TouchDesigner MCP Server

An MCP server that runs inside TouchDesigner, giving AI agents full control over your project — execute Python, inspect operators, read/write DATs, and capture visual output.

Built by Claude Code with Opus 4.6 using this MCP server

Quick Start

1. Drag td_mcp_server.tox into your project — server starts on port 9988
2. Point your MCP client at http://localhost:9988/mcp
3. Start building

The .tox is self-contained — no file paths to configure.

MCP client setup: Claude Code · Cursor · Windsurf

Manual Setup

If you prefer not to use the .tox:

1. Create a Web Server DAT, set port to 9988, enable Active
2. Create a TextDAT with the contents of scripts/td_mcp_server.py
3. Set the Web Server DAT's callbacks to point at your TextDAT

Tools

Tool	Description
run	Execute Python code — expressions return values directly, multi-line code captures stdout
inspect	Detailed operator info — channels, params, errors, connections
set	Set operator parameters with validation — constant values and/or expressions
create	Create an operator with position, params, expressions, and wiring in one call (requires nodeX/nodeY)
wire	Batch-wire operator connections and parameter expressions with auto-incrementing input indices
read	Read a TextDAT (with optional offset/limit)
write	Overwrite a TextDAT (creates if missing)
edit	Find/replace within a TextDAT
list	List operators under a container, filterable by family/pattern
docs	Look up params, menus, defaults, and connectors for any op type
observe	Capture a snapshot (PNG) or animated GIF of the current visual output
render	Render MP4 video using TD-native recording — supports audio capture, auto or manual start/stop
map	Render the operator network as a text map with connections, positions, and non-default params

network_map example

Output from the three example projects (full source):

digraph network {
    rankdir=LR;
    ...
    glsl_main -> out;
    fb_seed -> fb_comp -> fb_hsv -> fb_level -> fb_out;
    fb_level -> fb_feedback [style=dashed label="feedback"];
    fb_feedback -> fb_transform -> fb_comp;
    pf_lfo1 -> pf_merge; pf_lfo2 -> pf_merge; pf_noise_chop -> pf_merge;
    pf_glsl -> pf_out;
}

Claude Code Skill

This repo includes a Claude Code skill at .claude/skills/touchdesigner-building/ that teaches the agent how to use the MCP tools effectively — correct parameter names, GLSL workflow, feedback loop wiring, the iterative observe loop, and common debugging steps.

Claude Code loads the skill automatically when it detects a relevant task (creating operators, writing shaders, setting parameters, etc.). No manual setup is needed if you're already using this repo.

To use the skill in a different project, copy the .claude/skills/touchdesigner-building/ directory into your project's .claude/skills/ folder and make sure your .mcp.json points at the running MCP server.

How It Works

Implements MCP Streamable HTTP (JSON-RPC over POST) on a Web Server DAT. No external dependencies. The root operator is auto-discovered via me.parent().

Requirements

• TouchDesigner 2024+
• Any MCP-compatible client

License

MIT