Click on "Deploy Server".
Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state.
In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@Maya MCP create a red sphere at (2, 0, 0) and screenshot the viewport"
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.
Connect Autodesk Maya to AI assistants (Claude, Cursor, VS Code) via the Model Context Protocol.
AI Client ──stdio──► MayaMCP server ──TCP :9877──► Maya commandPort ──► maya.cmdsMaya's built-in commandPort acts as the TCP bridge. The MCP server sends Python expressions to it; Maya evaluates them on its main thread and returns results. No plugin required.
The server opens a new connection for every command and closes it afterwards. Maya's commandPort serves one connection at a time, so this lets several AI clients (e.g. Claude Desktop and Claude Code) use the same Maya session.
Security: the commandPort runs any Python code sent to it, and so does the
execute_maya_codetool. Only open the port on a machine you trust, keep it bound to localhost, and close it (cmds.commandPort(name=":9877", close=True)) when you don't need it.
Related MCP server: Maya MCP Server
Requires uv (or pip) and Python 3.10+.
uv tool install git+https://github.com/science-animated/maya-mcp
# or with pip:
pip install git+https://github.com/science-animated/maya-mcpInstall from this repository. The
maya-mcppackage on PyPI is a different project.
Copy (or symlink) maya_mcp_handlers.py and userSetup.py from this repository to your Maya scripts directory:
macOS: ~/Library/Preferences/Autodesk/maya/scripts/
Linux: ~/maya/scripts/
Windows: %USERPROFILE%\Documents\maya\scripts\
userSetup.py opens commandPort :9877 every time Maya starts. If you already have a userSetup.py, add its contents to yours instead. After restarting Maya, the Script Editor shows maya-mcp: commandPort :9877 open: True.
Maya 2022+ may ask in a Safe Mode dialog whether to allow the new userSetup.py. Allow it, otherwise Maya skips the file (see Preferences → Security).
To activate it without restarting Maya, run this in the Script Editor:
import maya.cmds as cmds
cmds.commandPort(name=":9877", sourceType="python")The AI client starts maya-mcp itself. You don't need to run it in a terminal.
Claude Desktop: edit claude_desktop_config.json (macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/, Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\) and restart Claude Desktop:
{
"mcpServers": {
"maya": {
"command": "/full/path/to/maya-mcp"
}
}
}Use the full path (find it with which maya-mcp, usually ~/.local/bin/maya-mcp). Apps started from the Dock don't get your shell's PATH.
Claude Code CLI:
claude mcp add maya --scope user -- maya-mcpEnvironment variables (optional):
Variable | Default | Description |
|
| Maya host (Maya's commandPort listens on IPv4 only) |
|
| commandPort number |
Category | Tools |
Scene |
|
Objects |
|
Transforms |
|
Materials |
|
Attributes |
|
Rendering |
|
File I/O |
|
get_scene_info lists top-level objects in pages of 20 (sorted by name, without Maya's default cameras). Use name_filter (e.g. "spike_*"), top_level_only=false, limit (up to 500) and offset; truncated and next_offset tell the agent when there are more.
render_scene renders a PNG with the active renderer, which must be Arnold or Maya Software (other renderers give an error). width/height apply to that render only; the scene's render settings are left as they were. Renders without an output_path are deleted after they are returned.
When a tool fails, the AI client gets an error result (isError) with Maya's message, e.g. the traceback from execute_maya_code.
"Create a red sphere at position (2, 0, 0)"
"List all objects in the scene"
"Take a screenshot of the viewport"
"Export the selected objects as FBX to /tmp/export.fbx"
"Set the render resolution to 1920x1080 and render the scene"
"Create a point light above the scene and set its intensity to 2"
Message | Cause |
| Maya isn't running or the commandPort isn't open. |
| Maya is busy, or another client is holding the port open. |
| The command is still running in Maya (long operations, renders). |
| Maya couldn't run the command, usually because |
Claude Desktop logs are in ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp-server-maya.log (macOS).
git clone https://github.com/science-animated/maya-mcp
cd maya-mcp
uv tool install --editable .With an editable install, changes to src/maya_mcp/server.py take effect when the AI client restarts the server (/mcp → reconnect in Claude Code). Changes to maya_mcp_handlers.py need a Maya restart or importlib.reload(maya_mcp_handlers).
The code is formatted and linted with ruff (settings in pyproject.toml). Install the pre-commit hook once, and every commit is checked and auto-formatted:
uv sync
uv run pre-commit installIf the hook reformats a file, the commit stops: review the change, git add it and commit again. To run the checks by hand: uv run ruff format . and uv run ruff check --fix .. CI fails if either finds anything.
maya_mcp_handlers.py and userSetup.py run inside Maya's own Python (3.7 in Maya 2022), so ruff is set to keep them compatible with Python 3.7.
uv run pytest # unit + server tests, no Maya needed
uv run pytest -m integration # against a running Maya with the commandPort opentests/test_handlers.py: the Maya-side handlers, with maya.cmds mocked.
tests/test_server.py: the MCP server against a fake commandPort (connections, timeouts, error messages, tools, and a full stdio session).
tests/integration/: real Maya. Creates mcp_it_* nodes and deletes them again, and renders a 64×64 Arnold image if Arnold is the active renderer.
GitHub Actions runs the first two on Linux, macOS and Windows for every push and pull request.
Maya 2022 and later (Python 3). Tested with Maya 2025 and Arnold (MtoA) 5.6 on macOS.
Assign a material to one or more objects. object_names is a list.
Inputs: object_names (required), material_name (required). Returns: result
Create a Maya material/shader and its shading group. material_type: lambert, blinn, phong, standardSurface, aiStandardSurface.
Inputs: name (required), material_type. Returns: result
Create a Maya object. object_type: cube, sphere, plane, cylinder, cone, torus, camera, point_light, directional_light, spot_light. Returns the created object name.
Inputs: object_type (required), name. Returns: result
Delete one or more Maya objects by name. names is a list of object names.
Inputs: names (required). Returns: result
Duplicate a Maya object. Optionally rename the duplicate.
Inputs: name (required), new_name. Returns: result
Execute arbitrary Python code inside Maya. cmds (maya.cmds) is pre-imported.
Returns printed output, and the value of the last line if it is an expression
(like the Script Editor). On errors, returns the traceback with line numbers.
Inputs: code (required). Returns: result
Export the scene or selection. export_type: ma, mb, fbx, obj, abc (Alembic). Set selected_only=true to export only selected objects.
Inputs: filepath (required), export_type, selected_only. Returns: result
Get the value of an attribute on a Maya node. Example: node='pCube1', attribute='tx'.
Inputs: node (required), attribute (required). Returns: result
Get detailed information about a specific Maya object: transforms, bounding box, materials, hierarchy.
Inputs: object_name (required). Returns: result
Get the scene name, material count and a page of objects (sorted by name). By default lists top-level objects only and leaves out Maya's default cameras. name_filter takes Maya wildcards, e.g. "spike_*". If "truncated" is true, there are more objects: call again with offset=next_offset. Set top_level_only=false to include objects inside groups. limit is 1-500.
Inputs: limit, offset, name_filter, top_level_only. Returns: result
Get the currently selected objects in Maya.
Inputs: no named parameters. Returns: result
Get world-space translation, rotation, and scale of a Maya object.
Inputs: name (required). Returns: result
Capture the active Maya viewport as a PNG image. The longer side is scaled to max_size.
Inputs: max_size.
Import a file into Maya. import_type auto-detected from extension if not specified. Supported: ma, mb, fbx, obj, abc.
Inputs: filepath (required), import_type. Returns: result
List attributes on a Maya node. Set keyable=true to list only keyable attributes.
Inputs: node (required), keyable. Returns: result
List all materials in the current Maya scene.
Inputs: no named parameters. Returns: result
Rename a Maya object.
Inputs: name (required), new_name (required). Returns: result
Render the current Maya scene with Arnold or Maya Software (whichever is active) and return it as a PNG. width/height override the resolution for this render only. output_path is where to save the render.
Inputs: width, height, output_path.
Set the value of an attribute on a Maya node. Pass lists for multi-component attrs.
Inputs: node (required), value (required), attribute (required). Returns: result
Set a property on a Maya material. For colors pass [r,g,b] (0-1 range). Examples: attribute='color' value=[1,0,0] for red, attribute='transparency' value=[0.5,0.5,0.5].
Inputs: value (required), attribute (required), material_name (required). Returns: result
Parent a child object to a parent. Pass parent=null to unparent (move to world).
Inputs: child (required), parent. Returns: result
Configure Maya render settings. renderer examples: 'mayaSoftware', 'arnold', 'vray' (render_scene supports 'arnold' and 'mayaSoftware').
Inputs: width, height, renderer, end_frame, +1 more. Returns: result
Set world-space translation [x,y,z], rotation [rx,ry,rz] (degrees), and/or scale [sx,sy,sz] on an object. All parameters are optional — only the ones provided will be changed.
Inputs: name (required), scale, rotation, translation. Returns: result
Recent tool additions, removals, and schema changes observed during successful MCP inspections.
Loading tool schema changelog…
Scored across 23 tools
Most tools are distinct resource/action pairs, but execute_maya_code is a universal escape hatch that overlaps with nearly every specialized tool. get_object_info, get_transform, get_attribute, and set_attribute also overlap on reading/writing node data, though descriptions provide enough guidance.
All tool names use snake_case with a predictable verb_noun pattern such as get_, set_, create_, list_, assign_, export_, and import_. No inconsistent casing or vague standalone verbs are present.
At 23 tools this is in the rubric's heavy 16-25 range, though the breadth mirrors Maya's modeling, material, attribute, rendering, and import/export surface. Each tool is purposeful, but generic attribute and transform tools could be consolidated.
The set covers core scene inspection, object CRUD, transforms, parenting, materials, attributes, rendering, and import/export. Minor gaps include selection mutation, group creation, material deletion, keyframing/animation, and scene save/open, though execute_maya_code provides workarounds.
Connect your AI assistant to Blender for 3D modeling, Geometry Nodes, materials, lighting, animation, rendering and export. Inspect real scenes and viewport images, refine the result and restore checkpoints. OAuth connects your chat to Blender Bridge Desktop on an online Windows 10/11 x64 computer running Blender 4.2+. The chat can run on another device. Requires an active Blender Bridge account; 7-day trial available. AI model access is separate.
Connect ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor or VS Code to your Windows PC: files, terminal, browser, apps.
Use AI models for chat, image, and video generation from Claude Code and other MCP hosts.
Use your Mac, Windows or Linux computer from ChatGPT, Claude or Codex: files, commands, documents.
