connecter-mcp

An MCP server for Connecter, Design Connected's asset manager for 3D artists. It lets Claude (or any MCP client) search, tag, catalogue, ingest, audit and repair your Connecter library while Connecter keeps running.

Unofficial. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Design Connected. It uses the same local integration channels Connecter's own 3ds Max, Blender and Maya plugins use. No Connecter code is included.

What it can do

Every change is written to a journal (~/.connecter-mcp/journal.jsonl) with the API calls that reverse it, so undo can roll it back. Tools that move files or touch many assets default to dry_run=True and return a plan first.

Related MCP server: blender-ai-mcp

How it talks to Connecter

• JSON over TCP. A running Connecter listens on a local port (stored in the registry under HKCU\Software\Design Connected\Connecter\Integration\JsonMessagingTcpPort). Each request is one JSON object on its own connection, with a ResponseEndpoint that Connecter connects back to with the reply.

• Message folder. JSON files dropped into Connecter's integrationBuffer folder catalogue assets with tags and previews. This is the same mechanism its DCC plugins use.

• Read-only database snapshots for fast library-wide searches and audits. The live default.dcdb is copied first and never written to.

Requirements

• Windows, with Connecter 8.x installed and running

• uv (installs Python 3.11+ and the dependencies automatically)

Install

git clone https://github.com/SHUBHAM3601/connecter-mcp.git

Register it with Claude Code:

claude mcp add connecter --scope user -- uv --directory "C:\path\to\connecter-mcp" run connecter-mcp

Or add it to any MCP client's config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "connecter": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["--directory", "C:\\path\\to\\connecter-mcp", "run", "connecter-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Configure (optional)

Create %USERPROFILE%\.connecter-mcp\config.toml. See config.example.toml:

# Folder whose sub-folders are your library categories (enables ingest_model and library_categories)
models_dir = 'D:\Library\3D MODELS'
# Extra places to search for moved assets and missing textures
search_dirs = ['E:\Old Library']
# Folder Connecter is normally started from (used by restart_connecter)
launch_dir = 'C:\Users\you\Documents\Design Connected\Connecter\Sample Products'

Examples

• "Move Downloads\Pro 3DSky - Pebble River Collection into the library under 09_MISC and tag it." → inspect_folder, then ingest_model (dry run, then real)

• "Which models have no tags?" → search_assets(untagged=True, extension=".max")

• "Some assets show as missing in Connecter, fix them." → batch_relocate (dry run, then real)

• "Why does this model render without its normal map?" → scan_textures, find_texture_candidates, localize_textures

• "Make a LANDSCAPE tag under 09_MISC and move the pebbles into it." → create_tag, tag_assets, untag_assets

Testing

tests/live_test.py exercises every tool through the MCP layer against a running Connecter. It works on a throwaway copy of one model in <models_dir>/<category>/_MCP_TEST and removes it afterwards:

uv run python tests/live_test.py "D:\Library\3D MODELS\09_MISC\Some Model"

Connecter behaviours worth knowing

• One tag per branch. An asset can't hold a tag and its own parent or child tag. Tagging with one replaces the other, and tag_assets reports how many it replaced (and undo puts them back). Sibling tags and tags in other branches can be combined freely.

• Tag colours must come from Connecter's palette: cyan, purple, lavender, yellow, pink, white.

• Renaming assets. Connecter 8.0's own rename drops the file extension, so rename_asset renames on disk and re-points the catalogue entry instead.

• Custom properties and versions are only available in some Connecter workspaces; on others these tools say so.

Notes

• Built against Connecter 8.0. Integration commands are discovered from Connecter's public plugin behaviour; a Connecter update can change them. Run connecter_status after updating.

• restart_connecter starts Connecter from the same working folder as its Start-menu shortcut. Starting it from elsewhere makes its 3ds Max integration check fail.

License

MIT