# Rhino Mcp > MCP Server for Rhino and Grasshopper - **Type:** MCP server - **Install:** `agentstack add mcp-easehee-rhino-mcp` - **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior - **Seller:** [EaseHee](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/easehee) - **Installs:** 0 - **Category:** [Integrations](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/integrations) - **Latest version:** 0.1.0 - **License:** MIT - **Upstream author:** [EaseHee](https://github.com/EaseHee) - **Source:** https://github.com/EaseHee/rhino-mcp ## Install ```sh agentstack add mcp-easehee-rhino-mcp ``` Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent. ## About # rhino-mcp **Drive McNeel Rhino 8 and Grasshopper from Claude through the Model Context Protocol.** [English](./README.md) · [한국어](./README.ko.md) --- ## Overview `rhino-mcp` is a Model Context Protocol server that lets Claude (or any MCP client) drive Rhino 8 — creating geometry, manipulating layers and materials, baking Grasshopper output, exporting STEP/IGES/STL/OBJ — through plain natural-language tool calls. It runs in two modes: - **Standalone** (default): backed by [`rhino3dm`](https://github.com/mcneel/rhino3dm) for headless `.3dm` file authoring; works without Rhino installed and exposes **~242 tools** (geometry, file-I/O, transform, layer, material, analysis, RhinoScript docs, composition, document hygiene, geometry validation, GH template catalogue, freeform skin / panelisation / curvature / fields, drawing-set sheet + title block, schedule / quantity, block definition, sun-position + shadow projection, BIM metadata tagging, 19 physical material presets, BRE daylight factor + Bird DNI clear-sky model, and multi-Rhino announcement-file discovery). - **Bridge**: when the C# bridge plugin is loaded in a live Rhino 8 session, the server transparently forwards every call (booleans, lofts, sweeps, viewport image capture + zoom-to-object / zoom-to-layer, render, scripting (Python and gated Roslyn C# with timeouts and extra references), deformation, NURBS editing, SubD, paneling, freeform analysis with true Gaussian curvature, drawing-set view placement + section cuts + PDF export, accurate Brep-area schedules, block explode/redefine, ray-cast solar exposure + Brep ray probe, IFC / gbXML import-export, HDRI environment, camera / light / render / turntable automation, layer-material binding, *and* every Grasshopper operation including batched `connect_many` wiring and slider placement) to RhinoCommon and Grasshopper.Instances, exposing **~245 tools**. ## Features - **Full geometry catalogue** — points, lines, polylines, arcs, circles, ellipses, polygons, helixes, NURBS curves, rebuilds. - **Solids and meshes** — boxes, spheres, cylinders, cones, tori, mesh boxes; booleans / sweeps / lofts / fillets via the bridge. - **Transforms** — move, rotate, scale, mirror, plane-to-plane orient, linear/polar/rectangular arrays. - **Script execution** — run arbitrary RhinoScript Python (IronPython) or RhinoCommon C# (Roslyn) code in a live Rhino session, with built-in RhinoScript API documentation search (899 functions). - **Advanced modeling** — deformation (bend/twist/taper/flow), NURBS editing (rebuild/unroll/evaluate), SubD, surface matching, extraction (dup edge/border/isocurve/Make2D), control points, and paneling tools. - **Drawing-set authoring** — sheet / title block / north arrow / scale bar in standalone; multi-view placement, section cuts, and PDF export through the bridge. - **Quantity & schedule** — per-layer / per-material / per-`user_text` aggregation with CSV export; bridge mode uses `AreaMassProperties` / `VolumeMassProperties` for accurate Brep area + volume. - **Block / instance reuse** — define / insert / list blocks in standalone; explode / redefine in bridge mode for synchronized component edits. - **Environmental analysis** — sun position + monthly sun-path polylines + shadow projection (NOAA SPA approximation); ray-cast solar exposure in bridge mode. Daylight precision adds Bird DNI