Visual Studio

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that connects AI coding assistants (like Claude) to Visual Studio 2022/2026 via COM automation.

This bridge enables AI agents to:

• 📖 Read build output, debug logs, and error lists
• 🔨 Build solutions and check for errors
• 🐛 Start/stop debugging sessions
• 📍 Inspect call stacks at breakpoints

Perfect for autonomous AI-driven development workflows where the agent can build, test, and debug without human intervention.

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🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Windows 10/11
• .NET 8.0 SDK or higher
• Visual Studio 2022 or 2026 (must be running)
• Claude Desktop or another MCP-compatible client

Installation

1. Clone and build:

   git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/vs-mcp-bridge.git
   cd vs-mcp-bridge
   dotnet publish -c Release -f net8.0 -r win-x64 --self-contained false
   

2. Register with Claude:

   claude mcp add vs-bridge -- "<full-path>\bin\Release\net8.0\win-x64\publish\VisualStudioMcpServer.exe"
   

3. Open Visual Studio with any solution, then start using the tools!

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🛠️ Available Tools

Information Tools

Tool	Description
GetSolutionInfo	Returns current solution path and list of projects
ListOutputPanes	Lists all Output Window panes (Build, Debug, etc.)
ReadOutputPane	Reads content from a specific pane (with truncation)
GetErrorList	Returns all errors and warnings from the Error List

Build & Debug Tools

Tool	Description
BuildSolution	Builds the solution and returns success/error count
StartDebugging	Starts debugging (F5)
StartWithoutDebugging	Runs without debugger (Ctrl+F5)
StopDebugging	Stops the current debug session
GetDebuggerState	Returns current state (design/running/breakpoint)
GetCallStack	Returns call stack when stopped at a breakpoint

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🤖 Autonomous Testing Workflow

Claude can now run this autonomous development loop:

1. BuildSolution → Check for compile errors
2. If errors: GetErrorList → Analyze and fix code → Rebuild
3. If success: StartDebugging
4. GetDebuggerState → Monitor execution
5. If at breakpoint: GetCallStack → Analyze the issue
6. StopDebugging → Make fixes → Repeat

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⚙️ Technical Details

COM Message Filter

Visual Studio is a single-threaded COM server. When VS is busy (building, debugging), it rejects COM calls. This bridge implements IOleMessageFilter to automatically retry rejected calls.

.NET Core Compatibility

Since Marshal.GetActiveObject was removed in .NET Core, this project uses P/Invoke to oleaut32.dll and ole32.dll for COM object retrieval.

STAThread Requirement

COM automation requires a Single-Threaded Apartment (STA). The main thread is marked with [STAThread] to ensure proper COM interop.

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📋 Tool Parameters

ReadOutputPane

paneName: string   - Name (or partial name) of the pane to read
maxLines: int      - Max lines to return from end (default: 50, 0 = all)

BuildSolution

waitForBuild: bool - Wait for completion (default: true)
format: string     - Output format: "text" or "json"

GetErrorList / GetSolutionInfo / GetDebuggerState / GetCallStack

format: string     - Output format: "text" or "json"

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🔧 Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
"No VS instance found"	Ensure Visual Studio is running with a solution open
Tools not appearing	Restart Claude after re-registering the MCP
COM errors	Make sure VS isn't in a modal dialog (e.g., unsaved changes prompt)

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📄 License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions welcome! Feel free to open issues or PRs.

Ideas for future tools:

• SetBreakpoint - Add/remove breakpoints programmatically
• EvaluateExpression - Evaluate expressions in debugger context
• OpenFile - Open specific files in VS editor
• NavigateToError - Jump to error location