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MSBuild MCP Server

MSBuild MCP Server

Local
github.com/zenoengineDeveloper Tools12Updated 36w ago
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About MSBuild MCP Server

An MCP server for developers building MSBuild-compatible projects and solutions on Windows. It discovers MSBuild dynamically and lets clients set common build options and extra command-line arguments.

Key features

  1. 01Discover the MSBuild executable
  2. 02Configure build, platform, and verbosity
  3. 03Set parallel CPU count and NuGet restore
  4. 04Pass additional command-line arguments
  5. 05Report concise build errors

Use cases

  1. 01Build a Visual Studio solution
  2. 02Build a C# or C++ project
  3. 03Run an Unreal Engine solution build
  4. 04Choose configuration and platform for a build

MCP support

Exposes build tools to MCP clients, which can invoke MSBuild with selected project paths and build options.

Configuration

Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.

mcp.json · Universal config
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "msbuild": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "msbuild-mcp-server@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}
Run commanduvx msbuild-mcp-server@latest

Local servers need a runtime on your machine (e.g. Node.js 18+). Config file locations differ by client; see your client’s docs.

Packages
pypimsbuild-mcp-server@latest

Tools

No tool list yet

Local servers expose tools only once running on your machine, and the maintainer has not provided a tool list.

Details

From the project README

MSBuild MCP Server

A lightweight MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for automating MSBuild projects and solutions builds. It dynamically locates MSBuild and provides customizable build configuration options.

Features

  • Dynamic MSBuild Discovery: Automatically detects the MSBuild executable, ensuring compatibility with various Visual Studio installations.
  • Customizable Build Settings: Easily configure build options such as configuration, platform, verbosity level, parallel build CPU count, NuGet restore, and additional command-line arguments through LLM-driven tool invocation.
  • Clear Error Reporting: Filters and presents concise, relevant error messages upon build failures.
  • MCP Client Compatibility: Supports seamless integration with popular MCP clients such as VSCode, Cursor, Windsurf, and more. Configuration snippets for these clients are provided in the documentation.
  • Cross-Language Support: Supports MSBuild-compatible projects, including .sln, .csproj, and .vcxproj files, enabling builds for languages like C#, C++, and more across Windows platforms.

Prerequisites

Ensure the following prerequisites are installed:

  • Python 3.11 or higher
  • Visual Studio or Visual Studio Build Tools (for MSBuild)
  • uv (recommended)

Registering the MCP Server

Ensure uv is installed.

In the MCP settings of your AI tools (e.g., Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Desktop, etc.), add the following configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "msbuild-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "msbuild-mcp-server@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Place this snippet in your client configuration file:

  • VSCode: .vscode/mcp.json
  • Cursor: ~/.cursor/mcp.json or <project-root>/.cursor/mcp.json
  • Windsurf: ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

Restart your tool to ensure that the msbuild-mcp-server and its provided tools are properly registered.

Agent Prompt Examples

AI agents can trigger builds using natural language like:

  • Basic Project Build

    "Build this solution at C:/Path/To/Project.sln using Release|x64."

  • Unreal Engine Build

    "Build the solution located at C:/Projects/MyGame/MyGame.sln using Development Editor|Win64."

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Comments

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New to MCP?

From what the protocol is to installing your first server, these answers cover most first questions.

An open protocol that defines how AI applications connect to external tools and data in a uniform way. Clients talk to the model; MCP servers provide tools, resources and prompt templates. They exchange standard messages, so one server can be reused by many clients.