ifcopenshell-mcp

Talk to your BIM models in natural language. An open-source MCP server for IfcOpenShell — query, validate, convert, and compare IFC files through AI agents.

For Architects (no coding required)

What does this do?

Drag an .ifc file into Claude and ask questions like:

"How many fire doors are on Level 2?"

Claude reads your model and answers:

Found 2 IfcDoor elements with FireRating=R60:
- Fire Exit GF (Ground Floor)
- Fire Exit L2 (Level 2)

No Revit. No Navisworks. No SQL. Just drag, ask, get answers.

What can I ask?

Complete tool list at the bottom of this page.

How to install (5 minutes, one time only)

Step 1: Install uv (a tiny installer). Open your terminal once and paste:

Windows (PowerShell):

powershell -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"

Mac (Terminal):

curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

Step 2: Download this tool. In the same terminal:

git clone https://github.com/Daviidro/ifcopenshell-mcp.git
cd ifcopenshell-mcp
uv sync

Step 3: Tell Claude about it. Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config, and paste:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ifcopenshell": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["run", "ifcopenshell-mcp"],
      "cwd": "D:/ifcopenshell-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop. Done. Drag any .ifc file and start asking.

Is this safe?

Yes. Your files never leave your computer. Period.

• Everything runs 100% locally — no cloud, no accounts, no internet needed

• It only reads IFC files you explicitly drag into Claude — nothing else

• It cannot write files outside your project folder

• It cannot access system files

• The code is open source (MIT) — anyone can inspect every line

• Built on IfcOpenShell, trusted by thousands of architects and engineers since 2011

No telemetry. No analytics. No hidden anything.

Related MCP server: Bonsai-mcp

For Developers (contributing code)

Tools

Supported formats

• IFC2x3, IFC4, IFC4.3 (.ifc, .ifczip, .ifcxml)

• Output: markdown, CSV, JSON

• GLB: requires IFC files with geometric representations. Semantic-only IFCs report conversion failure.

Setup

git clone https://github.com/Daviidro/ifcopenshell-mcp.git
cd ifcopenshell-mcp
uv sync
uv run pytest tests/ -v    # 19 tests, all must pass

Tests

uv run pytest tests/ -v
# Expected: 19 passed (13 functional + 6 error handling)

Roadmap

• Clash detection (bounding box)

• COBie spreadsheet export

• IFC to Revit roundtrip via Speckle

• Classification system validation (Uniclass, OmniClass)

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md. Built on IfcOpenShell (LGPL-3.0) and MCP. Also check out the official IfcOpenShell MCP.

Ecosystem

• speckle-mcp — AEC interoperability

• bim-agent — Multi-MCP orchestrator

• awesome-aec-mcp — Curated MCP list

License

MIT — see LICENSE file.