Blender MCP: Setup, Addon and Safe Use

Q: How do I install the Blender MCP addon?

Run uvx mcp-for-blender install-addon, then in Blender open Edit → Preferences → Add-ons and enable Interface: MCP for Blender. Press N in the 3D viewport, open the MCP for Blender tab and click Start MCP Server. The addon needs Blender 3.0 or newer.

Q: Does Blender MCP work with Claude Code?

Yes: claude mcp add blender uvx mcp-for-blender. Make sure the addon is running in Blender first, then check with claude mcp list.

Q: Why does Blender MCP say it can't connect?

Usually the addon isn't running. Press N in Blender's 3D viewport, open the MCP for Blender tab and click Start MCP Server. Also check that only one AI app is running the server, and that both use the same port (9876 by default).

Q: Should I still use uvx blender-mcp?

It still works, but the package is now called mcp-for-blender. Switch your config to uvx mcp-for-blender, and make sure you're on 1.6.5 or later so the CVE-2026-66004 fix is in.

On this page

Blender MCP Server: Setup, the Addon, and Why It Grades D (Nov 2026)

Blender MCP is a free community plugin, ahujasid/mcp-for-blender, that lets Claude, Cursor or Codex build 3D scenes by running Python inside your open Blender. It has two parts: an MCP server you add to your AI app and an addon you enable in Blender. It works well, but it grades D: nothing is password-protected and the AI can run any code. Turn on safe mode and keep approvals on.

What Blender MCP does

"Blender MCP" almost always means the project by Siddharth Ahuja on GitHub, now called MCP for Blender. It is MIT licensed and is not made by the Blender Foundation. When we checked on 2026-11-08 it had about 33,500 GitHub stars and 46 contributors, and its last release (2.2.7) came out on 2026-11-04.

You ask in plain words ("make a low-poly forest with a cabin and warm evening light"). The AI writes Blender Python, runs it in your open scene, looks at the result and fixes what's wrong.

The README lists nine tools:

Tool	What it does
`execute_blender_code`	Runs Python in your live Blender. This is the main tool
`look`	Shows the viewport, the camera, several angles, animation frames or a render, so the AI can check its work
`get_scene_info`	A short summary of the objects in the scene
`generate_3d`	Makes a 3D model from text or an image with Tripo, Hunyuan3D, Hyper3D Rodin or Meshy, and imports it
`search_assets` / `import_asset`	Finds and imports Poly Haven, Sketchfab and Poly Pizza assets
`get_addon_status`	Blender version, addon version, and which asset sources are on
`disable_telemetry`, `record_trajectory_feedback`	Data collection controls

The package was renamed. On PyPI, blender-mcp is now mcp-for-blender. The README says old setups that run uvx blender-mcp keep working, but new installs should use mcp-for-blender.

Is there an official Blender MCP?

No. Blender Foundation has not published one. On 2026-11-08 the official MCP Registry had 13 entries matching "blender", all from other people, and none had anything like the following of ahujasid's project. That is why it is the one we graded.

The Blender MCP addon and the server: how they fit

This is the part that trips people up. There are two programs, and both must be running:

The MCP server (uvx mcp-for-blender). Your AI app starts it. It talks to the app over stdio, so it opens no network port of its own.
The Blender addon ("MCP for Blender"). It runs inside Blender and opens a plain TCP socket on localhost, port 9876. The server sends each command there, and the addon runs it.

So the "blender mcp addon" isn't optional. Without it the server has nothing to talk to, and you'll see connection errors.

The addon needs Blender 3.0 or newer. The server needs Python 3.10+ and uv, which provides the uvx command.

Blender MCP setup in Claude Code, Claude Desktop and Cursor

The quick way. The README's setup command installs the addon, enables it, and adds a blender entry to the AI apps it finds on your machine (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code and others). It keeps a .bak of each config file it changes:

uvx mcp-for-blender setup

The README also offers a one-line curl ... | sh (or irm ... | iex) installer. We'd skip it: it only installs uv and then does the same as setup, and you can install uv yourself from its official page.

The manual way. First install the addon:

uvx mcp-for-blender install-addon

Then in Blender go to Edit → Preferences → Add-ons and enable Interface: MCP for Blender. Press N in the 3D viewport, open the MCP for Blender tab, and click Start MCP Server if it isn't running.

Then add the server to your AI app.

Claude Code:

claude mcp add blender uvx mcp-for-blender

Run claude mcp list to check it connects. More options are in our Claude Code MCP setup guide.

Claude Desktop (claude_desktop_config.json) and Cursor (.cursor/mcp.json in a project, or the global MCP settings):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "blender": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["mcp-for-blender"]
    }
  }
}

On Windows, the README's Cursor example uses "command": "cmd" with "args": ["/c", "uvx", "mcp-for-blender"]. If your app says spawn uvx ENOENT, it can't find uvx: use the full path that where uvx (Windows) or which uvx (macOS, Linux) prints.

Run only one copy. The README says to run the server in one app at a time, for example Cursor or Claude Desktop, not both.

If it still won't connect, our MCP server not working checklist covers the common causes.

