roblox-bridge-mcp

AI-powered bridge connecting Model Context Protocol to Roblox Studio

Real-time control of Roblox Studio instances through a unified MCP interface. Build, script, and manipulate 3D worlds using AI assistants like Claude.

Getting Started • Installation • Usage • API Reference

Overview

roblox-bridge-mcp enables AI agents to directly interact with Roblox Studio through the Model Context Protocol. It provides 99 operations spanning instance management, scripting, physics, lighting, terrain, camera control, and more through a single unified tool.

Architecture:

• MCP Server - FastMCP + Bun server exposing the roblox tool

• HTTP Bridge - Local server with automatic port allocation (tries 8081-8090)

• Studio Plugin - Lua plugin with automatic server discovery and connection

Features

• Single Unified Tool - All 99 operations accessible via one roblox tool with method dispatch

• API Key Security - Simple authentication to protect the bridge server

• Automatic Port Discovery - Bridge server tries ports 8081-8090 with automatic fallback

• Long-Polling & WebSocket - Near-instant command delivery (replaces 300ms polling)

• Seamless Startup - MCP server always starts, even if bridge port is occupied

• Real-time Communication - HTTP long-polling with exponential backoff reconnection

• Studio Integration - Toolbar button with visual connection indicator and auto-discovery

• Comprehensive Coverage - Instance CRUD, scripting, transforms, physics, terrain, camera, and more

• Type-Safe - Zod schemas for all parameters

• Modern Stack - Bun runtime, FastMCP framework, task-based Lua

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Roblox Studio

• An MCP client (Claude Desktop, etc.)

Installation

1. Configure your MCP client

Add to your MCP client configuration (e.g., Claude Desktop claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "roblox-bridge": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "roblox-bridge-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

2. Install the Studio plugin

Download the latest plugin from the releases page.

Create a folder in your Roblox plugins directory:

• Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Roblox\Plugins\Roblox Bridge MCP\

• macOS: ~/Documents/Roblox/Plugins/Roblox Bridge MCP/

Place the plugin file as init.server.lua inside this folder.

3. Configure the API key

When the MCP server starts, it displays an API key in the console:

[Bridge] Roblox bridge server running on port 8081
[Bridge] API Key: a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0k1l2m3n4o5p6
[Bridge] Set this key in your Roblox plugin to connect

In Roblox Studio, open the command bar (View > Command Bar) and run:

_G.MCP_SetApiKey("a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0k1l2m3n4o5p6")

The key is saved in plugin settings and persists across Studio sessions.

Tip: For a persistent API key that survives server restarts, set ROBLOX_API_KEY in your environment (see Configuration).

4. Start Roblox Studio

Open a place in Studio. The plugin will auto-connect (toolbar button turns active).

5. Use from your MCP client

The roblox tool will be available in your MCP client (restart the client if needed).

Configuration

You can configure the bridge server behavior using environment variables. Create a .env file in your project root or set these in your MCP client configuration:

Note: If ROBLOX_API_KEY is not set, a random key is generated on each server startup. For persistent connections, set a fixed key in your .env file.

Note: The bridge server automatically tries ports 8081-8090 in sequence. If the preferred port is occupied, it will use the next available port. The Studio plugin automatically discovers and connects to the active server.

Example .env file:

# Persistent API key (recommended for production)
ROBLOX_API_KEY=my-secure-api-key-here

ROBLOX_BRIDGE_PORT=8081
ROBLOX_TIMEOUT_MS=30000
ROBLOX_RETRIES=2
LOG_LEVEL=INFO

MCP Client Configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "roblox-bridge-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "roblox-bridge-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "ROBLOX_API_KEY": "my-secure-api-key-here",
        "ROBLOX_BRIDGE_PORT": "8081",
        "LOG_LEVEL": "INFO",
        "ROBLOX_RETRIES": "2",
        "ROBLOX_TIMEOUT_MS": "30000"
      }
    }
  }
}

Usage

Basic Workflow

1. Open Roblox Studio with a place

2. The plugin will auto-connect (toolbar button turns active)

3. Use your MCP client to call the roblox tool

Example Commands

Create a part:

{
  "method": "CreateInstance",
  "params": {
    "className": "Part",
    "parentPath": "game.Workspace",
    "name": "MyPart",
    "properties": {
      "Anchored": true,
      "Size": [4, 1, 4]
    }
  }
}

Set color:

