# 1. Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/omerbelsayed/visio-mcp.git
cd visio-mcp

# 2. Install (includes all dependencies)
pip install -e ".[dev]"

# 3. Run the setup wizard — verifies Visio is accessible and prints the Claude Desktop config
python -m visio_mcp setup

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "visiomcp": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "visio_mcp", "run", "--transport", "stdio"],
      "env": {
        "VISIOMCP_API_KEY": "your-secret-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

[System.Convert]::ToBase64String([System.Security.Cryptography.RandomNumberGenerator]::GetBytes(32))

python -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_urlsafe(32))"

# Permanent (user environment) — survives reboots
[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("VISIOMCP_API_KEY", "paste-your-key-here", "User")

# Or for the current PowerShell session only
$env:VISIOMCP_API_KEY = "paste-your-key-here"

"env": {
  "VISIOMCP_API_KEY": "paste-your-key-here"
}

I have 3 ESXi hosts running 20 VMs. The VMs run SQL Server, IIS, and Apache.
Storage is a NetApp AFF A400 with 100TB. Network is Cisco Nexus 9000.
Create an HLD diagram.

virtual_machines:
  - hostname: web-01
    vcpu: 8
    ram_gb: 32
    hypervisor: vmware
    applications: [nginx, node]
  - hostname: db-01
    vcpu: 16
    ram_gb: 64
    hypervisor: vmware
    applications: [postgresql]

physical_servers:
  - hostname: esxi-01
    vendor: dell
    model: PowerEdge R750
    role: hypervisor

Parse my terraform.tfstate and show me a cloud architecture diagram.

Generate a full package for the current diagram — VSDX, PDF, PNG, Word doc, and BOM.

You: I have a 3-tier web application:
     - 2 NGINX load balancers (VM, 4 vCPU, 8GB)
     - 4 Apache web servers (VM, 8 vCPU, 16GB)
     - 2 PostgreSQL databases (VM, 16 vCPU, 64GB, replicated)
     All on VMware vSphere 8.0, shared storage on Pure Storage FlashArray.
     Create an HLD and then export as PDF and PNG.

Claude: [calls parse_inventory → create_hld → export_all_formats]
        Created HLD with 3 swimlanes (Network / Virtualization / Application).
        Exported: diagram.pdf, diagram.png
        Shapes placed: 12  |  Connectors: 9
        Stencils used: vmware.vsphere, purestorage.flasharray

# Install the service (run as Administrator)
python -m visio_mcp.service install

# Start
python -m visio_mcp.service start

# Stop
python -m visio_mcp.service stop

# Remove
python -m visio_mcp.service remove

pytest tests/unit/ -v
# Expected: 169 passed

server:
  transports: [stdio, sse]
  sse_port: 8000
  api_key: "CHANGE_ME"      # override via VISIOMCP_API_KEY env var
  production_mode: false     # set true to reject CHANGE_ME key

stencils:
  base_path: ""              # defaults to stencils/ in project root
  max_age_days: 30
  max_concurrent_downloads: 5
  fallback_to_generic: true

visio:
  auto_launch: true
  default_template: "blank"
  units: "inches"
  reconnect_attempts: 3

logging:
  level: "INFO"
  file: "logs/visiomcp.log"
  max_bytes: 10485760        # 10 MB
  backup_count: 5

Claude (stdio/SSE)
    │
    ▼
FastMCP Server (server.py)  ←── 35 MCP tools (visio_mcp/tools/)
    │
    ├── Parsers (visio_mcp/parsers/)
    │     JSON/YAML · NL · RVTools · Terraform · Cloud · Redfish · Ansible
    │
    ├── Generators (visio_mcp/generators/)
    │     HLD · LLD · Network · DR · Backup · Virtualization
    │     Cloud · Physical · OpenShift · AppDependency
    │
    ├── Stencil Manager (visio_mcp/stencils/)
    │     Auto-download · Cache · Registry · Vendor normalization
    │
    ├── Export Engine (visio_mcp/exporters/)
    │     VSDX · PDF · PNG · SVG · JPEG · EMF
    │
    ├── Doc Generator (visio_mcp/docs_gen/)
    │     Word HLD document · Excel BOM
    │
    └── Visio COM Gateway (visio_mcp/engines/visio_engine.py)
          Single ThreadPoolExecutor · CoInitialize · COM automation
          ↕ (test stub: MockVisioEngine)
          Microsoft Visio (COM)