ANSYS Icepak MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables AI assistants to interact with ANSYS Icepak through natural language commands, powered by PyAEDT over gRPC.

Import geometry, assign materials and thermal loads, build meshes, run natural/forced convection simulations, and retrieve results — all by chatting with Claude.

Status: work in progress. Core geometry/material/mesh/solve workflow is functional; expect rough edges (see Known Issues).

Compatible Clients

Related MCP server: ansys-aedt-mcp

Capabilities

Connection Management

Geometry

Materials

Thermal & Flow Boundaries

Solution Setup

Solve & Results

Scripting

Requirements

• ANSYS Electronics Desktop (AEDT) 2023 R1 or later with Icepak

• Python 3.10+

• PyAEDT (ansys-aedt-core or pyaedt)

Installation

git clone https://github.com/NedaEmami123/icepak-mcp.git
cd icepak-mcp
python -m venv venv
venv\Scripts\activate       # Windows
pip install ansys-aedt-core mcp

Configuration

Find your client's config file and add the icepak-mcp server entry:

Add this block:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "icepak-mcp": {
      "command": "C:/path/to/icepak-mcp/venv/Scripts/python.exe",
      "args": ["C:/path/to/icepak-mcp/icepak_mcp_server.py"],
      "env": {
        "ANSYSEM_ROOT261": "C:/Program Files/ANSYS Inc/v261/AnsysEM"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace v261 with your installed AEDT version (e.g. v232, v241, v251).

Usage

1. Start Icepak and get the gRPC port

Open ANSYS Electronics Desktop with an Icepak design. In the Message Manager, look for:

gRPC server started on port 50051

2. Connect Claude to Icepak

In your chat with Claude:

"Connect to Icepak"

3. Build and solve a thermal model

"Import this STEP file, assign materials, create a natural convection region, add source power to the chips, mesh, and solve."

Claude will typically:

• Import CAD geometry (via run_icepak_script + PyAEDT's import_3d_cad)

• Assign materials per object

• Create a properly-sized air Region (natural or forced convection padding rules)

• Assign source power / opening / grille boundaries

• Create a solution setup and mesh regions

• Solve and pull back field summaries or plots

4. Poll for results (long jobs)

Long workflows (imports, scripted geometry edits, mesh generation) run in the background. Claude will give you a job_id and poll automatically:

"Get script result for job_1"

Known Issues

• The AEDT gRPC bridge can intermittently lock up on certain calls (e.g. GetObjectsInGroup, GetSetups) after heavy geometry/mesh-region churn or a stuck dialog in the AEDT GUI. Disconnecting/reconnecting (disconnect + connect_to_icepak) usually recovers it; a full AEDT restart is sometimes required.

• solve blocks synchronously and can time out the MCP client on long solves even though AEDT keeps solving in the background — poll get_solve_status afterward rather than re-triggering solve.

• No dedicated tools yet for field plots, mesh regions, or design duplication — use run_icepak_script with raw PyAEDT calls for these.

License

Apache 2.0 — see LICENSE