MCP server

Kanzi AI Assistant includes a built-in MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that exposes Kanzi Studio tools and project state to external AI tools such as Claude Code and Cursor. With it running, an external client can inspect your open project and drive the same operations Kanzi AI Assistant uses — from outside Kanzi Studio.

The server runs locally and is on by default.

Enabling the server

  1. In Kanzi Studio, select AI Assistant > Settings.

  2. Select the MCP Server category.

  3. Turn Enable MCP server on or off.

  4. Click Save, then restart Kanzi Studio. The MCP server starts once when the plugin loads, so this setting takes effect only after a restart.

After restart, the MCP status field shows whether the server is running and its address. When it is running, a Copy button lets you copy the server URL to paste into your external client.

Address

The server listens on your local machine only:

http://localhost:18080/mcp/

If port 18080 is already in use — for example, when you run more than one Kanzi Studio instance — the server automatically picks the next free port. Always use the URL shown in the MCP status field rather than assuming 18080.

The server speaks JSON-RPC 2.0 over HTTP (streamable HTTP transport) and identifies itself to clients as kanzi-studio.

Connecting a client

Point your external AI tool at the URL from the MCP status field.

Claude Code — add it once from a terminal:

claude mcp add --transport http kanzi-studio http://localhost:18080/mcp/

Or add it to a project .mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kanzi-studio": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://localhost:18080/mcp/"
    }
  }
}

Cursor — add it to your MCP settings:

{
  "kanzi-studio": {
    "type": "http",
    "url": "http://localhost:18080/mcp/"
  }
}

What the server exposes

  • Tools — the same tool set Kanzi AI Assistant uses in Kanzi Studio for manipulating nodes, resources, prefabs, properties, materials, and shaders. External clients call them the same way Kanzi AI Assistant does.

  • Resources — read-only views of your open project, addressed with kanzi:// URIs. These include project info, the current selection, the property-type catalog, the node tree, and the prefab list, plus templated resources for the properties or children of a node, the tree of a prefab, and resources of a given type.

Security

  • The server binds to localhost only, so it is not reachable from other machines.

  • It has no authentication — it is intended for local use by tools running on the same computer.

  • The server rejects cross-origin browser requests unless they originate from localhost.

Because an external client can read your project and execute project-changing operations, only connect clients you trust, and disable the server when you are not using it.