Embody MCP Server for TouchDesigner

What Embody - MCP Server for TouchDesigner MCP server does

Embody - MCP Server for TouchDesigner MCP server exposes a live TouchDesigner project to AI coding assistants through Envoy, the embedded MCP server included with Embody. Agents can create and modify networks, inspect their state, and run operations inside the active TouchDesigner session.

The server provides 70 MCP tools. The documented capabilities include creating any operator type in any network, changing parameter values or expressions, selecting bind modes, wiring operators together, executing arbitrary Python on TouchDesigner’s main thread, exporting networks to diffable .tdxn YAML, scaffolding extensions, and checking errors on operators and their children.

This fits workflows where an agent must build a visual or interactive network in TouchDesigner, make iterative changes, or diagnose errors in an existing project. It is not presented as a general-purpose TouchDesigner file parser or a standalone renderer; the main workflow depends on access to a running TouchDesigner session.

How it works

Envoy runs inside TouchDesigner and listens on 127.0.0.1:9870 by default. The port can be changed, and Envoy scans forward if the selected port is already occupied. A .mcp.json configuration is written at the AI project root, normally the Git repository root, so a supported assistant can discover the MCP tools. The project root can instead be set to the .toe folder or another custom location.

Tool calls operate against the live network. Python execution runs in TouchDesigner’s main thread, which allows agent-driven actions to use the application’s current state. Network exports use the .tdxn YAML format, making exported structures suitable for text-based comparison and reconstruction workflows described by the project.

Setup and configuration

Install Embody by downloading its .tox release and dragging it into a TouchDesigner project. The Setup Wizard then guides configuration, including whether to enable Envoy and which AI tool to configure. Envoy can also be enabled through the Envoyenable parameter, while Envoyport controls the listening port and Aiprojectroot controls the AI project root.

The documented requirement is TouchDesigner 2025.33230 or later on Windows or macOS. Embody creates a per-project .venv matched to TouchDesigner’s Python interpreter, so no separate Python setup is required for the described installation path.

Tools and capabilities

Embody - MCP Server for TouchDesigner MCP server includes tools for:

• Creating operators across TouchDesigner networks.
• Setting parameter values, expressions, and bind modes.
• Connecting operators into a network.
• Running arbitrary Python in TouchDesigner’s main thread.
• Exporting networks as diffable .tdxn YAML.
• Creating an extension scaffold with a COMP, DAT, and wiring.
• Inspecting errors on an operator and its children.

The broader Embody project also supports externalized network files, automatic restoration options, portable .tox export, and project Python environments. These are project features surrounding Envoy rather than additional MCP tool details established in the supplied tool list.

Limitations and notes

The server requires TouchDesigner 2025.33230 or later and is documented for Windows and macOS. Its Python execution tool runs arbitrary code in TouchDesigner’s main thread, so agents should be given only the permissions appropriate for the project.

Envoy is configured for local access by default through 127.0.0.1; the supplied material does not establish remote access as a default server mode. The README names integrations with Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Cursor, Windsurf, and GitHub Copilot through VS Code. OpenCode is also named in the README, but it is not included in the directory’s compatible-client slug list.