TouchDesigner MCP

What is TouchDesigner MCP about?

A server that bridges AI models and TouchDesigner’s WebServer DAT, providing a set of tools and prompts so agents can manipulate TouchDesigner projects – creating nodes, updating parameters, executing Python code, and retrieving project information.

How to use TouchDesigner MCP?

1. Download the Release – obtain touchdesigner-mcp-td.zip (TouchDesigner components) and touchdesigner-mcp.dxt (Desktop Extension) from the GitHub releases page.
2. Import the Component – extract the zip, place mcp_webserver_base.tox in the TouchDesigner project at /project1/mcp_webserver_base while preserving the original directory structure (td/modules/…).
3. Install the Desktop Extension – double‑click touchdesigner-mcp.dxt to add the Claude Desktop extension, which automatically connects to the MCP server.
4. Alternative Installation – use npx to run the server (npx -y touchdesigner-mcp-server@latest --stdio) or spin up the Docker image via make build and docker-compose up -d.
5. Verify Connection – open TouchDesigner’s Textport; successful startup logs indicate the server is ready for AI agents.

Key Features of TouchDesigner MCP

• Node Management Tools: create_td_node, delete_td_node, update_td_node_parameters.
• Execution Tools: exec_node_method, execute_python_script.
• Inspection Tools: get_td_info, get_td_nodes, get_td_node_parameters, get_td_classes, get_td_class_details.
• Prompt Library: fuzzy node search, node connection guidance, error checking across node hierarchies.
• Multi‑method Deployment: Desktop extension (Claude), npx CLI, Docker container.
• Generated API: OpenAPI‑driven client/server code, automatic TypeScript client generation for robust typing.

Use Cases of TouchDesigner MCP

• AI‑driven Visual Performance: An AI agent generates and animates visual nodes in real time for live shows.
• Procedural Content Creation: Automated pipelines that build complex TouchDesigner networks based on external data sources.
• Interactive Installations: Agents respond to sensor input by creating or modifying nodes on the fly.
• Automated Testing/Debugging: Scripts that scan the project for node errors, fix parameter mismatches, or restructure hierarchies.
• Education & Prototyping: Students use prompts to learn TouchDesigner concepts through natural‑language instructions.

FAQ from TouchDesigner MCP

Q: Do I need to keep the original folder layout? A: Yes. The .tox component references relative paths to modules/; moving files will cause import failures.

Q: Can I change the host or port? A: Yes. When using npx or Docker, add --host=<URL> and --port=<NUMBER> to the argument list.

Q: Is a Python environment required inside TouchDesigner? A: TouchDesigner ships with its own Python interpreter; the provided modules run within that environment.

Q: How do I update the server after code changes? A: Re‑run the build (npm run build or make build) and restart both the MCP server and TouchDesigner.

Q: Which AI platforms are supported? A: Any platform that can call an MCP server – examples include Claude Desktop, OpenAI assistants, or custom agents using the generated TypeScript client.

TouchDesigner MCP

This is an implementation of an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for TouchDesigner. Its goal is to enable AI agents to control and operate TouchDesigner projects.

English / 日本語

Overview

TouchDesigner MCP acts as a bridge between AI models and the TouchDesigner WebServer DAT, enabling AI agents to:

• Create, modify, and delete nodes
• Query node properties and project structure
• Programmatically control TouchDesigner via Python scripts

Usage

1. Download Files

Download the following from the releases page:

• TouchDesigner Components: touchdesigner-mcp-td.zip
• Desktop Extension (.dxt): touchdesigner-mcp.dxt

2. Set up TouchDesigner Components

1. Extract the TouchDesigner components from touchdesigner-mcp-td.zip.
2. Import mcp_webserver_base.tox into your TouchDesigner project.
3. Place it at /project1/mcp_webserver_base.

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/215fb343-6ed8-421c-b948-2f45fb819ff4

You can check the startup logs by opening the Textport from the TouchDesigner menu.

3. Install the Desktop Extension

Double-click the touchdesigner-mcp.dxt file to install the extension in Claude Desktop.

