MATLAB MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables seamless integration between MATLAB and MCP-compatible applications like Claude Code. Execute MATLAB code, manage workspace variables, create plots, handle data I/O, and more - all through a token-efficient MCP interface.

Features

• Execute MATLAB Code: Run MATLAB commands and scripts with persistent session
• Workspace Management: Get, set, list, and clear workspace variables
• Figure Operations: Save, export, and close MATLAB figures (PNG, SVG, PDF, etc.)
• Data I/O: Import/export data (CSV, JSON, XLSX) and load/save MAT files
• Environment Info: Check MATLAB version and installed toolboxes
• Documentation Access: Get MATLAB help, search functions, and find toolbox locations
• Token-Efficient Design: Multi-operation tools minimize API calls
• JSON Resources: Structured access to workspace, toolboxes, and session info

Quick Start

Prerequisites:

• MATLAB installed on your system
• uv package manager installed (install uv)

Installation

Choose your MCP client below for setup instructions:

# macOS (Apple Silicon)
claude mcp add --transport stdio matlab \
  --env DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH=/Applications/MATLAB_R2025b.app/bin/maca64 \
  -- uvx matlab-mcp-server

# macOS (Intel)
claude mcp add --transport stdio matlab \
  --env DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH=/Applications/MATLAB_R2025b.app/bin/maci64 \
  -- uvx matlab-mcp-server

# Linux
claude mcp add --transport stdio matlab \
  --env LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/MATLAB/R2024b/bin/glnxa64 \
  -- uvx matlab-mcp-server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "matlab": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["matlab-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH": "/Applications/MATLAB_R2025b.app/bin/maca64"
      }
    }
  }
}

claude mcp list
claude mcp info matlab

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "matlab": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["matlab-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH": "/Applications/MATLAB_R2025b.app/bin/maca64"
      }
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "matlab": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["matlab-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH": "/Applications/MATLAB_R2025b.app/bin/maca64"
      }
    }
  }
}

{
  "github.copilot.chat.mcp.servers": {
    "matlab": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["matlab-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH": "/Applications/MATLAB_R2025b.app/bin/maca64"
      }
    }
  }
}

# macOS (Apple Silicon)
code --add-mcp '{"name":"matlab","command":"uvx","args":["matlab-mcp-server"],"env":{"DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH":"/Applications/MATLAB_R2025b.app/bin/maca64"}}'

# Linux
code --add-mcp '{"name":"matlab","command":"uvx","args":["matlab-mcp-server"],"env":{"LD_LIBRARY_PATH":"/usr/local/MATLAB/R2024b/bin/glnxa64"}}'

codex mcp add matlab uvx "matlab-mcp-server"

[mcp_servers.matlab]
command = "uvx"
args = ["matlab-mcp-server"]

[mcp_servers.matlab.env]
DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH = "/Applications/MATLAB_R2025b.app/bin/maca64"

For 11 additional clients (Windsurf, Continue, Amp, Cline, Gemini CLI, Goose, Kiro, LM Studio, opencode, Qodo Gen, Warp), see Complete Setup Guide →

Finding Your MATLAB Library Path

If you don't know your MATLAB library path, use the configuration helper:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/subspace-lab/matlab-mcp-server/main/install-matlab-mcp.sh | bash

The script will:

• Auto-detect your MATLAB installation
• Display the config with the correct paths
• You copy and paste it into your MCP client's config file

That's it! When your MCP client starts, uvx will automatically:

• Download matlab-mcp-server from PyPI
• Install matlabengine and all dependencies
• Start the MATLAB MCP server

Manual Installation

If you prefer to install manually or the automated installer doesn't work:

1. Install matlabengine

# Navigate to your MATLAB Python engine directory
cd /Applications/MATLAB_R20XXx.app/extern/engines/python  # macOS
# OR
cd /usr/local/MATLAB/R20XXx/extern/engines/python  # Linux

# Install using uv
uv pip install .

Replace R20XXx with your MATLAB version (e.g., R2024a, R2024b, R2025a).

2. Install matlab-mcp-server

uv pip install matlab-mcp-server

3. Configure MCP server

Follow the configuration instructions for your MCP client in the sections above. Use matlab-mcp as the command instead of uvx matlab-mcp-server.

Example for Claude Code (.mcp.json in project root):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "matlab": {
      "command": "matlab-mcp",
      "env": {
        "DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH": "/Applications/MATLAB_R2025b.app/bin/maca64"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace with your MATLAB path:

• macOS (Apple Silicon): DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH → /Applications/MATLAB_R20XXx.app/bin/maca64
• macOS (Intel): DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH → /Applications/MATLAB_R20XXx.app/bin/maci64
• Linux: LD_LIBRARY_PATH → /usr/local/MATLAB/R20XXx/bin/glnxa64
• Windows: Usually not needed

For other MCP clients, see configuration sections above or MCP_CLIENT_SETUP.md

Available Tools

The server provides 8 MCP tools for interacting with MATLAB:

• execute_matlab - Execute MATLAB code and get results
• workspace - Manage workspace variables (get, set, list, clear)
• figure - Save, export, and manage MATLAB figures (PNG, SVG, PDF, etc.)
• data_io - Import/export data in various formats (CSV, JSON, XLSX, MAT files)
• env - Get MATLAB version and check installed toolboxes
• get_help - Access MATLAB documentation and search functions
• route_intent - Suggest appropriate tool mode (meta-tool)
• select_mode - Enable optional tool groups (meta-tool)

For detailed documentation on each tool, see TOOLS.md or MATLAB_MCP_GUIDE.md.

Troubleshooting

MATLAB Engine Not Found

If you get an error about MATLAB engine not being found:

1. Ensure MATLAB is properly installed
2. Verify MATLAB Engine API for Python is installed
3. Check Python version matches MATLAB compatibility
4. Verify library path is correctly set in config

Library Path Issues

Default MATLAB locations:

• macOS: /Applications/MATLAB_R20XXx.app
• Linux: /usr/local/MATLAB/R20XXx
• Windows: C:\Program Files\MATLAB\R20XXx

If MATLAB is in a non-standard location, update the library path in your config.

Documentation

• CONTRIBUTING.md - Development setup and guidelines
• PLANNING.md - Roadmap and architecture
• MATLAB_MCP_GUIDE.md - Detailed usage guide
• TOOLS.md - Tool catalog

License

MIT License

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for development setup and guidelines.

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