Tecan Cavro Syringe Pump — MCP Server

Let an AI agent initialize, aspirate and dispense microlitre volumes at set flow rates, switch valve ports and stop Tecan Cavro OEM syringe pumps through the documented Cavro Data Terminal (DT) protocol.

Try it without hardware

uvx labmcp-cavro --simulate --check

The simulator is an XLP 6000 with a 1 mL syringe and a 3-port valve. Moves take real time; add --option sim_speed=10 to speed it up.

Connect your pump

1. Pump setup: set the address switch (switch 0 is DT address 1, switch 1 is 2, … switch 8 is 9, switches 9–E are : ; < = > ?). The pump detects DT versus OEM protocol from the first message after power-up. The default is 9600 baud, 8N1; 38400 baud is selected with the U47 configuration command.
2. Tell the server what is installed. The pump cannot report its syringe, so these options are required on real hardware:
   • --option syringe_ul=1000: syringe volume in µL.
   • --option model=xlp6000 (or xmp6000, 6000 increments per stroke; xcalibur, 3000). For another DT-compatible pump, give --option steps_per_stroke=<increments per full stroke in standard mode> instead.
   • Optional: --option resolution=fine (N1, 8× finer volume steps; applied by initialize) and --option pump_address=2.
3. Find the port: uvx labmcp ports
4. Test the connection:

   uvx labmcp-cavro --address /dev/ttyUSB0 --option syringe_ul=1000 --option model=xcalibur --check
   uvx labmcp-cavro --address COM3 --option syringe_ul=500 --option model=xlp6000 --check
   

   Non-default baud rates go in the address: serial://COM3?baudrate=38400.

Add to your MCP client

Claude Code

claude mcp add cavro -- uvx labmcp-cavro --address /dev/ttyUSB0 --option syringe_ul=1000 --option model=xcalibur

Claude Desktop / Cursor / Windsurf (claude_desktop_config.json, .cursor/mcp.json, …)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cavro": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["labmcp-cavro", "--address", "/dev/ttyUSB0",
               "--option", "syringe_ul=1000", "--option", "model=xcalibur"]
    }
  }
}

Add --read-only to allow status reads but block every move.

Tools

Safety limits

Override at launch: --limit max_flow_ul_s=50. Independently of the limits, the server refuses moves that would overfill or over-empty the syringe, and flows the pump cannot produce with the installed syringe (top speed 5–6000 pulses/s).

Example prompts

• "Initialize the pump, then prime it: aspirate 1 mL from the input port and dispense it to the output port, three times."
• "Aspirate 150 µL of sample slowly (20 µL/s) from port 3 and dispense 50 µL into port 5."
• "How much liquid is in the syringe right now and which port is the valve on?"
• "The pump reported a plunger overload. What does that mean and what should I check?"
• "Stop the pump now."

Notes

• Conversion. Steps = volume × steps-per-stroke ÷ syringe volume, where steps-per-stroke is 6000 (XLP/XMP) or 3000 (XCalibur) in standard mode and 8× that in fine-positioning mode (N1). The mode is read from the pump (?28) before every move. Top speed V = flow × 6000 ÷ syringe volume: on all three models a full stroke is 6000 speed pulses in N0/N1. For the XCalibur this is derived from Tecan's published 1.2 s–20 min per stroke, not from its operating manual; please confirm on hardware.
• Busy/ready is read only from Q, as the manual requires. Invalid commands are reported immediately; invalid operands (e.g. a move past the end of the syringe) are reported by the next Q, and the server turns both into clear errors.
• Initialization force is chosen from the syringe size (full ≥ 1 mL, half for 250/500 µL, third for 50/100 µL; manual table 3-6) unless you pick one.
• terminate sends T without R: in the DT command set R resumes a terminated string. T does not stop a valve move in progress. Re-initialize after terminating. If a move or initialization is still busy well past its expected duration (1.5× + 10 s), or the link fails while waiting, the server sends T itself instead of leaving the plunger moving.
• The server does not use microstep mode (N2), the OEM protocol (checksums, sequence numbers) or CAN.
• Cavro Centris has a different resolution (181,490 increments per stroke) and volume-based firmware commands that we could not verify, so it is not supported. XE 1000 and older XL/XP 3000 pumps may work with --option steps_per_stroke=…, but they are untested.

Hardware verification