Installation & Server Setup

This page covers installing the addon, starting the MCP server, and the settings that control how it runs.

Installing the Addon

1. Download blendermcp_pro.zip from your Superhive account. Do not unzip it.
2. In Blender, open Edit → Preferences → Extensions.
3. Click the dropdown arrow next to "Get Extensions" and choose Install from Disk.
4. Select blendermcp_pro.zip and confirm.
5. Enable the checkbox next to BlenderMCP Pro in the extensions list.

A new MCP Pro tab appears in the 3D Viewport sidebar. Press N in the viewport if the sidebar isn't showing.

Starting the Server

Open the MCP Pro tab and click Start Server in the main panel. The panel shows a live status box — "Server Running • Port 7842" with a green indicator — once it's up. Click Stop Server to shut it down. The server runs on a background thread, so Blender's UI stays fully responsive while it's active.

Changing the Port

The default port is 7842. To change it, open Edit → Preferences → Add-ons → BlenderMCP Pro → Preferences and edit the Port field (valid range 1024–65535). Restart the server after changing it. If you also run Quadify Bridge, note that it listens separately on 7843 — the two do not conflict.

Auto-Start on Launch

Enable "Auto-start server on Blender launch" in Preferences to have the MCP server start automatically every time Blender opens, instead of requiring a manual click each session.

Testing the Connection

Once the server is running, click Test Connection in the main panel to confirm the HTTP server is reachable and responding correctly on 127.0.0.1 before wiring up an external AI client.

Firewall Notes

Because the server only binds to 127.0.0.1 (localhost), it is not reachable from other machines on your network by default, and most firewalls won't prompt for it. If you're connecting Claude.ai from the web rather than a local client, you'll need a tunnel — see Connecting AI Clients.