dcc-mcp-zbrush 0.2.8

ZBrush adapter for the DCC Model Context Protocol (MCP) ecosystem — embedded Python SDK + optional socket bridge

dcc-mcp-zbrush

ZBrush adapter for the DCC Model Context Protocol ecosystem.

Requires ZBrush 2026.1+ with the official Python SDK (CPython 3.11 embedded in ZBrush).

Quick install

1. Install the Python package

pip install dcc-mcp-zbrush

This installs the dcc-mcp-zbrush Python package — the MCP HTTP server that bridges AI agents to ZBrush. It does not include ZBrush plugin files (see step 2).

2. Install the ZBrush plugin

The plugin files (auto-start script, socket bridge) are distributed separately. Download the plugin ZIP from the latest GitHub Release:

dcc-mcp-zbrush-plugin-<version>.zip

Then run the install script inside the ZIP:

Windows (PowerShell):

.\install\install-windows.ps1

macOS (Terminal):

chmod +x install/install-macos.sh && ./install/install-macos.sh

This copies the plugin into your ZBrush ZStartup/ZPlugs64 directory so it loads automatically on startup.

3. Restart ZBrush

Launch or restart ZBrush. The plugin auto-starts the MCP server in embedded mode.

4. Health check

Verify the server is running:

curl http://127.0.0.1:8765/mcp

5. Configure your AI client

Add the MCP server to your AI client config (Cursor, Claude Desktop, etc.):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zbrush": {
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:8765/mcp"
    }
  }
}

---

How it works

ZBrush does not ship a built-in HTTP REST server. The pre-alpha scaffold that assumed Preferences > Network > Enable HTTP Server was incorrect.

The supported integration paths are:

Mode	When to use	Stack
Embedded	Inside ZBrush 2026.1+ (plugin auto-start)	Python plugin inside ZBrush → dcc-mcp-core MCP HTTP server → zbrush.commands
Sidecar + socket plugin (CLI default)	External MCP process / restricted installs	External Python → TCP :9876 → bridge/plugin/mcp_socket_bridge.py inside ZBrush

Rust is not used inside ZBrush. Like Maya/Houdini, Rust lives in the dcc-mcp-core wheel (PyO3) that powers the MCP HTTP server. The ZBrush-facing code is Python only.

GoZ C++ SDK is for mesh exchange between DCC apps, not general MCP automation — we do not build the primary adapter on GoZ.

Embedded mode (default inside ZBrush):

AI Agent → MCP HTTP :8765 → ZBrushMcpServer (inside ZBrush) → zbrush.commands

Sidecar mode:

AI Agent → MCP HTTP :8765 → ZBrushMcpServer (external Python)
         → TCP :9876 → mcp_socket_bridge.py (inside ZBrush) → zbrush.commands

Features (v0.2.0)

• DccServerBase adapter with progressive skill loading
• Bundled skills: zbrush-scripting, zbrush-scene, zbrush-subtool, zbrush-interchange
• In-process executor for ZBrush's embedded Python VM
• Optional socket bridge plugin for sidecar deployments
• Gateway election compatible with dcc-mcp-core

Requirements

• ZBrush 2026.1+
• Python 3.9+ on the sidecar host (ZBrush itself ships 3.11)
• dcc-mcp-core >= 0.18.7

Environment variables

Variable	Default	Purpose
DCC_MCP_ZBRUSH_PORT	8765	MCP HTTP port
DCC_MCP_ZBRUSH_MODE	auto	embedded or sidecar
DCC_MCP_ZBRUSH_AUTOSTART	1	Auto-start embedded server from plugin
DCC_MCP_ZBRUSH_SOCKET_PORT	9876	Socket bridge port (sidecar)
DCC_MCP_GATEWAY_PORT	9765	Gateway election port
DCC_MCP_MINIMAL	1	Progressive skill loading

Bundled skills

Skill	Tools
zbrush-scripting	execute_python, get_session_info
zbrush-scene	get_scene_info, list_subtools
zbrush-subtool	select_subtool, get_subtool_status
zbrush-interchange	export_active_subtool_obj

Path concepts

• PYTHONPATH — where Python looks for packages (pip install handles this)
• ZBRUSH_PLUGIN_PATH / ZStartup/ZPlugs64 — where ZBrush loads auto-start plugins

pip install dcc-mcp-zbrush puts the Python package on PYTHONPATH.
The plugin ZIP goes into ZBRUSH_PLUGIN_PATH (handled by the install scripts above).

Skill authoring

Skills lazy-import zbrush.commands and run on the main thread (affinity: main).

from dcc_mcp_core.skill import skill_entry
from dcc_mcp_zbrush.api import import_zbc, with_zbrush, zb_success

@skill_entry
@with_zbrush
def my_tool(**kwargs) -> dict:
    zbc = import_zbc()
    count = zbc.get_subtool_count()
    return zb_success(f"{count} subtool(s)", count=count)

Sidecar mode (optional)

If you cannot install the embedded plugin or need the MCP server to run outside ZBrush:

1. The plugin ZIP already includes sidecar/mcp_socket_bridge.py — copy it to ZPlugs64 (the install scripts handle this).
2. Start ZBrush.
3. Run the MCP server outside ZBrush:

dcc-mcp-zbrush --mode sidecar --port 8765 --socket-port 9876

Development

See docs/development.md for source-based setup, testing, and contribution workflow.

References

• ZBrush Python SDK 2026.1
• ZBrush Python environment
• GoZ SDK (mesh exchange only)
• Community reference: newsbubbles/zbrush-mcp (socket bridge pattern)

License

MIT