How do I use touch-mcp?

1. Click on "Deploy Server". 2. Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state. 3. In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@touch-mcp create a noise CHOP and connect it to a null CHOP" That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed. Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.

touch-mcp

by benoitliard

Overview Schema Source Related Servers Discussions Admin

Python

Local

touch-mcp

Python 3.11+ License MIT

High-performance MCP server for TouchDesigner — live control via WebSocket from any MCP-compatible AI (Claude, etc.)

Claude/LLM ←── stdio (MCP) ──→ touch-mcp ←── WebSocket ──→ TouchDesigner (.tox)

Why touch-mcp

The most comprehensive MCP server for TouchDesigner available. Unlike simpler alternatives, touch-mcp offers:

Persistent WebSocket connection — every tool call is a lightweight message, not a full HTTP round-trip
37 tools covering nodes, parameters, connections, data access, scripting, timeline, rendering, layout, and more
Batching — bundle multiple operations into a single round-trip with td_batch, critical for building complex networks fast
Auto-reconnection — survives TD restarts and network hiccups
Auto-positioning — new nodes are placed intelligently in the network editor
Full Python access — execute arbitrary Python inside TD with td_execute_script, with access to all operator types and globals

Related MCP server: td-mcp

Quick Start

1. Install touch-mcp

pip install touch-mcp

Or from source:

git clone https://github.com/benoitliard/touch-mcp.git
cd touch-mcp
pip install -e ".[dev]"

2. Install the TouchDesigner bridge component

Open TouchDesigner (2024+), then drag TouchMCPBridge.tox from the td/ folder into your project. The component starts a WebSocket server on port 9980 automatically.

For instructions on building the .tox from source, see td/BUILD_TOX.md.

3. Configure your MCP client

See the configuration sections below, then start a conversation — touch-mcp connects to TouchDesigner on first use.

Configuration

Claude Desktop

Add the following to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "touchdesigner": {
            "command": "touch-mcp",
            "args": ["--td-port", "9980"]
        }
    }
}

The config file is located at:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Claude Code

Create or edit .mcp.json in your project root:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "touchdesigner": {
            "command": "touch-mcp",
            "args": ["--td-host", "localhost", "--td-port", "9980", "--timeout", "30"]
        }
    }
}

Available Tools

37 tools organised by category.

Nodes

Tool	Description
`td_create_node`	Create a new operator node (auto-positioned in the network)
`td_delete_node`	Delete a node and all its children
`td_list_nodes`	List child nodes under a path, optionally filtered by family
`td_get_node`	Get detailed metadata for a node (type, position, connections)
`td_copy_node`	Copy a node with all its parameters to a new location
`td_rename_node`	Rename a node without destroying it
`td_find_nodes`	Search for nodes by name, type, or family recursively
`td_get_errors`	Get errors and warnings for a node (and optionally its children)
`td_set_flags`	Set display, render, and/or bypass flags on a node

Parameters

Tool	Description
`td_get_parameters`	Read current parameter values for a node
`td_set_parameters`	Set one or more parameter values on a node
`td_get_parameter_info`	Get parameter schema (style, range, menu options, defaults)
`td_set_expression`	Set a parameter to expression mode with a Python expression
`td_pulse_parameter`	Pulse a parameter (trigger reload, reset, etc.)

Connections

Tool	Description
`td_create_connection`	Wire two nodes together by output and input index
`td_delete_connection`	Disconnect a node's input or output connector
`td_get_connections`	List all wires entering and leaving a node

Data

Tool	Description
`td_read_chop`	Read channel sample data from a CHOP node
`td_read_top`	Read TOP metadata (resolution, aspect)
`td_read_sop`	Read point and primitive geometry from a SOP node
`td_read_dat`	Read text or table contents from a DAT node
`td_write_dat`	Write text or append rows to a DAT node

Scripts

Tool	Description
`td_execute_script`	Execute arbitrary Python inside the live TouchDesigner instance
`td_class_list`	List all TD Python classes available in the environment
`td_class_detail`	Inspect methods and properties of a TD Python class
`td_module_help`	Get `help()` output for any TD Python module

