Call Chain and Developer Mode

The call chain is used to view the model requests, tool calls, and MCP interactions that occur within a conversation or Agent task. It is suitable for troubleshooting and performance analysis, and is not a feature that must be enabled for everyday chatting.

When troubleshooting MCP calls, first confirm the server and authentication, then use the call chain to determine whether the request entered the Agent and tool execution stages.

How to enable

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1. Open [Settings] → [System]

In the [Developer Mode] section, enable [Enable Developer Mode].

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2. Restart Cherry Studio

Developer mode takes effect after restarting. Confirm the status of any Agent tasks currently running before restarting.

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3. Reproduce the issue once

Resend the minimum test message, keeping only the necessary model and tools to reduce irrelevant calls.

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4. Open the call chain

In the right-side panel of the conversation or Agent, enter [Call Chain], select a node to view the input, output, duration, and status. Agent tasks can also show the Agent name, action, and number of tool calls.

How to read common nodes

Node	Key checks	Common questions
Model request	Model, input, output, tokens, and status	Provider errors, context too long, empty output
Tool call	Tool name, parameters, result	Parameter error, permission waiting, abnormal tool return
MCP call	Service name, connection type, input and output	Server disconnect, authentication failure, remote error
Agent execution	Agent, action, tool count, and status	Subtask failed, process did not end
HTTP request	Method, URL, status, and response	Wrong address, network or authentication issue

Call chains may contain prompts, file contents, request headers, and tool parameters. Before sharing screenshots or exported information, you must remove API keys, Authorization, cookies, email addresses, local paths, and business data.

User case: MCP tool returned an empty result

First confirm on the MCP settings page that the server is working normally, then have the Agent call only one tool. The call chain shows that the request reached the server but the output is empty, which means the problem is more likely in the server-side data or parameters, rather than the Agent not being bound; if there is no MCP node at all, go back to Agent [MCP] to check the binding.

Why can't I see the call chain even after enabling it?

Confirm that you have restarted the app, and after restarting, initiate the request again. Historical messages generated before enabling will not automatically be backfilled with call data.