This Claude plugin automatically sets up a Braintrust MCP connection. The connection reads the BRAINTRUST_API_KEY environment variable to establish the MCP connection.
Troubleshooting steps
1. Verify the environment variable is set
Run echo $BRAINTRUST_API_KEY to check if the variable is exported
API keys can be created at https://www.braintrust.dev/app/settings?subroute=api-keys
2. Verify the API key is valid
Test the key by calling the Braintrust API:
curl -s https://api.braintrust.dev/api/self/me -H "Authorization: Bearer $BRAINTRUST_API_KEY"
- If valid: returns JSON with user info (id, email, organizations, etc.)
- If invalid: returns an authentication error
NOTE: Even if you can curl the api via http, continue to attempt MCP setup. Http is just a troubleshooting tool, not a replacement for MCP
3. Check if the MCP server is reachable
If the key is valid but connection still fails, check if the MCP server is up:
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" https://api.braintrust.dev/mcp
- Any HTTP response (even 401 or 405) means the server is reachable
- Connection timeout or "connection refused" means the server may be down
4. Contact support
If nothing else works, encourage the user to reach out:
- Discord: https://discord.com/invite/6G8s47F44X
- Email: support@braintrust.dev