{
  "method": "SetColor",
  "params": {
    "path": "game.Workspace.MyPart",
    "r": 255,
    "g": 0,
    "b": 0
  }
}

Create a script:

{
  "method": "CreateScript",
  "params": {
    "name": "HelloWorld",
    "parentPath": "game.Workspace",
    "source": "print('Hello from AI!')",
    "type": "Script"
  }
}

Get selection:

{
  "method": "GetSelection",
  "params": {}
}

API Reference

The roblox Tool

All operations are accessed through a single tool with two parameters:

• method (string) - The operation to execute (see methods below)

• params (object) - Method-specific parameters

Instance Management

• CreateInstance(className, parentPath, name?, properties?) - Create a new instance

• DeleteInstance(path) - Destroy an instance

• CloneInstance(path, parentPath?) - Clone an instance

• RenameInstance(path, newName) - Rename an instance

Property Access

• SetProperty(path, property, value) - Set a property value

• GetProperty(path, property) - Get a property value

Hierarchy Navigation

• GetChildren(path) - Get child names

• GetDescendants(path) - Get all descendant paths

• FindFirstChild(path, name, recursive?) - Find a child by name

• GetService(service) - Get a Roblox service

Transform

• MoveTo(path, position[x,y,z]) - Move a Model or BasePart

• SetPosition(path, x, y, z) - Set Position property

• SetRotation(path, x, y, z) - Set Rotation (degrees)

• SetSize(path, x, y, z) - Set Size property

• PivotTo(path, cframe[12]) - Set CFrame via PivotTo

• GetPivot(path) - Get CFrame as 12 components

Appearance

• SetColor(path, r, g, b) - Set Color3 (0-255 RGB)

• SetTransparency(path, value) - Set Transparency (0-1)

• SetMaterial(path, material) - Set Material enum

Physics

• SetAnchored(path, anchored) - Set Anchored property

• SetCanCollide(path, canCollide) - Set CanCollide property

Scripting

• CreateScript(name, parentPath, source, type?) - Create a script with source code

• GetScriptSource(path) - Read script source

• SetScriptSource(path, source) - Replace script source

• AppendToScript(path, code) - Append to script

• ReplaceScriptLines(path, startLine, endLine, content) - Replace line range

• InsertScriptLines(path, lineNumber, content) - Insert lines at position

• RunConsoleCommand(code) - Execute Luau code in command bar context

Selection

• GetSelection() - Get currently selected objects

• SetSelection(paths[]) - Set selection to specific objects

• ClearSelection() - Clear selection

• AddToSelection(paths[]) - Add to current selection

Grouping

• GroupSelection(name) - Group selected objects into Model

• UngroupModel(path) - Ungroup a Model

Lighting

• SetTimeOfDay(time) - Set Lighting.TimeOfDay (e.g., "14:00:00")

• SetBrightness(brightness) - Set Lighting.Brightness

• SetAtmosphereDensity(density) - Set Atmosphere.Density (creates if missing)

• CreateLight(parentPath, type, brightness?, color?) - Create a light object

Attributes & Tags

• SetAttribute(path, name, value) - Set an attribute

• GetAttribute(path, name) - Get an attribute value

• GetAttributes(path) - Get all attributes

• AddTag(path, tag) - Add a CollectionService tag

• RemoveTag(path, tag) - Remove a tag

• GetTags(path) - Get all tags

• HasTag(path, tag) - Check if instance has tag

Players

• GetPlayers() - Get list of player names

• GetPlayerPosition(username) - Get player character position

• TeleportPlayer(username, position[x,y,z]) - Teleport player

• KickPlayer(username, reason?) - Kick player from game

Place/Studio

• SavePlace() - Trigger save (if permissions allow)

• GetPlaceInfo() - Get PlaceId, Name, JobId

Audio

• PlaySound(soundId, parentPath?, volume?) - Create and play a sound

• StopSound(path) - Stop a playing sound

Utility

• GetDistance(path1, path2) - Calculate distance between two objects

• HighlightObject(path, color?, duration?) - Add visual Highlight

• Chat(message, color?) - Send system message to TextChatService

Path Format

All instance paths use dot notation starting from game:

• game.Workspace.Model.Part

• game.ReplicatedStorage.Assets

• Service names are automatically resolved: game.Workspace resolves to Workspace service

Plugin Features

The Studio plugin provides:

• API Key Authentication - Secure connection with server-provided key

• Automatic Discovery - Scans ports 8081-8090 to find and connect to the bridge server

• Service Validation - Verifies server identity using health endpoint before connecting

• Long-Polling - Near-instant command delivery (no 300ms polling delay)

• Toolbar Integration - "MCP Bridge" toolbar with toggle button

• Connection Status - Visual indicator (active = connected, inactive = disconnected)

• Enable/Disable - Click toolbar button to toggle bridge on/off

• Auto-Reconnect - Exponential backoff (2s to 10s) on connection loss with port rediscovery

• Persistent Settings - API key saved across Studio sessions

• Modern Lua - Uses task library, no deprecated APIs

• Error Handling - Structured error messages with context

Plugin Commands

Run these in the Studio command bar (View > Command Bar):

-- Set API key (required for first connection)
_G.MCP_SetApiKey("your-api-key-here")

-- Check current API key (shows truncated key)
print(_G.MCP_GetApiKey())

Architecture

┌─────────────────┐         ┌──────────────────┐         ┌─────────────────┐
│   MCP Client    │ stdio   │   FastMCP Server │  HTTP   │  Studio Plugin  │
│  (Claude, etc)  │◄───────►│   (Bun + Node)   │◄───────►│   (Lua/Luau)    │
└─────────────────┘         └──────────────────┘         └─────────────────┘
                                     │                            │
                                     │                            │
                                ports 8081-8090              Roblox API
                         /health, /poll, /result      (game.Workspace, etc)

Communication Flow:

1. Bridge server starts on first available port (8081-8090)

2. Plugin discovers server by scanning ports and validating /health endpoint

3. MCP client calls roblox tool with method + params

4. Server adds command to queue

5. Plugin polls /poll, receives commands

6. Plugin executes command in Studio using Roblox API

7. Plugin posts result to /result

8. Server resolves promise, returns to MCP client

Development

For contributors or those running from source:

Clone and install:

git clone https://github.com/CoderDayton/roblox-bridge-mcp.git
cd roblox-bridge-mcp
bun install

Run in development mode:

bun run dev

Run tests:

bun test                  # Run all tests
bun test --watch          # Watch mode
bun test --coverage       # With coverage report

Code quality:

bun run typecheck         # TypeScript type checking
bun run lint              # ESLint strict mode
bun run lint:fix          # Auto-fix linting issues
bun run format            # Format with Prettier

Inspect MCP server:

bun run inspect

Build for production:

bun run build

Code Quality Standards

This project maintains high code quality standards:

• Documentation: Comprehensive JSDoc comments on all exported functions

• Type Safety: TypeScript strict mode with explicit return types

• Testing: 87%+ test pass rate with comprehensive coverage

• Linting: ESLint strict ruleset enforcing best practices

• Formatting: Prettier for consistent code style

See CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed development guidelines.

Troubleshooting

Plugin says "API key not set":

• Run _G.MCP_SetApiKey("your-key") in the Studio command bar

• The API key is shown in the server console when it starts

• If using a persistent key, ensure ROBLOX_API_KEY is set in your environment

Plugin not connecting:

• Check that Roblox Studio is running

• Verify HttpService is enabled in Studio settings (Game Settings > Security)

• Ensure no firewall is blocking localhost ports 8081-8090

• Check Studio output window for [MCP] log messages showing port discovery

• The plugin will show which port it discovered (e.g., "Discovered server on port 8084")

• Verify the API key is correct (check server console output)

Tool not appearing in MCP client:

• Verify MCP client configuration points to correct path

• Restart MCP client after configuration changes

• Check that bun run dev is running without errors

• The MCP server will always start even if the bridge port is occupied

Commands timing out:

• Default timeout is 30 seconds

• Check Studio output for Lua errors

• Verify instance paths are correct (use GetChildren to explore)

Port conflicts:

• The bridge automatically tries ports 8081-8090

• Check server startup logs to see which port was used

• If all ports are occupied, the MCP server will still start but tools will fail until a port is available

401 Unauthorized errors:

• The API key in the plugin doesn't match the server's key

• Re-copy the key from the server console and set it with _G.MCP_SetApiKey()

• If using ROBLOX_API_KEY env var, ensure it's the same on both ends

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read our Contributing Guide for guidelines on:

• Setting up the development environment

• Code standards and testing requirements

• Pull request process

• Adding new Roblox tools

For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss your proposal.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Acknowledgments

• Built with FastMCP

• Powered by Bun

• Inspired by the Model Context Protocol specification