clear-sky model with Kasten-Young air mass and Linke turbidity, plus BRE simplified daylight factor. - **BIM interchange** — IFC2x3 / IFC4 / IFC4x3 import & export, gbXML export, and IFC PropertySet metadata tagging that round-trips through `user_text`. - **Material presets + HDRI** — 19 bundled physical presets (concrete / brick / steel / aluminium / glass / timber / stone / plaster / fabric / landscape) keyed by category; HDRI environment for rendering. - **Render automation** — camera / light / render-engine setup, render-to-file, and parametric turntable sequences (bridge mode). - **Undo / redo and batch operations** — every bridge operation is wrapped in undo records; batch modify changes many objects in a single call. - **Layers, materials, blocks, groups** — full attribute control on the document. - **File I/O** — open/save `.3dm`, export OBJ/STL standalone; STEP/IGES/DXF and screenshots via the bridge. - **Inline base64 screenshots** — `rhino_screenshot(as_base64=True)` returns the PNG payload inline for visual verification by the LLM. - **Rich object selection** — `rhino_object_select` filters by glob name pattern, layer, RGB color, object type, and user-text key/value pairs. - **Pagination on bulk queries** — `rhino_list_objects` returns a `pagination: {total, offset, limit, returned, has_more}` block so large documents stay manageable. - **Scene composition shortcuts** (v0.2) — `rhino_place_grid`, `rhino_stack_floors`, `rhino_scatter`, `rhino_replicate_along_curve` collapse "loop + transform" into a single tool call. - **Document hygiene tools** (v0.2) — query/set units, tolerances, and base point (`rhino_document_units_*`, `rhino_tolerance_*`, `rhino_origin_set`); `rhino_document_summary` exposes them so the LLM can verify scale before issuing geometry calls. - **Geometry validation** (v0.2) — `rhino_validate_brep`, `rhino_report_mesh_health`, `rhino_curve_continuity`, plus `rhino_check_naked_edges` (bridge) for explicit topology diagnostics before booleans / exports. - **Grasshopper template loader** (v0.2) — `gh_template_list` reads a manifest of pre-wired definitions; `gh_load_template`, `gh_bind_template_parameter`, `gh_run_template` (bridge) load, parameterise, and bake them. - **Free-form architecture toolkit** — `rhino_skin_from_sections`, `rhino_uv_grid_panels`, `rhino_panel_planarity`, `rhino_panel_curvature_classify`, `rhino_surface_developable_score`, `rhino_attractor_displace_points`, `rhino_smooth_polyline`. Bridge mode adds true Gaussian / mean / principal curvature, world-axis slicing, and waffle ribs. - **Strategy prompts for the LLM** — seven `@mcp.prompt()` guides (`general_strategy`, `rhinoscript_workflow`, `viewport_workflow`, `parametric_workflow`, `bim_authoring_workflow`, `design_dialogue_workflow`, `freeform_workflow`) help Claude pick the right tool, avoid hallucinated APIs, and keep the user in the loop on design decisions. - **Async-capable tools** — read-only query tools run on `async def` so concurrent bridge round-trips don't stall the MCP transport. - **Robust connection layer** — JSON-RPC over named pipe / Unix socket / TCP with `MSG_PEEK` liveness probes and exponential backoff with jitter on reconnect. - **Grasshopper automation** — open `.gh` files, drop components, wire them, set sliders/panels/toggles, run, bake, read DataTrees. - **Three transports** — stdio (Claude Desktop), Streamable HTTP, Docker/TCP. - **Capability-aware registration** — bridge-only tools are simply not registered when no bridge is reachable; no stub functions, ever. - **Actionable errors** — every failure carries a category, a remediation hint, and details the agent can act on. ## Architecture ``` ┌──────────────┐ stdio | HTTP ┌────────────────┐ │ Claude / │ ◀──────────────────▶ │ rhino-mcp │ │ MCP client │ │ (Python) │ └──────────────┘ └─────┬──────────┘ │ JSON-RPC 2.0 │ (named pipe / unix socket / TCP) │ ┌─────────▼──────────┐ │ C# Bridge Plugin │ │ (inside Rhino 8) │ │ ──────────────── │ │ RhinoCommon │ │ Grasshopper │ │ Roslyn (C# exec) │ │ IronPython (Py) │ └────────────────────┘ ``` In **standalone** mode the right-hand side is replaced by an in-process `rhino3dm.File3dm` document; bridge-only tools are unregistered. ## Requirements - Python 3.11 or newer - `rhino3dm >= 8.9`, `mcp[cli] >= 1.2`, `pydantic >= 2.6` (installed automatically) - Optional: McNeel Rhino 8 (any platform) — needed only for bridge mode - Optional: .NET 8 SDK — to build the C# bridge plugin (`dotnet build`) - Optional: `pywin32` on Windows for the named-pipe transport ## Installation ### Using uv (recommended) ```bash uv tool install rhino-mcp # or, from a checkout: uv sync && uv run rhino-mcp ``` ### Using pip ```bash pip install rhino3dm-mcp rhino-mcp --version ``` ### One-shot Claude Desktop wiring After installing the package, register the server with Claude Desktop in a single command instead of editing `claude_desktop_config.json` by hand: ```bash rhino-mcp install # auto-detect launcher (uvx / rhino-mcp / python) rhino-mcp install --mode bridge # force bridge mode in the env block rhino-mcp install --force # overwrite an existing entry rhino-mcp install --dry-run # preview the JSON without writing ``` The command writes a timestamped `.bak.*` copy of the existing config before saving, and is idempotent — re-running with the same flags is a no-op. Restart Claude Desktop afterwards to pick up the change. #### From inside Rhino — `_McpInstall` If the bridge plugin is loaded, type `_McpInstall` on the Rhino command line. The command is non-interactive: it locates `uvx` / `rhino-mcp` / `python` on `PATH` (with `~/.local/bin`, `~/.cargo/bin`, `/opt/homebrew/bin`, and `/usr/local/bin` searched on macOS so the GUI-app `PATH` is enough), runs the same install pipeline as `rhino-mcp install`, and streams the outcome to the Rhino command line. The MCP server is registered with `--mode auto` so Claude Desktop attaches to the bridge when Rhino is running and falls back to standalone (rhino3dm) when it is not. ### Docker ```bash docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml up --build ``` The container exposes the server over Streamable HTTP on TCP `:8765`. ## Running the server `rhino-mcp` is normally launched by an MCP client (Claude Desktop / Cursor / claude.ai connector) via the `command + args` you put into the client's config. You can also run it manually for debugging. ### Launch modes | Use case | Command | |-----------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Stdio (Claude Desktop default) | `uvx rhino3dm-mcp` *or* `rhino-mcp` | | Streamable HTTP (local dev / Cursor) | `rhino-mcp --transport http --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8765` | | Streamable HTTP (claude.ai connector) | `rhino-mcp --transport http --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8765 --allow-external --stateless` | | Docker (HTTP on `:8765`) | `docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml up --build` | | Force standalone (no Rhino needed) | `RHINO_MCP_FORCE_MODE=standalone rhino-mcp` | | Force bridge (fail fast if Rhino down) | `RHINO_MCP_FORCE_MODE=bridge rhino-mcp` | | Force bridge with HTTP fallback | `RHINO_MCP_FORCE_MODE=bridge RHINO_MCP_BRIDGE_OPTIONAL=1 rhino-mcp --transport http` | | Show all CLI flags | `rhino-mcp --help` | The HTTP endpoint is `http://:/mcp`. Use `--allow-external` only when exposing the server through ngrok / Cloudflare Tunnel / etc. — it disables DNS-rebinding protection. ### Claude Desktop (stdio) `claude_desktop_config.json` lives at: | OS | Path | |---------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | macOS | `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json` | | Windows | `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json` | | Linux | `~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json` | Paste this entry under `mcpServers`: ```json { "mcpServers": { "rhino-mcp": { "command": "uvx", "args": ["rhino3dm-mcp"], "env": { "RHINO_MCP_TRANSPORT": "stdio", "RHINO_HOST": "127.0.0.1", "RHINO_PORT": "4242", "RHINO_MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "INFO" } } } } ``` Prefer