Stockfish MCP Server
Server Configuration
Describes the environment variables required to run the server.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| STOCKFISH_PATH | No | Path to the Stockfish binary. | engine/stockfish |
| STOCKFISH_HASH_MB | No | Transposition-table size (MB). | 256 |
| STOCKFISH_THREADS | No | Search threads. | min(4, ncpu) |
Instructions
Guidance the server publishes about itself, which clients place ahead of the tool catalog so the model reads it before choosing anything.
This server publishes no instructions, or was last inspected before Glama recorded them.
Capabilities
Features and capabilities supported by this server
Protocol revision2025-11-25
| Capability | Details |
|---|---|
| tools | {
"listChanged": true
} |
| logging | {} |
| prompts | {
"listChanged": false
} |
| resources | {
"subscribe": false,
"listChanged": false
} |
| extensions | {
"io.modelcontextprotocol/ui": {}
} |
| experimental | {} |
Tools
Functions exposed to the LLM to take actions
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| analyze_positionB | Analyze a chess position with Stockfish and return the evaluation and best lines. |
| get_best_moveA | Pick a move for the side to move, optionally at reduced strength. |
| evaluate_positionA | Quickly evaluate a position and return the score and best move. A lighter, faster version of analyze_position (single line, shallower default depth). Score is from White's point of view. |
| get_legal_movesA | List all legal moves in a position (SAN and UCI). |
| apply_movesA | Apply a sequence of moves to a position and return the resulting FEN. Useful for playing out a line without the server holding game state. |
| visualize_boardA | Render a position as a text board for human reading. |
| engine_infoA | Return the Stockfish engine's name, author, and a few configurable options. |
Prompts
Interactive templates invoked by user choice
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
No prompts | |
Resources
Contextual data attached and managed by the client
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
No resources | |
TDQS
Scored across 7 tools
There is overlap between analyze_position, evaluate_position, and get_best_move, as all provide position evaluation or move suggestions. The descriptions attempt to differentiate them, but an agent may struggle to select the appropriate tool.
All tool names use snake_case and generally follow a verb_noun pattern, with verbs like get_, analyze_, evaluate_, and apply_. However, the mix of get_ with other verbs like analyze_ and evaluate_ introduces minor inconsistency.
With 7 tools, the server covers core chess analysis and interaction functions without unnecessary bloat. Each tool contributes to a clear purpose, and the count is ideal for the domain.
The tool set covers essential operations: analysis, move generation, board visualization, and applying moves. Minor gaps include lacking explicit start_position loading or customizable depth options, but the surface is sufficient for typical stateless analysis use cases.