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Improve AI-powered debugging section on dashboard pages#883

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IEvangelist wants to merge 2 commits intomicrosoft:mainfrom
IEvangelist:dapine/improve-ai-debugging-dashboard
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Improve AI-powered debugging section on dashboard pages#883
IEvangelist wants to merge 2 commits intomicrosoft:mainfrom
IEvangelist:dapine/improve-ai-debugging-dashboard

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@IEvangelist IEvangelist commented May 7, 2026

Summary

Closes #874.

The dashboard landing page (/dashboard/) had an "AI-powered debugging" section showing an outdated screenshot of the in-dashboard MCP server configuration dialog — a UI that was removed in 13.3 (see #784, #808, #825). The card also linked only to MCP server configuration with no path to the new Dashboard and AI coding agents topic.

The dashboard overview page (/dashboard/overview/) had shrunk to a single bullet about agents + MCP and didn't have the "content section on using agents with the dashboard" the issue calls for.

Before / after

Before — outdated ImageShowcase of the removed in-dashboard MCP dialog:

Before — AI-powered debugging section showing the outdated in-dashboard MCP server configuration dialog screenshot with an MCP server for AI agents card on the right.

AfterTerminalShowcase playing the existing mcp-copilot-cli.cast:

After — AI-powered debugging section showing a TerminalShowcase with GitHub Copilot CLI calling Aspire and showing reasoning over running app data, plus a Use AI coding agents with the dashboard CTA.

Changes

src/frontend/src/content/docs/dashboard/index.mdx

  • Replaced the outdated ImageShowcase (using mcpDialogImage) with a TerminalShowcase that plays the existing /casts/mcp-copilot-cli.cast recording — which shows GitHub Copilot CLI calling Aspire MCP / CLI tools to fetch dashboard data and reason over the results, exactly the kind of screenshot the issue suggests.
  • Updated the section copy to call out that agents read the same telemetry through the Aspire CLI and the Aspire MCP server, with concrete command and tool examples.
  • Pointed the CTA at /dashboard/ai-coding-agents/.
  • Refocused the matching "Beyond development" card from "MCP server" to "AI coding agents" (still mentions MCP) and re-pointed it at /dashboard/ai-coding-agents/.
  • Removed the now-unused mcpDialogImage import.

src/frontend/src/content/docs/dashboard/overview.mdx

  • Added a new Use the dashboard with AI coding agents section between "Use the dashboard with Aspire projects" and "Standalone mode". It explains how agents access the dashboard's logs, traces, console output, and resource state through the Aspire CLI (aspire describe, aspire otel logs, aspire otel traces) and equivalent MCP tools (list_resources, list_structured_logs, list_traces, list_console_logs), and links to the full setup guide on /dashboard/ai-coding-agents/.
  • Added a corresponding entry in the "Next steps" list.

Notes

  • TerminalShowcase is already used on reference/overview.mdx for the aspire-new.cast hero, so the visual treatment is consistent with the rest of the site.
  • The mcp-copilot-cli.cast recording is also embedded on get-started/ai-coding-agents.mdx, so we're reusing existing assets — no new captures required.
  • No sidebar or navigation changes — /dashboard/ai-coding-agents/ is already wired up.

Replaces the outdated in-dashboard MCP server screenshot on the dashboard landing page with a TerminalShowcase that runs the existing mcp-copilot-cli.cast — showing GitHub Copilot CLI calling Aspire MCP/CLI tools and reasoning over the live data — and points the CTA at /dashboard/ai-coding-agents/.

Refocuses the corresponding 'Beyond development' card on AI coding agents (with MCP) instead of MCP alone, and expands the dashboard overview page with a new 'Use the dashboard with AI coding agents' section plus a Next steps link.

Fixes microsoft#874.

Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings May 7, 2026 18:37
@IEvangelist IEvangelist requested a review from JamesNK as a code owner May 7, 2026 18:37
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Pull request overview

Note

Copilot was unable to run its full agentic suite in this review.

Updates the dashboard docs to replace outdated MCP UI references with guidance and examples for using AI coding agents (via Aspire CLI and MCP tools) alongside the dashboard.

Changes:

  • Replaced the outdated “AI-powered debugging” screenshot with a terminal cast and updated CTA/linking to the AI coding agents guide.
  • Added a new “Use the dashboard with AI coding agents” section to the dashboard overview and linked it from “Next steps”.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 2 out of 2 changed files in this pull request and generated 2 comments.

File Description
src/frontend/src/content/docs/dashboard/index.mdx Swaps the deprecated MCP dialog screenshot for a TerminalShowcase cast and retargets related CTAs/cards to the AI coding agents page.
src/frontend/src/content/docs/dashboard/overview.mdx Introduces a new section explaining CLI/MCP access patterns for agents and adds a next-step link to the AI coding agents guide.

💡 Add Copilot custom instructions for smarter, more guided reviews. Learn how to get started.


The dashboard isn't just a UI for developers — its data is also available to AI coding agents through the [Aspire CLI](/reference/cli/overview/) and the [Aspire MCP server](/get-started/aspire-mcp-server/). Agents read the same structured logs, distributed traces, console output, and resource state that you see in the dashboard, so they can diagnose issues, verify fixes, and add features with full runtime context.

CLI commands like [`aspire describe`](/reference/cli/commands/aspire-describe/), [`aspire otel logs`](/reference/cli/commands/aspire-otel-logs/), and [`aspire otel traces`](/reference/cli/commands/aspire-otel-traces/) all support `--format Json` for machine-readable output. The MCP server exposes equivalent tools — `list_resources`, `list_structured_logs`, `list_traces`, and `list_console_logs` — to any MCP-compatible assistant.
<TerminalShowcase
title="Your AI agent sees what you see —"
highlight="logs, traces, and resources."
description="AI coding agents read the same dashboard telemetry you do through the Aspire CLI and the Aspire MCP server. Agents call commands like aspire describe, aspire otel logs, and aspire otel traces — or MCP tools such as list_structured_logs and list_traces — to diagnose issues, verify fixes, and reason over real running-app data."
Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
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@JamesNK JamesNK left a comment

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The after image doesn't look good

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Improve "AI-powered debugging" on dashboard page

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