MathCAD Prime MCP server for AI agents

This MCP server provides integration with PTC MathCAD Prime, allowing AI assistants like Claude to interact with MathCAD worksheets through a standardized interface. Using this server, you can open, manipulate, and extract data from MathCAD worksheets directly through your AI assistant.

Requirements

Windows operating system (required for MathCAD COM automation)
Python 3.10 or higher
PTC MathCAD Prime 3.0 or higher installed
Dependencies: MathcadPy, pywin32, and MCP Python SDK (see requirements.txt)

Installation

Quick Installation with Claude Desktop

Install the required dependencies:
```
pip install -r requirements.txt
```
Run the installation script:
```
python install_standalone.py
```
Options:
- Use --hide flag to hide the MathCAD window when running:
```
python install_standalone.py --hide
```
Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect.

Manual Configuration

Edit your Claude Desktop configuration file:

Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mathcad": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": [
        "path/to/mathcad-mcp/standalone.py"
      ],
      "env": {
        "MATHCAD_VISIBLE": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

Using the MCP Server

Available Tools

The server provides these tools for interacting with MathCAD:

Worksheet Management

list_mathcad_version: Get the running MathCAD version
open_worksheet: Open a MathCAD worksheet from a file path
close_worksheet: Close a specific worksheet
close_all_worksheets: Close all open worksheets
quit_mathcad: Quit the MathCAD application entirely
save_worksheet: Save a worksheet to a specified path and format
save_worksheet_inplace: Save the worksheet in place
activate_worksheet: Bring a worksheet to the front

Input Management

set_real_input: Set a numerical input with optional units
set_string_input: Set a string input
set_matrix_input: Set a matrix input with optional units
get_input: Retrieve the current value of a designated input
get_matrix_input: Retrieve the current value of a designated matrix input

Calculation Control

calculate_worksheet: Recalculate a worksheet
sync_worksheet: Alias for calculating the worksheet
pause_calculation: Pause worksheet calculation
resume_calculation: Resume worksheet calculation

Output Access

get_output: Get a designated output value (real, string, or matrix)
get_real_output: Get a numerical output value from a worksheet
get_real_output_with_units: Get a numerical output with conversion to specified units
get_matrix_output: Get a matrix output from a worksheet
get_matrix_output_with_units: Get a matrix output with unit conversion

Export Functionality

save_as_pdf: Save the worksheet as a PDF file (Mathcad Prime 5+ only)
save_as_rtf: Save the worksheet as an RTF file
save_as_xps: Save the worksheet as an XPS file

Status Checks

is_worksheet_readonly: Check if a worksheet is read-only
is_worksheet_modified: Check if a worksheet has unsaved changes
set_worksheet_modified: Force-set the 'modified' status of a worksheet

Available Resources

The server exposes these resources to query worksheet information:

mathcad://worksheets: List all open worksheets
mathcad://worksheets/paths: List worksheets with full file paths
mathcad://worksheet/{worksheet_name}/inputs: List inputs in a worksheet
mathcad://worksheet/{worksheet_name}/outputs: List outputs in a worksheet
mathcad://worksheet/{worksheet_name}/output/{output_name}: Get a specific output value
mathcad://worksheet/{worksheet_name}/output/{output_name}/matrix: Get a matrix output
mathcad://worksheet/{worksheet_name}/output/{output_name}/with_units/{units}: Get an output with units conversion
mathcad://worksheet/{worksheet_name}/info: Get information about a worksheet
mathcad://worksheet/{worksheet_name}/status: Get the status of a worksheet

Example Workflows

Physics Problem Solving

1. Open an existing MathCAD worksheet:
   "Can you open my physics worksheet at C:\Users\username\Documents\Physics\projectile_motion.mcdx?"

2. Set input parameters:
   "Set the initial velocity to 50 m/s and the launch angle to 30 degrees."

3. Calculate the results:
   "Now calculate the trajectory and show me the maximum height and distance."

4. Extract output values:
   "What's the maximum height reached by the projectile?"

Engineering Analysis

1. Open or create a worksheet for analysis:
   "I need to analyze a beam deflection problem. Can you open the structural_analysis.mcdx worksheet?"

2. Configure the worksheet:
   "Set the load P to 5000 N, beam length L to 2 m, Young's modulus E to 200 GPa, and moment of inertia I to 4×10⁻⁶ m⁴."

3. Run the calculation:
   "Calculate the worksheet and tell me the maximum deflection."

4. Export the results:
   "Save the worksheet as a PDF so I can include it in my report."

Configuration Options

Environment Variables

MATHCAD_VISIBLE: Set to "true" to show the MathCAD application window (default), or "false" to hide it.

Troubleshooting

COM Automation Errors

If you encounter COM automation errors:

Ensure MathCAD is installed and properly licensed
Check that you're running on Windows
Try restarting MathCAD and the MCP server

Worksheet Not Found

If worksheets can't be found:

Use absolute paths, not relative paths
Ensure file paths are correctly escaped
Verify the file exists and is a valid .mcdx file

Unit Conversion Issues

If unit conversion fails:

Check for compatibility between units (e.g., length can't convert to mass)
Ensure that the right unit symbols are used (e.g., 'm' for meters)
Try using standard unit formats (e.g., 'm/s' instead of 'm*s^(-1)')

How to install this MCP server

For Claude Code

To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add-json "mathcad" '{"command":"python","args":["path/to/mathcad-mcp/standalone.py"],"env":{"MATHCAD_VISIBLE":"true"}}'

See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.

For Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > Tools & Integrations and click "New MCP Server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "mathcad": {
            "command": "python",
            "args": [
                "path/to/mathcad-mcp/standalone.py"
            ],
            "env": {
                "MATHCAD_VISIBLE": "true"
            }
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explicitly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.

For Claude Desktop

To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:

1. Find your configuration file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add this to your configuration file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "mathcad": {
            "command": "python",
            "args": [
                "path/to/mathcad-mcp/standalone.py"
            ],
            "env": {
                "MATHCAD_VISIBLE": "true"
            }
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect