Rigol DS1202Z-E MCP

Ask an AI for a measurement without making it manage SCPI commands, transfer formats or instrument sequencing. This Linux MCP server gives the Rigol DS1202Z-E a compact default interface and discoverable advanced operations.

AI client -- SSH / Wi-Fi -- Linux instrument host -- USB -- DS1202Z-E

Version 0.5.1. The 0.5.0 baseline was physically tested on one DS1202Z-E running firmware 00.06.03.SP2. Version 0.5.1 adds software-verified corrective changes; it has not been deployed to or requalified on hardware. Other models and firmware are not qualified. Independent community software; no vendor affiliation.

What it does

• Inspect enabled channels with units, unavailable readings and acquisition context.

• Configure channels/edge triggers and acquire screenshots or full waveform memory.

• Capture single events, save supported setups and restore with readback checks.

• Configure scope serial decoders, or capture/decode supported UART, I2C and SPI formats on the host and restore the prior core setup.

• Analyze saved waveforms with FFT and retrieve bounded samples/events on demand.

Ten top-level tools stay fixed. Start with inspect_signal(); use discover_operations(query="capture decode") for advanced tasks and request the selected operation's schema before calling it. No arbitrary SCPI endpoint exists.

Related MCP server: siglent-sds-mcp

Quick start without hardware

Linux and Python 3.12+ are required. A virtual environment keeps system Python intact.

python3 -m venv .venv
.venv/bin/python -m pip install --require-hashes -r requirements.lock
.venv/bin/python -m pip install --no-deps -e .
.venv/bin/rigol-mcp --simulate --identify
.venv/bin/python -m pytest -q

The lock includes development/test dependencies. Build tools may need separate installation. Start .venv/bin/rigol-mcp --simulate --allow-control from an MCP client to exercise simulated operations; it speaks stdio, not a terminal prompt. Simulation does not verify physical hardware or calibration.

Connect a real scope

Follow host and SSH setup. Use rigol-mcp --list-usb to discover the actual VISA address, then pass --resource or set RIGOL_RESOURCE. Controls require --allow-control. Physical probe ratio must match configuration. Review wiring and operation prerequisites before changing acquisition/settings.

Documentation

• Full operation guide and limits

• Complete generated schemas and effects

• Architecture, ownership and saved artifacts

• Validation and reproducible fixture

• Troubleshooting

• Roadmap: remote bench, PPK II and J-Link

• Changes, contributing, security

Historical validation: 193 automated tests and 12 live host-decode/restore runs. Those counts describe 0.5.0; see the validation guide for the corrective release. This is functional evidence, not calibration or compliance certification. Private raw captures and machine configuration are excluded; the validation summary states tested conditions and gaps. Source catalog evidence paths refer to those historical private records; they are provenance labels, not downloadable public artifacts.

Completed artifacts persist on the host, subject to retention. Active operations are synchronous: continuing through SSH loss and durable background jobs are planned, not implemented. Ordinary setting changes do not automatically roll back.

Version 0.5.1 rejects legacy artifacts without metadata checksums: archive important evidence, complete any old-version restoration before upgrading, and take new snapshots after checking the actual state. No automatic migration is performed. The decode planner now caps legal dual-channel allocations at 600,000 points; impossible rounded window/rate combinations fail before instrument access.

Part of the Calligraphy Systems Hardware MCP Suite

This server is one piece of the Calligraphy Systems hardware MCP suite: open, locally run MCP servers that let an AI assistant work with real engineering tools and lab equipment. The suite also includes calligraphy-eda-mcp for PCB layout and design-rule verification. More at calligraphyeda.com.

License and dependencies

Project code is covered by MIT. Dependencies retain their own licenses and are installed separately. No vendor firmware, manuals, private flash backups, credentials or captured user data are distributed.

References: Rigol programming guide, MCP Python SDK, PyVISA-py.