Why Blender MCP grades D

Scored against our rubric on 2026-11-08:

Authentication, 0 of 30. There is no login or token anywhere. The README says it plainly: the addon's socket "has no authentication or encryption, so anyone who can reach that port can run Python inside Blender." By default that is any program on your own computer. The project's own safe-mode code notes that the addon accepts code "from any local process".
Maintenance, 25 of 25. Very active. Seven commits from six different people landed on 2026-11-04 alone, and there were six PyPI releases between 2026-10-20 and 2026-11-04.
Known CVEs, 15 of 25. One advisory, CVE-2026-66004 (medium). The Poly Haven download tool trusted file names from the API response, so a tampered response or a prompt injection could write a file anywhere your user can, such as ../../.bashrc. It was reported in a public issue on 2026-05-24, the fix was merged on 2026-07-20, and it shipped in version 1.6.5 on 2026-07-29. Fixed, but slowly: about two months. Update to 1.6.5 or later (current is 2.2.x).
Transport, 0 of 20. execute_blender_code runs whatever Python the model writes. Blender's Python can read and write your files, start programs and reach the network. Safe mode can block that, but it is off by default.

Overall: grade D. The single biggest deduction is the missing authentication: nothing checks who is sending code to Blender.

A D doesn't mean "don't use it". It means the safety is your job, not the tool's. Most people run it on their own laptop, with their own scenes, and that's a reasonable place for it, if you set it up as below.

How to run Blender MCP safely

Turn on safe mode. Add BLENDER_MCP_SAFE_MODE=1 to the server's environment. Every script is then checked before it runs. Scripts that open files directly, start programs, use the network, or install code that keeps running are refused, and the AI is told why so it can rewrite them. Modelling, materials, rendering, saving, and import/export still work.
```
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "blender": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["mcp-for-blender"],
      "env": { "BLENDER_MCP_SAFE_MODE": "1" }
    }
  }
}
```
With Claude Code: claude mcp add blender -e BLENDER_MCP_SAFE_MODE=1 -- uvx mcp-for-blender. Safe mode guards what the AI can be talked into. It is not a sandbox around Blender, and it doesn't stop another program on your machine from using the port.
Keep the approval prompt on for code. None of the nine main tools carry tool annotations marking them as read-only, so your app can't tell safe tools from risky ones. In Claude Code, put rules in the project's .claude/settings.json:
```
{
  "permissions": {
    "allow": [
      "mcp__blender__get_scene_info",
      "mcp__blender__look",
      "mcp__blender__get_addon_status",
      "mcp__blender__search_assets"
    ],
    "ask": [
      "mcp__blender__execute_blender_code",
      "mcp__blender__import_asset",
      "mcp__blender__generate_3d"
    ]
  }
}
```
Reads run freely. Running code, importing files and generating models (which can spend paid credits) ask first. Skim the Python before you approve it.
Save first. The README's own warning: "ALWAYS save your work before using it." Keep a copy of the .blend, or work in a duplicate.
Leave the addon on localhost. The addon has a Bind Address and an Allow Remote Connections option for Docker, WSL or a second PC. With remote connections on, anyone on your network can run Python in your Blender. If you need remote access, the README suggests an SSH tunnel instead.
Treat downloaded content as untrusted. Asset names and descriptions from Poly Haven, Sketchfab and the model generators go into the AI's context. That is exactly how prompt injection gets in. Don't let the AI open .blend files from strangers either: they can carry scripts.
Stop the addon when you're done. Click Disconnect in the MCP for Blender sidebar tab, or close Blender. The addon starts its server when Blender opens, so remember it's listening.
Know what it sends home. By default the server sends a small anonymous usage record (tool name, success, timing, versions, OS). Your prompts, code and screenshots are only collected if you opt in. Set DISABLE_TELEMETRY=true in the server's env to turn it all off.

For the same pattern in a game engine, see our Godot MCP server guide. For running risky servers in a container, see sandboxing MCP servers.

Need an MCP server for your own 3D pipeline or design tool, with real authentication and a review step? We build custom MCP servers. Tell us about your project.

Frequently asked questions

What is Blender MCP?

It is a free, open-source plugin that connects AI apps like Claude, Cursor and Codex to Blender through the Model Context Protocol. You describe a scene in words, and the AI builds it by running Python in Blender. The best-known version is ahujasid/mcp-for-blender.

How do I install the Blender MCP addon?

Run uvx mcp-for-blender install-addon, then in Blender open Edit → Preferences → Add-ons and enable Interface: MCP for Blender. Press N in the 3D viewport, open the MCP for Blender tab and click Start MCP Server. The addon needs Blender 3.0 or newer.

Is there an official Blender MCP server?

No. Blender Foundation has not published one. The most-used Blender MCP is the community project ahujasid/mcp-for-blender, which is the one we graded.

Do I need the Blender MCP addon?

Yes. The MCP server only passes commands along. The addon, running inside Blender, receives them on port 9876 and carries them out. Install it with uvx mcp-for-blender install-addon and enable it under Edit → Preferences → Add-ons.

Is Blender MCP safe?

On your own machine, with your own files, safe mode on and approvals on for code, the risk is low. The risks are auto-approving execute_blender_code, turning on remote connections, and letting untrusted downloads steer the AI. It has no authentication, which is why it grades D.

Is Blender MCP free?

The project is free and MIT licensed, and Poly Haven assets are free too. Sketchfab, Poly Pizza and the 3D model generators need their own accounts or API keys, and the project also sells a paid Premium plan for model generation.

Does Blender MCP work with Claude Code?

Yes: claude mcp add blender uvx mcp-for-blender. Make sure the addon is running in Blender first, then check with claude mcp list.

Why does Blender MCP say it can't connect?

Usually the addon isn't running. Press N in Blender's 3D viewport, open the MCP for Blender tab and click Start MCP Server. Also check that only one AI app is running the server, and that both use the same port (9876 by default).

Should I still use `uvx blender-mcp`?

It still works, but the package is now called mcp-for-blender. Switch your config to uvx mcp-for-blender, and make sure you're on 1.6.5 or later so the CVE-2026-66004 fix is in.

Blender MCP Server: Setup, the Addon, and Why It Grades D (Nov 2026)