rstudio-mcp

Access your live RStudio session from any MCP-capable client. Inspect objects, preview data, and execute R code directly in the current RStudio environment.

Compatible clients include:

• Codex
• Claude Code
• Claude Desktop

Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.11+
• R with httpuv and jsonlite installed

Install the R dependencies once in RStudio:

install.packages(c("httpuv", "jsonlite"))

Install the CLI with pipx:

pipx install /path/to/rstudio-mcp

Then verify the command is available:

rstudio-mcp --help

Configure an MCP client

This is a local stdio MCP server, not a remote HTTP/SaaS MCP.

Codex

codex mcp add rstudio -- rstudio-mcp --enable-execution

Codex stores this in ~/.codex/config.toml, shared by the CLI and app/IDE clients.

Claude Code

claude mcp add rstudio -- rstudio-mcp --enable-execution

Claude Desktop

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rstudio": {
      "command": "/path/to/bin/rstudio-mcp",
      "args": ["--enable-execution"]
    }
  }
}

--enable-execution enables code execution through r_execute_code. It is off by default.

Usage

Recommended setup: install automatic startup once:

rstudio-mcp --install-auto-start

This command:

• writes ~/.rstudio-mcp/bootstrap.R
• ensures your ~/.Rprofile sources that bootstrap file

After that, each new interactive RStudio session will automatically start the local bridge when possible.

If you prefer a one-off manual startup instead, run this once in a terminal for the current RStudio session:

rstudio-mcp --print-r-server

Paste the printed R code into the RStudio Console and execute it. When you see:

MCP httpuv server started on 127.0.0.1:6312

the connection is ready.

You can then interact with the R session from Codex or Claude using natural language, for example:

• "List all objects in the current environment"
• "Preview the data frame df"
• "Add a new column to df filled with 0"

To remove the .Rprofile hook later:

rstudio-mcp --uninstall-auto-start

The bridge will normally stop when you restart the R session, explicitly run rm(list = ls(all.names = TRUE)), or manually stop the server.

What happens if you forget to start the RStudio bridge

If you forget to start the RStudio-side bridge, the MCP checks at runtime whether httpuv is reachable.

If it cannot connect to 127.0.0.1:6312, it returns a recovery message telling you to:

1. Run rstudio-mcp --print-r-server
2. Paste the printed R code into the RStudio Console
3. Retry after RStudio shows MCP httpuv server started on 127.0.0.1:6312

You do not need to remember this setup step manually anymore.

Available tools

Tool	Description
r_check_session	Check session status, including PID, R version, and working directory
r_list_objects	List all objects in the global environment
r_describe_object	Inspect an object's structure, type, dimensions, and columns
r_preview_object	Preview the first N rows of an object
r_summarize_object	Return descriptive statistics via summary()
r_get_history	Read recent command history
r_list_scripts	List .R files in a directory
r_read_script	Read an .R script
r_execute_code	Execute R code when --enable-execution is enabled

CLI options

--host              httpuv host (default: 127.0.0.1)
--port              httpuv port (default: 6312)
--allow-dir PATH    Authorize a directory for `.R` file access; repeatable
--enable-execution  Enable the `r_execute_code` tool
--install-auto-start
                    Install or update the per-user RStudio auto-start bootstrap
--uninstall-auto-start
                    Remove the auto-start snippet from `~/.Rprofile`
--print-r-server    Print the R bootstrap script and exit