The independent SolidCraft guide

SolidCraft MCP setup.

SolidCraft’s MCP server lets compatible AI clients use its local modeling tools. Generate a configuration for Claude Code or Claude Desktop, with a separate headless session or a bridge to the desktop app. Install the CLI first: this browser tool prepares JSON, but it cannot detect your software, start a local process, or verify a connection.

Official sources reviewed October 16, 2026

Before you begin: install a SolidCraft CLI your client can launch, and install your chosen Claude client. Desktop bridge mode also needs the desktop app.

Official install guide

Configuration builder

01 Choose your client

Claude CodeIn your terminalClaude DesktopOn your desktop

02 Choose your mode

HeadlessA separate session. No window.Desktop bridgeUse a running desktop app.

03 Point to your local CLICLI executable path

Use the executable name on PATH, or an absolute path without quotes. Snap installs use solidcraft.cli. Find the path for your installation.

Generated locally in this browser.
No CLI paths or generated JSON in our analytics events.

Your configurationJSON

.mcp.jsonReady to copy

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

This prepares a file. It does not install SolidCraft, edit your existing settings, or connect to MCP. If your browser saves mcp.json, rename it to .mcp.json before using it. Set up file access before your first save or export.

Change a setting to update your configuration.

On your own computer

Apply it in Claude Code.

Save as .mcp.json in your project root. Some browsers remove the leading dot on download: rename mcp.json to .mcp.json. If the file already has servers, merge the solidcraft entry into its mcpServers object.
Open Claude Code in that project. Review and approve the project’s MCP server when prompted; restart your session if needed.
Use /mcp in Claude Code to check the server status and tools. Check that the CLI is installed if the server fails to start.

Or register the default headless server via CLI

claude mcp add solidcraft -- solidcraft-cli mcp

Choose either the project JSON setup or this command. The command uses Claude Code’s default local scope; it does not write a shared project .mcp.json or grant access to its folder. See file access setup before saving or exporting a new design there.

Official Claude Code setup guide

Find the executable for your installation.

These examples were checked against the official v0.13.1 package definitions. Confirm the files exist in your installation. Enter only the CLI executable in the generator; desktop startup commands are run separately in your terminal.

Windows installer: the default CLI location is C:\Program Files\SolidCraft\solidcraft-cli.exe. If you chose another installation folder or extracted a portable ZIP, use the CLI in that folder. The desktop executable beside it is solidcraft.exe.

macOS disk image: with the app in Applications, use /Applications/SolidCraft.app/Contents/MacOS/solidcraft-cli. Dragging the app into Applications does not add this CLI to PATH. To start its desktop bridge in a terminal, run /Applications/SolidCraft.app/Contents/MacOS/SolidCraft --control 7878. Adjust the path if you installed elsewhere, and match the port in your generated configuration.

Native Linux packages or CLI archives: use solidcraft-cli if your client can find it on PATH, or the absolute path to the installed or extracted CLI. An AppImage desktop launcher alone does not establish a host CLI command.

Snap: enter solidcraft.cli as the CLI executable. The desktop bridge still starts with solidcraft --control 7878.

Flatpak: its CLI is inside the sandbox; /app/bin/solidcraft-cli is not a host executable path. For this generator, install a separate native CLI or create a local executable wrapper that launches the Flatpak CLI and forwards its arguments. Enter the wrapper’s absolute path. Bridging a host CLI to the Flatpak desktop also needs sandbox network access and access to its control token; follow the official package and MCP instructions.

Sources: Windows installer, macOS package, Flatpak package, and the official installation guide.

Choose the workflow

Two modes.
One local machine.

In either mode, your client starts the MCP server on your computer. Your AI provider’s own terms and data handling still apply when you use its client.

Headless

solidcraft-cli mcp

Runs its own design session without a desktop window. Choose this when you do not need to watch the desktop app.

Desktop bridge

solidcraft-cli mcp --connect 127.0.0.1:7878

Forwards tools to an app started with its control interface, so you can watch the design in the desktop window.

Set up a folder before your first save or export.

A new headless session starts with access to SolidCraft’s recovery folder and its own temporary scratch folder. Its working directory is not automatically allowed. Saving .mcp.json in a project does not give SolidCraft access to that project’s files.

Create a dedicated folder first. In your saved client configuration, append --allow-path and that folder’s absolute path as two separate entries in the solidcraft server’s args array. For a headless server, the field becomes:

{
  "args": [
    "mcp",
    "--allow-path",
    "/absolute/path/to/designs"
  ]
}

This example shows only the args field; keep the rest of your generated configuration. Replace the example path with an existing folder. On Windows, escape backslashes in JSON, for example "C:\\Users\\you\\Documents\\SolidCraft". In bridged mode, retain mcp, --connect, and your chosen host and port, then append the same two entries.

Restart the MCP server after editing its startup arguments. Test a save and export into that folder, then check the resulting files. The generator does not add this permission or check your filesystem.

An already-open design can also make its folder available when it is strictly inside your home or temporary folder and outside hidden folders. An explicit --allow-path grants access to the named folder including hidden files, so use a dedicated workspace. Review your client’s tool approvals and the official file access rules. Do not use --allow-any-path to resolve a missing-folder or file-permission error.

Good questions

A configuration is just the beginning.

My client cannot find solidcraft-cli.

Confirm your installation includes the CLI. A desktop shortcut does not guarantee the CLI is on your client’s PATH. Use the full executable path in the generator, without surrounding quotes. Snap uses solidcraft.cli; package sandboxing can affect access and launch behavior. See the installation-specific examples.

The server connects, but cannot save or export my file.

Check that the destination folder exists and is allowed by the server. A new headless session does not inherit access to your project directory. Follow the file access setup to add a dedicated folder with --allow-path, then restart the server. Package sandbox restrictions and normal operating-system file permissions still apply.

The bridge says no SolidCraft app is listening.

Start the desktop app with solidcraft --control PORT and use the same local host and port in the generated MCP config. Both processes must run on the same machine. See the official MCP guide for sandbox-related token access issues.

Why does Claude not show the MCP server?

Check the saved file is valid JSON and has the mcpServers wrapper, verify the CLI path, then restart or reload your client. In Claude Code, review project-server approval and use /mcp to inspect status. In Claude Desktop, fully quit and reopen, then check MCP logs.

Does this website connect to my computer or AI account?

The generator runs in your browser and produces text or a downloadable JSON file. It does not connect to your local CLI or AI account. This site uses Google Analytics for traffic statistics; we do not add your CLI paths, generated JSON, or tokens to analytics events. Installing and applying the file are separate actions on your own machine.

Can I paste the downloaded file over existing settings?

If you already use MCP servers, merge only the solidcraft entry into the existing mcpServers object. Keep your other entries and settings. The tool does not read or modify existing files.

Follow the source

Built on official documentation.

Last reviewed October 16, 2026. Software evolves. Check the official documentation for changes before following these steps.

SolidCraft MCP commands & client examples SolidCraft CLI installation Claude Code MCP documentation MCP guide for Claude Desktop