Inspector

Inspector MCP tool access

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Review the supported Inspector MCP tools and identify which operations read, change UI state, write files, or modify the live simulation or layout.

Read-focused tools

These operations inspect the current application and layout state. They do not edit the live layout when used as described here.

Inspector MCP Server Configuration showing the running endpoint and grouped read-only tools

Tool What it answers
vc_browse What children, behaviors, properties, interfaces, programs, or statements are related to a known node?
vc_read What are a node's name, type, properties, state, transform, bounds, or text values?
vc_session Which session is active, and are cached node IDs still valid?
vc_summarize What is the high-level content of a layout or node?
vc_search Which objects match a regular expression, preset, subtree, or continuation page?
vc_find_by_type Which objects match an interface type, component category, ancestor scope, or property filter?
vc_relationships Which parent, child, interface, signal, transport, process, or conveyor links surround a node?
vc_messages Which Visual Components information, warning, error, or debug messages match a filter?
vc_get_selection Which objects are selected in Visual Components?
vc_geometry_statistics Which geometry is largest, densest, or most structurally complex, including optional shared-instance impact?
vc_process_model What Process Modeling flow groups, routines, transport chains, resource roles, and conveyor networks are present?
vc_product_flow Which products, needs, feeds, and product matches are active?
vc_spatial Which nodes are nearby, inside bounds, or candidates for collision?
vc_ecat Which catalog items match a query, and what are their catalog details?
vc_python_scripts Which layout-owned Python scripts exist, and what do their descriptors or contents contain?
vc_camera with get What is the current camera pose, projection, target, and gaze length?
vc_screenshot with inline What does the 3D viewport look like without UI overlays?
vc_user_interface with get_state or list_panels Which application context, ribbon tab, panels, and panel visibility state are active?

vc_export_python is also enabled by default and does not mutate the live layout, but it writes script files and a manifest to the requested workspace path. Treat it as file output, not as a purely read-only response.

UI-state and working-memory operations

These operations can change the current Visual Components view or shared Inspector working state without being layout-edit operations:

Tool State-changing operations
vc_select Replaces, adds, removes, or toggles the current selection.
vc_goto Selects an object, can switch application context, opens relevant editors, and can focus the camera.
vc_focus_mode Starts, stops, or changes a focus set that dims or hides unfocused objects.
vc_camera set, focus, and preset change the 3D camera.
vc_user_interface set_context and set_panel_visibility change application UI state; capture actions can also write an image when returnMode is saveToRoot.
vc_screenshot saveToRoot writes an image file; inline returns image content without writing a file.
vc_notes Lists and reads notes, but create, replace, dismiss, and resolve change shared Inspector working memory.

The configuration UI currently groups several of these tools with read-only tools because their access metadata is about layout and simulation mutation. Use the operation itself as the safety boundary, not the group label alone.

Simulation, scripts, and layout edits

The Edit tools group can change the live simulation, layout, connectivity, or script behavior. The current configuration window describes these tools as able to modify simulation or layout state.

Inspector MCP Server Configuration showing the edit-capable tool group and its live-state risk descriptions

Tool Potential effect
vc_simulation Starts, pauses, resets, configures, or advances the simulation. run_for and run_to block until their target or timeout.
vc_properties get reads scalar properties, while set and set_batch update live object properties. The tool is edit-gated as a whole.
vc_plug_and_play Inspects and previews interface matches, and can connect or disconnect live components.
vc_python_commands Loads, executes, calls, persists, unregisters, reloads, and enables or disables application Python commands. It may write persistent command files.
vc_import_python Reapplies exported Python files through direct or manifest mappings, potentially overwriting scripts or changing runtime behavior.
vc_python_scripts_edit Creates, updates, disables, restores, deletes, or reorders layout-owned Python scripts.
vc_layout_open Creates a blank layout or opens a layout file as the active layout.
vc_layout_save Saves the active layout to its current or a new path.
vc_component_save Saves a component to its backing path or a new path.
vc_layout_clear Clears the active layout and establishes a new MCP session boundary.
vc_layout_insert Adds content from disk or eCat, or duplicates an existing layout target.
vc_visual_pose Changes a visual target's world-space position or rotation.
vc_visual_delete Deletes a visual target from the active layout.

These tools are not needed for a read-focused investigation. Do not enable them merely to answer a question about the layout. When edit-capable access is requested, Inspector shows a confirmation warning that calls out unexpected simulation changes, Python access to the PC or files, possible data loss, and the absence of automatic undo.

Access rules

Use Connect to the Inspector MCP server to change the server settings and Inspect a layout through MCP for a workflow that stays within the read-focused surface.