SolidCraft MCP Server Setup

SolidCraft ships an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server inside its command-line tool, solidcraft-cli. Once it is connected, an AI assistant can create a design, run modelling commands, set parameters, measure the result, take screenshots and export STEP or STL, all through the same command set you use in the app.

You need solidcraft-cli installed and on your PATH. It comes with the Windows and Linux installers; on a Mac it is a separate zip on the release page (see SolidCraft download). With snap, the command is solidcraft.cli.

Claude Code

One line in your terminal:

claude mcp add solidcraft -- solidcraft-cli mcp

Or add it to the project's .mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "solidcraft": {
      "command": "solidcraft-cli",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop works best when it drives the app you can see. Start SolidCraft with remote control turned on:

solidcraft --control 7878

Then add this to claude_desktop_config.json, with the full path to solidcraft-cli on your machine:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "solidcraft": {
      "command": "/path/to/solidcraft-cli",
      "args": ["mcp", "--connect", "127.0.0.1:7878"]
    }
  }
}

The connection uses a token. Set it with the SOLIDCRAFT_CONTROL_TOKEN environment variable (the docs recommend this), a token file, or --token.

Three ways to run the server

Command What it does
solidcraft-cli mcp Headless session, nothing on screen
solidcraft-cli mcp --in part.solidcraft Headless, starting from an existing design or command script
solidcraft-cli mcp --connect 127.0.0.1:7878 Drives a running desktop app started with --control 7878

MCP tools

Tool What the agent uses it for
list_commands See every modelling command available
execute / batch Run one command, or several in a row
inspect_design Read the current design tree and parameters
measure Measure distances, areas, volumes
body_topology Look at faces, edges and vertices of a body
set_parameter Change a named parameter and rebuild
screenshot Render the current view to an image
export Export STEP, STL and other formats
undo / redo Step back or forward
new_design / open / save Manage design files
crash_reports Read crash reports when something fails

It also exposes two resources: solidcraft://design (the current design) and solidcraft://commands (the command list).

File access rules

The server is locked down by default. The agent can read and write only:

--allow-any-path removes the limit; use it with care. Dotfiles such as ~/.ssh stay blocked.

Prefer a chat window inside the app?

Since v0.13.0 the desktop app has a built-in agent chat (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+A). It can connect to Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, OpenCode and other ACP agents, or to an OpenAI-compatible endpoint such as Ollama or LM Studio. API keys are stored in your system keychain. Agent chat is not available in the browser version.

New to the app itself? Start with the SolidCraft tutorial.

FAQ

Does the SolidCraft MCP server work with Cursor or other clients?

The official docs only give setup for Claude Code and Claude Desktop. The server speaks standard MCP over stdio (JSON-RPC 2.0), so other MCP clients that launch a stdio command should be able to use the same command and arguments, but the project does not document them.

Do I need the desktop app running?

No. 'solidcraft-cli mcp' runs a headless session on its own. Start the desktop app with --control only if you want to watch the agent work in the real window.

Can the agent read any file on my computer?

No. By default it can only touch the open design's folder (inside your home or temp folder), the recovery folder and its scratch folder. Dotfiles such as ~/.ssh are always blocked. You can add folders with --allow-path.

My old config says solvecraft. Will it still work?

The project's compatibility notes still list claude mcp add solvecraft -- solvecraft-cli mcp as a legacy alias, but new setups should use the solidcraft name and the solidcraft-cli command.

Sources

Keep going

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