ETABS MCP — Claude Code MCP server: model and analyse in ETABS
Wires an agent into CSI ETABS v22+ so it can build a model, assign loads, run analysis and read results through the official API.
claude mcp add etabs-mcp -- uvx etabs-mcpWhat ETABS MCP does
The server speaks the official ETABS API. It locates your installed version, loads that build's ETABSv1.dll and validates each call against the live method signature. Curated tools cover the usual engineering steps: generate a building from grids and stories, define seismic or wind loads, assign sections, run analysis and design, pull drifts and D/C ratios. Anything outside that set goes through search, describe and call, with plain JSON arguments.
Requirements are Windows, a licensed ETABS 22 or newer, and Python 3.10+. The .NET 8 Desktop Runtime ships with ETABS. Model edits run through the interactive database: tables can be read, and importable ones updated, appended or deleted before applying. Destructive calls need confirm=true, and --read-only refuses every write.
If ETABS is not running, the server starts it. Long analyses move to background jobs, so raise the tool timeout in your client — big models take minutes. Lengths go in as "6 m" or "20 ft".
What it helps with
- generate a frame from grid lines and stories in one call
- apply ASCE 7 seismic and wind loads
- run analysis and pull drifts and D/C ratios
- edit model tables through the interactive database
- render a model view from any angle offscreen
Example prompts for the agent
- Generate a two-storey steel frame, 2×1 bays of 6 × 5 m, W14X90 columns, W18X35 beams, 200 mm slab, and show me the 3D view.
- Define ASCE 7-16 seismic loads, run the analysis, and report T₁ along with the worst steel D/C ratio.
- Find every beam with a D/C above 0.9 and list them in a table.
How to install ETABS MCP
Platform CLI
claude mcp add etabs-mcp -- uvx etabs-mcpuvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from etabs-mcp <command>
Platform CLI
codex mcp add etabs-mcp -- uvx etabs-mcpuvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from etabs-mcp <command>
Config file
{
"mcpServers": {
"etabs-mcp": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"etabs-mcp"
]
}
}
}uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from etabs-mcp <command>
Config file
{
"servers": {
"etabs-mcp": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"etabs-mcp"
]
}
}
}uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from etabs-mcp <command>
Platform CLI
gemini mcp add etabs-mcp uvx etabs-mcpuvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from etabs-mcp <command>
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to add an MCP server to Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI and more
Questions about ETABS MCP
How do I install ETABS MCP in Claude Code?
Run claude mcp add etabs-mcp -- uvx etabs-mcp. The server then attaches to a running ETABS instance or launches one.
What does ETABS MCP do?
It gives the agent tools for ETABS modelling: geometry, sections, loads, analysis, design and code checks. Calls are checked against the API signature of the ETABS version you have installed.
What do I need for it to work?
Windows, a licensed ETABS 22 or newer, and Python 3.10+. The .NET 8 Desktop Runtime comes with ETABS.
