visual-studio-mcp-server

twelvestocks/visual-studio-mcp-server

3.1

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The Visual Studio MCP Server is a .NET 8 console application designed to enhance Visual Studio automation capabilities through integration with Claude Code, providing features like debugging control and XAML designer interaction.

Visual Studio MCP Server

A .NET 8 console application that provides Claude Code with comprehensive Visual Studio automation capabilities including debugging control, XAML designer interaction, and visual context capture through COM interop.

.NET 8 Windows Visual Studio MCP

šŸš€ Quick Start

5-Minute Setup - Get Visual Studio automation running with Claude Code in under 10 minutes!

Prerequisites

  • Windows 10/11
  • Visual Studio 2022 (17.8 or later)
  • .NET 8 SDK
  • Claude Code

Installation

# Install as .NET global tool
dotnet tool install --global VisualStudioMcp

# Verify installation
vsmcp --version

Claude Code Configuration

Add to your mcp_servers.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "visual-studio": {
      "command": "vsmcp",
      "args": [],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Your First Automation

  1. Open Visual Studio 2022 with a solution
  2. Start Claude Code
  3. Try: "List my Visual Studio instances and build my solution"

šŸ“‹ Complete Setup Guide:

✨ Key Features

Visual Studio Integration

  • šŸ” Instance Discovery - Find and connect to running Visual Studio instances
  • šŸ”Ø Build Automation - Trigger builds and capture detailed error information
  • šŸ› Debug Control - Start, stop, and monitor debugging sessions
  • šŸ“Š Solution Management - Load, build, and manage Visual Studio solutions

XAML Designer Automation

  • šŸ“ø Designer Screenshots - Capture XAML designer surfaces for visual context
  • šŸ–¼ļø Window Capture - Screenshot any Visual Studio window or panel
  • šŸŽØ Visual Context - Provide Claude Code with visual understanding of UI designs

Development Workflow Enhancement

  • ⚔ Real-time Integration - Seamless Claude Code workflow integration
  • šŸ“ Error Analysis - Detailed build error capture and context
  • šŸ”„ Automated Testing - Integration with test execution and reporting
  • šŸ—‚ļø Project Analysis - Deep inspection of project structure and dependencies

šŸ—ļø Architecture

Technology Stack

  • .NET 8 - Modern cross-platform runtime with Windows-specific features
  • COM Interop - Direct integration with Visual Studio via EnvDTE APIs
  • MCP Protocol - ModelContextProtocol for Claude Code communication
  • Dependency Injection - Microsoft.Extensions.Hosting service architecture

Service Architecture

ā”Œā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”
│              MCP Server Host                │
ā”œā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”¤
│  VisualStudioMcp.Core     │  VS Automation  │
│  VisualStudioMcp.Debug    │  Debug Control  │  
│  VisualStudioMcp.Xaml     │  XAML Designer  │
│  VisualStudioMcp.Imaging  │  Screenshots    │
ā”œā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”¤
│         COM Interop Layer (EnvDTE)          │
ā”œā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”¤
│            Visual Studio 2022               │
ā””ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”€ā”˜

šŸ“š Documentation

Complete documentation is available in the directory:

Getting Started

  • - 5-minute setup guide
  • - Complete MCP tools documentation (17 tools)
  • - Workflows and examples

Operations & Support

  • - Detailed installation and setup
  • - Comprehensive error resolution
  • - Performance expectations and optimization

Security & Enterprise

  • - Enterprise security documentation
  • - Group Policy and corporate deployment

Development

  • - Environment configuration guide
  • - Technical design and patterns
  • - Vision, goals, and technology decisions

šŸ”§ Development

Building from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/your-org/MCP-VS-AUTOMATION
cd MCP-VS-AUTOMATION

# Restore dependencies and build
dotnet restore
dotnet build

# Run tests
dotnet test

Project Structure

src/
ā”œā”€ā”€ VisualStudioMcp.Server/     # Console application entry point
ā”œā”€ā”€ VisualStudioMcp.Core/       # Core VS automation services
ā”œā”€ā”€ VisualStudioMcp.Debug/      # Debugging automation  
ā”œā”€ā”€ VisualStudioMcp.Xaml/       # XAML designer automation
ā”œā”€ā”€ VisualStudioMcp.Imaging/    # Screenshot and visual capture
└── VisualStudioMcp.Shared/     # Common models and interfaces

tests/
ā”œā”€ā”€ VisualStudioMcp.Core.Tests/
ā”œā”€ā”€ VisualStudioMcp.Debug.Tests/
└── VisualStudioMcp.Integration.Tests/

Contributing

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
  3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
  4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
  5. Open a Pull Request

šŸ” Security & Safety

  • Local Development Tool - No network exposure, operates locally only
  • Input Validation - All parameters validated before COM operations
  • Resource Management - Proper COM object lifecycle and memory management
  • Sandboxed Operations - Limited permissions with Visual Studio integration

āš ļø Requirements & Limitations

System Requirements

  • Operating System: Windows 10/11 (Visual Studio COM dependency)
  • Visual Studio: 2022 (17.8+) with .NET desktop development workload
  • .NET Runtime: 8.0 or later
  • Memory: Minimum 4GB RAM (8GB+ recommended)

Known Limitations

  • Windows-only deployment (Visual Studio COM interop requirement)
  • Requires Visual Studio 2022 installation
  • Single Visual Studio instance connection at a time
  • COM threading limitations may affect concurrent operations

šŸ› Troubleshooting

Quick solutions for common issues:

IssueQuick Fix
vsmcp: command not foundRun dotnet tool install --global VisualStudioMcp
Claude Code connection failedCheck mcp_servers.json configuration and restart Claude Code
No Visual Studio instances foundEnsure VS 2022 is running with a solution loaded
Permission errorsRun Visual Studio as Administrator

šŸ“‹ Complete Troubleshooting:

šŸ“„ License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the file for details.

šŸ¤ Support

šŸŽÆ Roadmap

  • Phase 1: Core Visual Studio automation and debugging control
  • Phase 2: Advanced XAML designer integration and visual context
  • Phase 3: Extended IDE automation and customisation support
  • Phase 4: Multi-instance management and advanced workflows

Built for Claude Code | Powered by .NET 8 | Windows Development Excellence