Notepad++ MCP Server

MCP server for Notepad++ on Windows. Uses FastMCP 3.1 with portmanteau tools (fewer tools, same coverage), optional HTTP bridge, sampling (Ollama-compatible HTTP or client LLM), prompts, skill:// resources, and agentic workflows.

Editor vs this repo: Notepad++’s own strengths (Scintilla, plugins, macros, sessions, …) are separate from what this MCP exposes. See docs/EDITOR_AND_MCP_SCOPE.md for a clear split and a fuller editor-side overview.

Requirements

Installation

Recommended: uv.

From a clone of this repo:

git clone https://github.com/sandraschi/notepadpp-mcp.git
Set-Location notepadpp-mcp
uv sync
uv run notepadpp-mcp --help

Or install the package in editable mode:

uv pip install -e ".[dev]"

When the package is published to PyPI, you can run it with:

uvx notepadpp-mcp

Usage

How the server runs

The published console script is notepadpp-mcp (notepadpp_mcp.server:run in pyproject.toml).

• Default — stdio: what most MCP hosts use (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.). No extra flags.

• Optional — HTTP bridge: FastAPI + uvicorn on 127.0.0.1, MCP HTTP at /mcp.

notepadpp-mcp --http --port 10815

Change --port if 10815 is taken (see central port registry if you use a fleet of MCP webapps).

MCP client configuration

Claude Desktop (claude_desktop_config.json) — point command/args at your install. Example using uv from a fixed repo path:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notepadpp-mcp": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["run", "--directory", "D:/Dev/repos/notepadpp-mcp", "notepadpp-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

If notepadpp-mcp is on PATH:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notepadpp-mcp": {
      "command": "notepadpp-mcp",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

Legacy: older docs referenced python -m notepadpp_mcp.tools.server. Prefer notepadpp-mcp unless you are debugging that module.

Calling tools (conceptual)

The assistant calls MCP tools by name; you do not run these in PowerShell. Examples of operations inside portmanteau tools:

Also: suggest_notepad_plan, agentic_notepad_workflow (orchestration), depending on build.

Session snapshots (session_ops)

• save — Copies Notepad++’s live session.xml (typically %APPDATA%\Notepad++\session.xml), which lists all open buffers, into a named file under %APPDATA%\Notepad++\notepadpp-mcp-sessions\. Format matches what Notepad++ uses for Load Session / -openSession. If the live file is missing or lists no files, the server falls back to a minimal session built from the active tab path when that path exists on disk.

• load — Runs notepad++.exe -openSession "<saved.xml>". Whether a new or existing instance opens files depends on your Multi-instance settings in Notepad++.

• Overrides — NOTEPADPP_SESSION_STORAGE_DIR (where named *.xml are stored), NOTEPADPP_LIVE_SESSION_XML (override path to the live session.xml, e.g. portable or -settingsDir layouts).

Sampling (LLM for workflows)

Optional. Set env vars as documented in the server / NotepadSamplingHandler, for example:

• NOTEPADPP_SAMPLING_BASE_URL — OpenAI-compatible base (e.g. Ollama http://127.0.0.1:11434/v1)

• NOTEPADPP_SAMPLING_MODEL

• NOTEPADPP_SAMPLING_USE_CLIENT_LLM — let the MCP host run sampling when supported

Tools overview (portmanteau)

Responses use a consistent dict shape: success, message or summary, plus error / recovery_options where relevant.

Documentation in repo

• docs/EDITOR_AND_MCP_SCOPE.md — Notepad++ (editor) vs this server: strengths of the editor, boundaries of the MCP bridge

• docs/NOTEPADPP_MACROS.md — Macros (what people use them for, shortcuts.xml, curated-set / future tool ideas)

• src/notepadpp_mcp/docs/ — API notes, examples, PRD where present

• src/notepadpp_mcp/docs_manifest.py — REST/MCP overview for the web bridge (when enabled)

Development

uv pip install -e ".[dev]"
uv run pytest src/notepadpp_mcp/tests/
uv run ruff check src/notepadpp_mcp tests
uv run ruff format src/notepadpp_mcp tests

Optional: python demonstration_test.py or project dev.py if present for integration smoke tests.

Roadmap / TODO (extensions)

Work that is planned or open — good first issues for contributors:

• Multi-instance / multi-window — target a specific Notepad++ HWND when several are open

• Richer plugin flows — coordinated multi-plugin steps, better error surfaces from Plugin Admin

• Linting — HTML/CSS, optional config files for linters

• Config profiles — server-side defaults (paths, timeouts, auto-start)

• Batch — first-class batch file operations with progress reporting

• Web UI — align docs with the actual dashboard package (e.g. web_sota/) and ports

• Tests / coverage — raise coverage; keep CI green on Windows runners

• Macros — curated XML snippets in-repo; optional read/list/merge for %APPDATA%\Notepad++\shortcuts.xml (see docs/NOTEPADPP_MACROS.md)

Older changelog bullets (multi-instance, plugin analytics, etc.) are folded into the list above where they still apply.

Troubleshooting

• “Notepad++ not found” — Install Notepad++, start it once, or enable auto-start behavior if your build supports it.

• “Windows API not available” — Use Windows; install pywin32 in the same environment as the server.

• Tools missing in the client — Restart the host, check MCP logs, confirm notepadpp-mcp runs without errors from a terminal.

• Session save empty / fails — Notepad++ may not refresh session.xml until you have opened saved files or restarted the editor; ensure Settings > Preferences > Backup session behavior matches your expectations. For portable installs, set NOTEPADPP_LIVE_SESSION_XML to the correct session.xml.

Changelog (short)

• 0.2.x — session_ops persists named sessions: copies live session.xml, loads via -openSession (see README section Session snapshots).

• 0.2.0 — FastMCP 3.1, sampling, skills, prompts, agentic workflow, HTTP bridge + web hooks as implemented in server.py.

• Earlier — Portmanteau tool consolidation, linting and plugin tooling.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.