How to Connect Claude to Engineering Software

To connect Claude to engineering software, you add an MCP server to Claude Desktop's configuration file or to Claude Code from the command line, then restart and approve its tools. The general steps are short. Most of the difficulty comes from what the engineering software itself requires.

This guide follows the published documentation for each step. We haven't run these setups ourselves, and exact commands differ between projects, so treat the listing for your server as the final word.

What you need first

A Claude application that supports MCP. Claude Desktop runs on macOS, Windows and Linux, according to the MCP documentation. Claude Code is the command-line version.
The engineering software, installed and licensed. Check the "Needs a licence" row on the listing. Some file-based servers don't need it.
The server's own requirements. Often Python, Node.js or .NET, at a specific version, as stated in the project's documentation.
A disposable copy of a project to try things on. Some actions can't be undone.

Before installing anything, read the security questions, particularly if this is a work computer.

Find the server and its install steps

Search for your software on Tresca and open its tool page, for example Revit, Fusion, AutoCAD, SOLIDWORKS, KiCad, Blender or PLAXIS. Each listing shows which AI clients the project documents and its install steps, copied from its own documentation.

Follow the project's own instructions over anything general here, including this guide.

Connecting Claude Desktop

These steps follow the MCP project's walkthrough.

Open Claude Desktop's settings from the Claude menu in your system's menu bar, not from within the chat window.
Open the Developer tab and click Edit Config. This opens or creates the configuration file:
- Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
- macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
- Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Add the server under mcpServers, using the command and arguments from the project's documentation. The general shape is:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-server": {
      "command": "the-command-from-the-docs",
      "args": ["the", "arguments", "from", "the", "docs"]
    }
  }
}

Save the file, then quit Claude Desktop completely and start it again.
Open the "Add files, connectors, and more" menu in the message box, go to Connectors, then Manage connectors, and check that your server and its tools appear.

Claude asks for approval before running tools in this walkthrough. Read each request before you approve it.

Connecting Claude Code

Claude Code's documentation gives one command for local servers and another for remote ones:

# A local server
claude mcp add <name> -- <command> [args...]

# A remote server
claude mcp add --transport http <name> <url>

The -- separates Claude's options from the server's own command. A server can be set for the current project only (the default), for a team through a shared .mcp.json file, or for all your own projects, using --scope.

As an example from a real project, the plaxisMCP server documents this on Windows:

claude mcp add plaxis -- python C:\full\path\to\plaxisMCP\plaxis_mcp_server.py

What's different for desktop engineering software

General tutorials usually stop at the steps above. Engineering software adds a few things to check, and Tresca records each on the listing.

Windows. Of the servers we list, 149 are Windows only, because the software or its automation interface is. Claude has to run on the same Windows computer as the software. If you use Claude on a Mac and your software lives on a Windows machine, a local server won't connect the two without extra setup.

The program may need to be open first. 251 servers drive a running copy of the tool. Some need more than that. The OpenSTAAD server needs a model open. PLAXIS needs its remote scripting server switched on, and the plaxisMCP server has you point it at the scripting library in your own installation. Autodesk's Fusion server must be enabled in Fusion's preferences.

Version matching. Automation interfaces change between releases. Autodesk's Revit server is supported only on Revit 2027.2 during its preview. Check the "Tool versions" row before installing.

A plug-in may be needed too. Some servers have two parts: a program that Claude starts, and an add-in installed inside the engineering software. If the listing mentions an add-in or plug-in, you need both.

Licences. Automating a program through its API still uses a licence, and some vendors restrict automation or remote use. Check your agreement, and see the security guide's questions on licensing.

Vendor-only servers. Autodesk's AutoCAD and Civil 3D server works only inside Autodesk Assistant, so you can't add it to Claude. See Autodesk's MCP servers.

If the server doesn't appear

The MCP documentation's troubleshooting section suggests:

Restart Claude Desktop completely.
Check the configuration file's JSON syntax.
Make sure file paths are absolute, not relative.
Try running the server's command yourself in a terminal to see any error.
Read the logs, in %APPDATA%\Claude\logs on Windows and ~/Library/Logs/Claude on macOS. mcp.log covers connections, and mcp-server-SERVERNAME.log shows a server's own output.

For problems with a specific server, go to that project's documentation and issue tracker, linked from its listing. Tresca doesn't provide support for listed projects.

Before you rely on it

Start with read-only requests, such as listing what's in a model, and compare the answers with what you can see yourself. Move on to changes only on a copy.

AI-generated models, drawings and results must be checked by a qualified engineer before use. A tool call that completes without an error tells you only that it ran.

How to connect Claude to engineering software