processing

This MCP server lets an AI assistant create and run Processing sketches directly from conversations. It uses the run_processing_java_cli tool to generate and launch Processing sketches, optionally overriding the Processing executable path and the location where sketches are saved. The server integrates with Claude Desktop so your AI can request animations, particle effects, 3D art, games, and generative visuals that are generated as Processing sketches and executed automatically.

Available tools include:

• run_processing_java_cli: Creates and runs a Processing sketch from provided code. You can supply the Processing code, and optionally override the processing_path and save_location to control which Processing binary is used and where the sketch is stored.
• get_processing_config: Returns the current server configuration so you can verify paths and save locations at runtime.

Examples of usage include asking the AI to render a bouncing ball, a particle system that follows the mouse, a simple Snake game, or a generative art piece, and have it automatically save the sketch with a timestamp and launch it in Processing.

Prerequisites:

• Python 3.8+ installed
• Processing installed on your system
• uv package manager (or use pip)
• Claude Desktop app

Step-by-step installation:

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/twelve2five/processing-mcp-server.git
cd processing-mcp-server

2. Install dependencies Option A (uv):

uv pip install fastmcp

Option B (pip):

pip install fastmcp

3. Configure Claude Desktop (see below in the configuration section for details)

4. Start Claude Desktop and the MCP server via your configured environment (see configuration notes). Restart Claude Desktop after configuring so the server appears in Claude's list of MCP servers.

Tips and common issues:

• The server defaults to a Processing path of whatever is provided in PROCESSING_PATH. If not set, ensure Processing is in your system PATH or set the env variable accordingly.
• The save location defaults to ~/Documents/Processing/sketches unless overridden by PROCESSING_SAVE_LOCATION.
• When configuring on Windows, use double backslashes in paths in the Claude config JSON.
• If the server doesn't appear in Claude Desktop, restart Claude after updating the config file.
• Ensure the specified sketch save location is writable by your user account to avoid permission errors.
• You can customize paths per environment (Windows/macOS/Linux) by editing the env section in Claude Desktop config.
• The included examples in the repo’s /examples folder can be used as reference sketches to validate the integration.