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/0786d244-8b82-4387-bbe4-9da048212854

4. Connect to the Server

The extension will automatically handle the connection to the TouchDesigner server.

⚠️ Important: The directory structure must be preserved exactly as extracted. The mcp_webserver_base.tox component references relative paths to the modules/ directory and other files.

Requires Node.js to be installed.

1. Set up TouchDesigner Components

1. Download and extract the TouchDesigner components from touchdesigner-mcp-td.zip (releases page).
2. Import mcp_webserver_base.tox into your TouchDesigner project.
3. Place it at /project1/mcp_webserver_base.

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/215fb343-6ed8-421c-b948-2f45fb819ff4

You can check the startup logs by opening the Textport from the TouchDesigner menu.

2. Set up the MCP Server Configuration

Example for Claude Desktop:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "touchdesigner": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "touchdesigner-mcp-server@latest", "--stdio"]
    }
  }
}

Customization: You can customize the TouchDesigner server connection by adding --host and --port arguments:

"args": [
  "-y",
  "touchdesigner-mcp-server@latest",
  "--stdio",
  "--host=http://custom_host",
  "--port=9982"
]

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/8beeeaaat/touchdesigner-mcp.git
cd touchdesigner-mcp

2. Build the Docker image

make build

3. Install the API Server in Your TouchDesigner Project

Start TouchDesigner and import the td/mcp_webserver_base.tox component into the project you want to control. Example: Place it at /project1/mcp_webserver_base.

Importing the .tox file will trigger the td/import_modules.py script, which loads the necessary modules for the API server.

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/215fb343-6ed8-421c-b948-2f45fb819ff4

You can check the startup logs by opening the Textport from the TouchDesigner menu.

4. Start the MCP server container

docker-compose up -d

5. Configure your AI agent to use the Docker container

Example for Claude Desktop:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "touchdesigner": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "compose",
        "-f",
        "/path/to/your/touchdesigner-mcp/docker-compose.yml",
        "exec",
        "-i",
        "touchdesigner-mcp-server",
        "node",
        "dist/cli.js",
        "--stdio",
        "--host=http://host.docker.internal"
      ]
    }
  }
}

On Windows systems, include the drive letter, e.g., C:\path\to\your\touchdesigner-mcp\docker-compose.yml.

Note: You can customize the TouchDesigner server connection by adding --host and --port arguments:

"args": [
...,
"--stdio",
"--host=http://host.docker.internal",
"--port=9982"
]

Verify Connection

If the MCP server is recognized, the setup is complete. If it's not recognized, try restarting your AI agent. If you see an error at startup, try launching the agent again after starting TouchDesigner. When the API server is running properly in TouchDesigner, the agent can use the provided tools to operate it.

Directory Structure Requirements

Critical: When using any method, you must maintain the original directory structure:

td/
├── import_modules.py          # Module loader script
├── mcp_webserver_base.tox     # Main TouchDesigner component
└── modules/                   # Python modules directory
    ├── mcp/                   # MCP core logic
    ├── utils/                 # Shared utilities
    └── td_server/             # Generated API server code

The mcp_webserver_base.tox component uses relative paths to locate Python modules. Moving or reorganizing these files will cause import errors in TouchDesigner.

MCP Server Features

This server enables AI agents to perform operations in TouchDesigner using the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

Tools

Tools allow AI agents to perform actions in TouchDesigner.

Tool Name	Description
create_td_node	Creates a new node.
delete_td_node	Deletes an existing node.
exec_node_method	Calls a Python method on a node.
execute_python_script	Executes an arbitrary Python script in TouchDesigner.
get_td_class_details	Gets details of a TouchDesigner Python class or module.
get_td_classes	Gets a list of TouchDesigner Python classes.
get_td_info	Gets information about the TouchDesigner server environment.
get_td_node_parameters	Gets the parameters of a specific node.
get_td_nodes	Gets nodes under a parent path, with optional filtering.
update_td_node_parameters	Updates the parameters of a specific node.

Prompts

Prompts provide instructions for AI agents to perform specific actions in TouchDesigner.

Prompt Name	Description
Search node	Fuzzy searches for nodes and retrieves information based on name, family, or type.
Node connection	Provides instructions to connect nodes within TouchDesigner.
Check node errors	Checks for errors on a specified node, and recursively for its children.

Resources

Not implemented.

For Developers

Quick Start for Development

1. Set up your environment:

   # Clone and install dependencies
   git clone https://github.com/8beeeaaat/touchdesigner-mcp.git
   cd touchdesigner-mcp
   npm install
   

2. Build the project:

   make build        # Docker-based build (recommended)
   # OR
   npm run build     # Node.js-based build
   

3. Available commands:

   npm run test      # Run unit and integration tests
   npm run dev       # Launch the MCP inspector for debugging
   

Note: When you update the code, you must restart both the MCP server and TouchDesigner to apply the changes.

Project Structure Overview

├── src/                       # MCP server source code
│   ├── api/                  # OpenAPI spec for the TouchDesigner WebServer
│   ├── core/                 # Core utilities (logger, error handling)
│   ├── features/             # MCP feature implementations
│   │   ├── prompts/         # Prompt handlers
│   │   ├── resources/       # Resource handlers
│   │   └── tools/           # Tool handlers (e.g., tdTools.ts)
│   ├── gen/                  # Code generated from the OpenAPI schema for the MCP server
│   ├── server/               # MCP server logic (connections, main server class)
│   ├── tdClient/             # TouchDesigner connection API client
│   ├── index.ts              # Main entry point for the Node.js server
│   └── ...
├── td/                        # TouchDesigner-related files
│   ├── modules/              # Python modules for TouchDesigner
│   │   ├── mcp/              # Core logic for handling MCP requests in TouchDesigner
│   │   │   ├── controllers/ # API request controllers (api_controller.py, generated_handlers.py)
│   │   │   └── services/    # Business logic (api_service.py)
│   │   ├── td_server/        # Python model code generated from the OpenAPI schema
│   │   └── utils/            # Shared Python utilities
│   ├── templates/             # Mustache templates for Python code generation
│   ├── genHandlers.js         # Node.js script for generating generated_handlers.py
│   ├── import_modules.py      # Helper script to import API server modules into TouchDesigner
│   └── mcp_webserver_base.tox # Main TouchDesigner component
├── tests/                      # Test code
│   ├── integration/
│   └── unit/
└── orval.config.ts             # Orval config (TypeScript client generation)

API Code Generation Workflow

This project uses OpenAPI-based code generation tools (Orval and openapi-generator-cli).

API Definition: The API contract between the Node.js MCP server and the Python server running inside TouchDesigner is defined in src/api/index.yml.

1. Python server generation (npm run gen:webserver):
   • Uses openapi-generator-cli via Docker.
   • Reads src/api/index.yml.
   • Generates a Python server skeleton (td/modules/td_server/) based on the API definition. This code runs inside TouchDesigner's WebServer DAT.
   • Requires Docker to be installed and running.
2. Python handler generation (npm run gen:handlers):
   • Uses a custom Node.js script (td/genHandlers.js) and Mustache templates (td/templates/).
   • Reads the generated Python server code or OpenAPI spec.
   • Generates handler implementations (td/modules/mcp/controllers/generated_handlers.py) that connect to the business logic in td/modules/mcp/services/api_service.py.
3. TypeScript client generation (npm run gen:mcp):
   • Uses Orval to generate an API client and Zod schemas for tool validation from the schema YAML, which is bundled by openapi-generator-cli.
   • Generates a typed TypeScript client (src/tdClient/) used by the Node.js server to make requests to the WebServer DAT.

The build process (npm run build) runs all necessary generation steps (npm run gen), followed by TypeScript compilation (tsc).

Contributing

We welcome your contributions!

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature).
3. Make your changes.
4. Add tests and ensure everything works (npm test).
5. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature').
6. Push to your branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature).
7. Open a pull request.

Please always include appropriate tests when making implementation changes.

License

MIT