Connect your AI client

chromatik-mcp speaks streamable HTTP — any MCP client that supports it can connect. The endpoint is http://127.0.0.1:<port>/mcp, where <port> comes from ~/.chromatik-mcp/status.json (written by the plugin on Chromatik startup).

The port is ephemeral by default

Unless you pin a fixed port in ~/.chromatik-mcp/config.json (see Getting started), the port changes each time Chromatik restarts — re-read status.json and update your client config after a restart. Pinning a port (e.g. {"port": 7000}) makes every config below stable.

Read the current port any time:

jq -r .port ~/.chromatik-mcp/status.json     # port only
jq -r .url  ~/.chromatik-mcp/status.json     # full endpoint URL

Claude Code

One command, using jq to read the live port:

claude mcp add --transport http chromatik "http://127.0.0.1:$(jq -r .port ~/.chromatik-mcp/status.json)/mcp"

Add --scope user to make the server available in every project, or run it from your show’s working directory for a project-local connection. Verify with /mcp inside Claude Code — the chromatik server should list its tools.

Claude Desktop

1. Open Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector.
2. Name it chromatik and paste the endpoint URL from status.json, e.g. http://127.0.0.1:51234/mcp.
3. Save. The chromatik tools appear in the tools menu of a new conversation.

Cursor

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) or .cursor/mcp.json in your project:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chromatik": {
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:7000/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Then enable the server under Settings → MCP. Use a pinned port here — Cursor’s config is static JSON.

VS Code (GitHub Copilot)

Add to .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace:

{
  "servers": {
    "chromatik": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:7000/mcp"
    }
  }
}

VS Code prompts to start the server connection; tools show up in Copilot Chat’s agent mode tool picker.

Codex

Add to ~/.codex/config.toml:

[mcp_servers.chromatik]
url = "http://127.0.0.1:7000/mcp"

Other tools

Any MCP client that supports streamable HTTP: point it at

http://127.0.0.1:<port>/mcp

There is no authentication and no SSE-only legacy endpoint — the single /mcp URL is the whole surface.

First prompts to try

Once connected, ask your agent:

• “Call get_project_info and tell me what’s loaded.”
• “List the channels and describe the current show structure.”
• “Add a channel with a gradient pattern and make it slowly breathe using an LFO on its fader.”
• “Grab a frame render and describe what the output looks like right now.”

Troubleshooting

• Client can’t connect — is Chromatik running with the Chromatik-MCP plugin enabled? Does ~/.chromatik-mcp/status.json exist, and is its pid a live process?
• Worked yesterday, refused today — Chromatik restarted and the ephemeral port moved. Re-read status.json, or pin a port in ~/.chromatik-mcp/config.json.
• Tools listed but calls fail — check Chromatik’s log for [Chromatik-MCP] entries; failures LX swallows internally are logged there.
• Connecting from another machine — requires a non-loopback host in config.json. The server is unauthenticated; understand the exposure first (see the security warning in Getting started).