Requirements and installation¶

Model MCP has two parts. The add-in runs inside Revit on Windows. The server runs next to your MCP client and talks to the add-in. You need both.

Requirements¶

Part	Requirement
Revit	Revit 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 or 2027 on Windows 10 or 11.
Add-in	Installed on the Windows machine where Revit runs. No administrator rights are needed for the per-user installation.
Server runtime	The MSI installers carry a self-contained server (`revit-model-mcp.exe`, with its own Python): no Python and no uv are needed. The add-in bundle and the Claude Desktop `.mcpb` start the server through uv (Python 3.11 or newer; uv downloads the server package and, if needed, a matching Python).
MCP client	An MCP client such as Claude Desktop or Claude Code. It can run on the same Windows machine, or on macOS or Linux with a remote workstation.
Network	Local use needs no open ports. Update checks and the first server download need internet access; see the privacy policy.

The add-in changes nothing in a model on its own. The MCP client asks for data or actions through the server. Actions are enabled by default and every one is a named undo entry. Switch to read-only mode if you only want to inspect models; see actions.

Downloads¶

Download the installers, add-in archives, bundles and the Claude Desktop bundle from the releases page. The server package is on PyPI.

Free code signing provided by SignPath.io, certificate by SignPath Foundation. Signing starts with the first release after the project's application is approved; until then, releases are unsigned. See the code signing policy.

Install the add-in bundle¶

Get the add-in package from your BIM manager or IT team, or build it from the repository. It is an Autodesk .bundle folder with a PackageContents.xml file.
Close Revit and copy the folder to %APPDATA%\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins (current user) or %ProgramData%\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins (all users).
Start Revit and open a model. The first time, Revit asks whether to load the add-in. Choose Always Load after you check the publisher and path. Release builds are not code-signed yet; see code signing.
Find the MCP panel on the Add-Ins tab. Its Activity button opens the activity pane, which lists every request and action, and its Connect AI app button registers the server in your AI apps (see Connect an AI app).
Unless you installed an MSI (which bundles the server, see Connect an AI app), install uv on the machine with your MCP client, following the uv installation guide.
Register the server in your MCP client.

For Claude Code on the same Windows machine:

claude mcp add revit-model-mcp -e REVIT_MCP_HOST=local -e REVIT_MCP_REDACT_PATHS=1 -- uvx revit-model-mcp

For Claude Desktop, add this to its MCP configuration file, or use the .mcpb bundle from the latest release:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "revit-model-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["revit-model-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "REVIT_MCP_HOST": "local",
        "REVIT_MCP_REDACT_PATHS": "1"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart the client. With a model open in Revit, ask it to call revit_ping. A reply with success: true means both parts are connected.

The MCP ribbon panel¶

The MCP panel on the Add-Ins tab has two buttons. Press F1 while the pointer is on either button to open this page.

Activity shows or hides the activity pane.
Connect AI app opens a small dialog that registers the server in the AI apps on this computer; see Connect an AI app.

Connect an AI app¶

Connect AI app writes the same local registration as step 6 above, with REVIT_MCP_HOST=local and REVIT_MCP_REDACT_PATHS=1, into the configuration of each app it finds on the Revit workstation. When the MSI installed the bundled server, the entry starts that executable directly (%LocalAppData%\Programs\Model MCP\server\revit-model-mcp.exe for the single-user MSI, %ProgramFiles%\Model MCP\server\revit-model-mcp.exe for the multi-user MSI) and nothing else needs to be installed. Without it (add-in bundle or ZIP installs) the entry is uvx revit-model-mcp, and uv must be on the PATH. The dialog shows which one it will write. It does not install the apps.

App	Configuration file
Claude Desktop	`%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json`
Claude Desktop (Microsoft Store)	`%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Claude_*\LocalCache\Roaming\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json`
Cursor	`%USERPROFILE%\.cursor\mcp.json`
Visual Studio Code	`%APPDATA%\Code\User\mcp.json`
Codex	`%USERPROFILE%\.codex\config.toml`

Each app shows one state:

Not installed: the app's folder does not exist. Nothing can be changed.
Not configured: the app is there and has no revit-model-mcp entry. Add creates it.
Configured: the entry exists and starts the server the dialog would write (same command and arguments; the environment is not compared). Remove deletes it. Add never overwrites an existing entry.
Configured (different command): the entry exists but starts another command, for example uvx revit-model-mcp==0.6.0 while the bundled executable is installed. Update replaces only that entry with the one the dialog would write, after a backup; Remove deletes it. Nothing is changed until you press a button.
Config unreadable: the file cannot be read or is not valid JSON or TOML, or the entry uses a layout the add-in does not edit (for example an inline TOML table). The file is left untouched; fix it by hand.