a checkout? Point `command` at `uv` and run from the repo: ```json { "mcpServers": { "rhino-mcp": { "command": "uv", "args": ["--directory", "/absolute/path/to/rhino-mcp", "run", "rhino-mcp"], "env": { "RHINO_MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "DEBUG" } } } } ``` Restart Claude Desktop; the rhino-mcp tools and the three strategy prompts (`general_strategy`, `rhinoscript_workflow`, `viewport_workflow`) appear in the palette. ### Cursor IDE Cursor reads `~/.cursor/mcp.json` (global) or `/.cursor/mcp.json` (per-project): ```json { "mcpServers": { "rhino-mcp": { "command": "uvx", "args": ["rhino3dm-mcp"], "env": { "RHINO_MCP_FORCE_MODE": "bridge" } } } } ``` ### claude.ai remote connector (Streamable HTTP) 1. Run the server with HTTP + external access: ```bash rhino-mcp --transport http --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8765 --allow-external --stateless ``` 2. Tunnel it (e.g. `ngrok http 8765`) and grab the public HTTPS URL. 3. In claude.ai → Settings → Connectors → *Add custom connector*, set the URL to `https:///mcp`. ### Generic stdio MCP clients Any MCP-compatible client (mcp-inspector, Continue, Claude Code, etc.) that can spawn a subprocess will work — give it `uvx rhino3dm-mcp` or the path to your `rhino-mcp` entry-point and inherit env vars from the table below. ### Rhino-side bridge plugin (C# — recommended) Build and install the C# plugin for full 235 tool support. The included helper script wraps `dotnet build` and verifies the post-build install location: ```bash ./scripts/build-plugin.sh # debug build + install ./scripts/build-plugin.sh --release # release build ./scripts/build-plugin.sh --clean # clean + rebuild # Or invoke dotnet directly: dotnet build rhino_plugin/csharp/RhinoMCPPlugin.csproj -c Release ``` Post-build targets copy the `.rhp`: | OS | Path | |---------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | macOS | `/Applications/Rhino 8.app/Contents/PlugIns/rhino-mcp.rhp` | | Windows | `%APPDATA%/McNeel/Rhinoceros/8.0/Plug-ins/rhino-mcp/rhino-mcp.rhp` | Restart Rhino 8 — the bridge starts automatically on load (TCP `:4242` by default). Then restart `rhino-mcp` (or set `RHINO_MCP_FORCE_MODE=bridge`) and the bridge-only tools become available. ## Quick start ```python # After "rhino-mcp" is configured in Claude Desktop, ask Claude: # "Create a 10-unit sphere at the origin and save the document to /tmp/demo.3dm" # Behind the scenes Claude calls rhino_sphere → rhino_save. ``` ### Strategy prompts Three MCP prompts are registered automatically and surfaced in the client's prompt picker: | Prompt | When to use | |-------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | `general_strategy` | Decision tree for orienting in a document → choosing the right tool → best practices. | | `rhinoscript_workflow` | Mandatory steps **before** invoking `rhino_execute_python` so the LLM doesn't hallu … ## Source & license This open-source MCP server is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code. - **Author:** [EaseHee](https://github.com/EaseHee) - **Source:** [EaseHee/rhino-mcp](https://github.com/EaseHee/rhino-mcp) - **License:** MIT Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above. ## Pricing - **Free** — Free ## Security capabilities Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access: - **Network access:** yes - **Filesystem access:** no - **Shell / process execution:** yes - **Environment & secrets:** no - **Dynamic code execution:** no *"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.* ## Versions - **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source. ## Links - Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/mcp-easehee-rhino-mcp - Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/easehee - Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse --- Listed on AgentStack — the marketplace for AI agent skills and MCP servers. 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