Timeline

Tool	Description
`td_timeline_get`	Get the current timeline state (frame, fps, range, loop)
`td_timeline_set`	Set one or more timeline properties (frame, fps, range, loop)
`td_timeline_play`	Start timeline playback
`td_timeline_pause`	Pause timeline playback

Render

Tool	Description
`td_screenshot`	Save a TOP's current frame as a PNG file on disk
`td_export_render`	Export a rendered TOP frame to a file on disk

Project

Tool	Description
`td_project_info`	Get project metadata (name, path, fps, TD build/version)
`td_project_save`	Save the project in place or to a new path

Layout

Tool	Description
`td_set_node_position`	Set network-editor x/y positions for one or more nodes
`td_align_nodes`	Evenly distribute nodes along a horizontal or vertical axis

Batch

Tool	Description
`td_batch`	Execute multiple operations in a single WebSocket round-trip

CLI Options

touch-mcp [OPTIONS]

Options:
  --td-host TEXT    TouchDesigner WebSocket host (default: localhost)
  --td-port INT     TouchDesigner WebSocket port (default: 9980)
  --timeout FLOAT   Per-request timeout in seconds (default: 30.0)
  --debug           Enable debug logging

Development

git clone https://github.com/benoitliard/touch-mcp.git
cd touch-mcp
pip install -e ".[dev]"
pytest

Static analysis:

ruff check src/

License

MIT

This server cannot be deployed

RayrunBuild, deploy, and operate MCP servers without becoming an infrastructure team.ray.runAd

Maintenance

ActivityInactive

ResponsivenessNo issues

Resources

GitHub Repository

Need Help?

Related Servers

Related MCP Connectors

ZapierOAuth
com.zapier
Hosted MCP server connecting AI assistants to 9,000+ apps and 40,000+ actions via Zapier.
App Automation Workplace & Productivity
2297
ChiR24-unreal_mcp_serverOAuth
ai.smithery
A comprehensive Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables AI assistants to control Unreal E…
Developer Tools App Automation Software Architecture
2866
mcp-aichatOAuth
io.github.AceDataCloud
MCP server for AI dialogue using various LLM models via AceDataCloud
AI & Machine Learning
2
mcp-producerOAuth
io.github.AceDataCloud
MCP server for Producer/Riffusion AI music generation
Audio Processing AI & Machine Learning
22

Related MCP Servers

TouchDesigner MCP
Developer Tools App Automation
8beeeaaat
A
license
B
quality
A
maintenance
A Model Context Protocol server that enables AI agents to control and operate TouchDesigner projects through creation, modification, and querying of nodes and project structures.
Updated 4 days ago (2026-09-09 06:52 UTC)
14
486
521
MIT
td-mcp
Design Tools Multimedia Processing
tai5863
A
license
A
quality
D
maintenance
MCP server for controlling TouchDesigner from AI coding agents like Claude Code and Codex CLI, enabling operator manipulation, parameter control, and screenshot capture.
Updated 6 months ago (2026-03-18 04:51 UTC)
12
MIT
TDPilot
Multimedia Processing Image & Video Processing
dreamrec
A
license
B
quality
B
maintenance
An MCP server for TouchDesigner that lets AI agents inspect, build, wire, optimize, and stabilize live TD networks with 106 tools, plus a technique memory system for reusable patterns.
Updated 2 months ago (2026-07-23 16:01 UTC)
100
11
MIT
touchdesigner-agent-mcp
Multimedia Processing Design Tools
axysar
A
license
A
quality
B
maintenance
Enables LLMs to directly control, introspect, and build TouchDesigner networks in real-time through a Model Context Protocol server.
Updated a month ago (2026-08-08 19:47 UTC)
25
MIT

touch-mcp

Why touch-mcp

Quick Start

Configuration

Claude Desktop

Claude Code

Available Tools

Nodes

Parameters

Connections

Data

Scripts

Timeline

Render

Project

Layout

Batch

CLI Options

Development

License

Maintenance

Resources

Related MCP Connectors

Related MCP Servers

TouchDesigner MCP

td-mcp

TDPilot

touchdesigner-agent-mcp