tools only allow the AI to retrieve data, not modify or delete it.

  • 03

    How far back can the AI look for messages?

    The AI is limited by the message history available in your Ably channel's retention settings.

  • 04

    Does the AI need my Ably API key?

    Yes, you provide the connection via Vinkius, which manages the credentials securely for your AI client.

  • 05

    Can the AI fix a broken message flow automatically?

    No. The AI identifies the error and explains why it happened, but the actual fix happens in your code or Ably dashboard.

  • More questions about Ably? The Connector page answers them. See everything the Ably Connector can do

Connect Ably to Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT & more