LM Studio MCP Server
# LM Studio MCP Server
An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that provides AI assistants with control over LM Studio models. This server enables remote model management including listing, loading, and unloading models through the LM Studio API.
## Features
- **Health Check**: Verify connectivity to LM Studio
- **List Downloaded Models**: View all LLM models available in your LM Studio library
- **List Loaded Models**: See which models are currently loaded in memory
- **Load Models**: Load models into memory with configurable parameters
- **Unload Models**: Remove specific model instances from memory
- **Get Model Info**: Retrieve detailed information about loaded models
## Prerequisites
- Node.js 18.0.0 or higher
- LM Studio running with the local server enabled
## Installation
```bash
# Clone the repository
git clone <repository-url>
cd lm-studio-mcp-server
# Install dependencies
npm install
```
## Configuration
The server connects to LM Studio using environment variables:
| Variable | Default | Description |
| ------------------- | --------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| `LMSTUDIO_BASE_URL` | (derived) | Full WebSocket URL for LM Studio |
| `LMSTUDIO_HOST` | `127.0.0.1` | LM Studio host (used if BASE_URL not set) |
| `LMSTUDIO_PORT` | `1234` | LM Studio port (used if BASE_URL not set) |
## Usage
### Running Modes
**Development** (uses `tsx` for TypeScript execution):
```bash
npm start
# or with file watching
npm run dev
```
**Production** (uses compiled JavaScript):
```bash
npm run build
npm run start:prod
```
**Docker**:
```bash
# Pull the published image
docker pull portertech/lm-studio-mcp-server:latest
# Run (connects to LM Studio on host machine)
docker run -i --rm portertech/lm-studio-mcp-server:latest
# Run with custom LM Studio host
docker run -i --rm \
-e LMSTUDIO_HOST=192.168.1.100 \
-e LMSTUDIO_PORT=1234 \
portertech/lm-studio-mcp-server:latest
```
### MCP Client Configuration
#### Claude
Add to your `claude_desktop_config.json`:
**Using npx (recommended for installed packages):**
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"lmstudio": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["@portertech/lm-studio-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"LMSTUDIO_HOST": "127.0.0.1",
"LMSTUDIO_PORT": "1234"
}
}
}
}
```
**Using local development:**
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"lmstudio": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["tsx", "/path/to/lm-studio-mcp-server/src/index.ts"],
"env": {
"LMSTUDIO_HOST": "127.0.0.1",
"LMSTUDIO_PORT": "1234"
}
}
}
}
```
**Using Docker:**
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"lmstudio": {
"command": "docker",
"args": [
"run",
"-i",
"--rm",
"-e",
"LMSTUDIO_HOST=127.0.0.1",
"-e",
"LMSTUDIO_PORT=1234",
"portertech/lm-studio-mcp-server:latest"
]
}
}
}
```
> **Note:** For Docker on macOS/Windows connecting to LM Studio on the host machine, use `LMSTUDIO_HOST=host.docker.internal`.
## Available Tools
All tools return a consistent response envelope:
```typescript
{
success: boolean;
message: string;
data?: T; // Present on success
error?: { // Present on failure
code: string;
message: string;
};
}
```
### Error Codes
| Code | Description |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------ |
| `MODEL_NOT_FOUND` | Requested model does not exist |
| `MODEL_NOT_LOADED` | Model is not currently loaded |
| `CONNECTION_FAILED` | Cannot connect to LM Studio |
| `INVALID_INPUT` | Invalid parameters provided |
| `LOAD_FAILED` | Failed to load model |
| `UNLOAD_FAILED` | Failed to unload model |
| `UNKNOWN` | Unexpected error |
### `health_check`
Check connectivity to LM Studio server.
**Parameters**: None
**Returns**: Connection status and base URL
### `list_models`
List all downloaded LLM models available in LM Studio.
**Parameters**: None
**Returns**: Array of model info objects with:
- `modelKey`: Model identifier for loading
- `path`: Relative path to the model
- `displayName`: Human-readable model name
- `sizeBytes`: Size in bytes
- `architecture`: Model architecture (if available)
- `quantization`: Quantization type (if available)
### `list_loaded_models`
List all currently loaded models in memory.
**Parameters**: None
**Returns**: Array of loaded model info with:
- `identifier`: Instance identifier
- `modelKey`: Model key
- `path`: Model path
- `displayName`: Human-readable name
- `sizeBytes`: Size in bytes
- `vision`: Whether model supports vision
- `trainedForToolUse`: Whether model was trained for tool use
### `load_model`
Load a model into memory.
**Parameters**:
- `model` (required): Model key to load (e.g., `llama-3.2-3b-instruct`)
- `identifier` (optional): Custom identifier for the loaded instance
- `contextLength` (optional): Context window size in tokens (minimum: 1)
- `evalBatchSize` (optional): Batch size for token processing (minimum: 1)
**Returns**: Success status with loaded model details (identifier, modelKey, path)
### `unload_model`
Unload a model from memory.
**Parameters**:
- `identifier` (required): Identifier of the loaded model to unload
**Returns**: Success status
### `get_model_info`
Get detailed information about a loaded model.
**Parameters**:
- `identifier` (required): Identifier of the loaded model
**Returns**: Model details including identifier, modelKey, path, displayName, sizeBytes, contextLength
## Development
```bash
# Build the project
npm run build
# Run in development mode with auto-reload
npm run dev
# Type check without emitting
npm run typecheck
# Run tests
npm test
# Lint
npm run lint
# Format
npm run format:check
npm run format
```
### Release Process
The project includes a `make release` command for automated releases:
```bash
# Create a new release (runs CI, sets version, commits, tags, publishes to npm and Docker Hub)
make release VERSION=<version>
# Example:
make release VERSION=1.0.5
```
This runs the full release pipeline:
1. CI checks (lint, typecheck, test)
2. Sets version in `package.json`
3. Commits the version bump
4. Creates an annotated git tag (`v<version>`)
5. Publishes to npm
6. Builds and pushes Docker images to Docker Hub
### Project Structure
```
src/
├── index.ts # MCP server entry point
├── client.ts # LM Studio client wrapper
├── types.ts # Shared types and result helpers
└── tools/
├── index.ts # Tool exports
├── health-check.ts # Health check tool
├── list-models.ts # List downloaded models
├── list-loaded-models.ts
├── load-model.ts
├── unload-model.ts
└── get-model-info.ts
```
### Architecture
- **Consistent Results**: All tools return the same `ToolResult<T>` envelope
- **Safe Wrappers**: Tool handlers are wrapped to catch exceptions and return error payloads
- **Lazy Config**: Environment variables are read at runtime, not module load
- **Singleton Client**: Single LM Studio client instance is reused
## License
ISC
TDQS
Scored across 6 tools
Each tool has a clearly distinct purpose: health_check for connectivity, list_models vs list_loaded_models for different sets, get_model_info for details on a loaded model, and load/unload for lifecycle management. No ambiguity.
Most tools follow a verb_noun pattern (get_model_info, list_choices, load_model, unload_model). health_check deviates as a noun phrase but is conventional and understandable. Overall consistent.
With 6 tools covering connectivity, listing, loading/unloading, and info query, the count is well-scoped for the domain of model management without bloat or deficiency.
The set covers core model lifecycle (load, unload, list, info) and connectivity. Minor gaps like model deletion or parameter configuration are not critical for common agent tasks.