Add, Update and Remove change only the revit-model-mcp entry. Other servers, comments, unknown keys and indentation stay as they were. Before every change the add-in copies the old file next to it as <file>.<yyyyMMdd-HHmmss>.bak, then replaces the file in one step. Restart the app to load the change.

The Claude Code row has a Copy command button for the claude mcp add command from step 6; paste it into a terminal. For a remote workstation, a managed install pinned to a release, or settings the dialog does not write, edit the configuration by hand as described above.

Managed installs¶

Managed installs do not check for updates. If your organization delivers add-in updates itself, use revit-model-mcp-<version>-managed.bundle.zip from the latest release. It is the same bundle, built with ManagedInstall=true; see automatic updates. You can also build it yourself with that property.

The bundle does not contain the server. Pin the server launcher to the exact release version and turn off its daily check for a newer package on PyPI:

claude mcp add revit-model-mcp -e REVIT_MCP_HOST=local -e REVIT_MCP_NO_UPDATE_CHECK=1 -- uvx revit-model-mcp==<version>

In a JSON configuration, use "args": ["revit-model-mcp==<version>"] and set REVIT_MCP_NO_UPDATE_CHECK to 1 in env. A README.txt in the bundle repeats these commands for its version. With both settings, neither part makes an update request.

Autodesk App Store build¶

The store build is the same add-in with the update channel store, packaged with a bundled server executable (revit-model-mcp.exe), so no Python or uv is needed. It is free, and the releases carry RevitModelMcp-<version>-SingleUser-store.msi and revit-model-mcp-<version>-store.bundle.zip next to the other assets. Differences from the regular build:

No updater and no update check; updates arrive through the Autodesk App Manager. See the store channel.
The server and the add-in make no external request.
revit_execute_code and the code steps of revit_process_models are off. To enable them for your account, add "executeCode": "confirm" to %LOCALAPPDATA%\RevitModelMcp\settings.json and restart your AI client. Every run still asks for confirmation. An administrator can enable or disable them for all users with the ExecuteCode policy; policy wins over the user setting. revit_ping shows the effective state.
The releases are not code-signed yet; see code signing.

Install from the MSI or WinGet¶

The installers published on the releases page install the same add-in with their own update path. RevitModelMcp-<version>-SingleUser.msi installs for the current user, and RevitModelMcp-<version>-MultiUser.msi installs for all users. The two installers are alternatives: install only one. Each refuses to install while the other is present, so uninstall the other first (Apps > Installed apps), then install. Upgrade within the same scope works in place.

Machines that had both 0.9.0 installer scopes need leftover cleanup with Revit and the MCP server closed:

Uninstall both the per-user and per-machine entries in Apps > Installed apps.
Remove leftover RevitModelMcp* files and folders from %APPDATA%\Autodesk\Revit\Addins\<year>\ and %ProgramData%\Autodesk\Revit\Addins\<year>\ for each installed Revit year.
Remove the leftover bundled server folders %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Model MCP\server and %ProgramFiles%\Model MCP\server.
Install one scope. Local settings and other retained data follow the privacy cleanup instructions.

Run the installer with Revit closed, then start Revit and open a model. The installer replaces the add-in files and the RevitModelMcp.addin manifest it ships, even when an older developer build left a higher file version or a manifest with absolute paths. It leaves other add-ins in the same folder alone. Both support automatic updates; see automatic updates for behavior and opt-out settings. From a clone, run .\install.ps1 -Source Release in PowerShell instead. WinGet manifests for the package Sharafutdinov.RevitModelMcp are generated weekly for the latest stable release; see CONTRIBUTING for how they are published.

Then register the server as in step 6 of Install the add-in bundle, or use the Claude Desktop bundle below.

Claude Desktop bundle¶

Install uv on the client's PATH, download revit-model-mcp-<version>.mcpb from the latest release, and open it in Claude Desktop. The bundle starts from the local uv cache. The server checks for a newer stable release in the background once per day. The next client start uses the refreshed version. Set REVIT_MCP_NO_UPDATE_CHECK=1 to opt out. The settings form configures the workstation host, path redaction, read-only mode and the HTTP bearer token without editing JSON. Use local on the Windows Revit workstation, or configure a remote workstation for macOS and Linux clients. Path redaction starts enabled and actions start enabled. Check "Read-only mode" to refuse actions. The Windows workstation still needs the add-in. See the bundle guide for build details and prerequisites. Release assets include GitHub build provenance attestations. Follow download verification before installing.

Uninstall¶

Close Revit, then remove the add-in from Apps > Installed apps (or delete the bundle folder). Remove the server by deleting its entry from your MCP client. Settings and logs remain until you delete them; the privacy policy lists the folders.

Get help¶

Report problems in GitHub issues and ask usage questions in Discussions. Remove model names and paths from logs and screenshots first.