LMStudio-MCP

A Model Control Protocol (MCP) server that allows Claude to communicate with locally running LLM models via LM Studio.

Overview

LMStudio-MCP creates a bridge between Claude (with MCP capabilities) and your locally running LM Studio instance. This allows Claude to:

Check the health of your LM Studio API
List available models
Get the currently loaded model
Generate completions using your local models

This enables you to leverage your own locally running models through Claude's interface, combining Claude's capabilities with your private models.

Prerequisites

Python 3.7+
LM Studio installed and running locally with a model loaded
Claude with MCP access
Required Python packages (see Installation)

🚀 Quick Installation

One-Line Install (Recommended)

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/infinitimeless/LMStudio-MCP/main/install.sh | bash

Manual Installation Methods

1. Local Python Installation

git clone https://github.com/infinitimeless/LMStudio-MCP.git
cd LMStudio-MCP
pip install requests "mcp[cli]" openai

2. Docker Installation

# Using pre-built image
docker run -it --network host ghcr.io/infinitimeless/lmstudio-mcp:latest

# Or build locally
git clone https://github.com/infinitimeless/LMStudio-MCP.git
cd LMStudio-MCP
docker build -t lmstudio-mcp .
docker run -it --network host lmstudio-mcp

3. Docker Compose

git clone https://github.com/infinitimeless/LMStudio-MCP.git
cd LMStudio-MCP
docker-compose up -d

For detailed deployment instructions, see DOCKER.md.

MCP Configuration

Quick Setup

Using GitHub directly (simplest):

{
  "lmstudio-mcp": {
    "command": "uvx",
    "args": [
      "https://github.com/infinitimeless/LMStudio-MCP"
    ]
  }
}

Using local installation:

{
  "lmstudio-mcp": {
    "command": "/bin/bash",
    "args": [
      "-c",
      "cd /path/to/LMStudio-MCP && source venv/bin/activate && python lmstudio_bridge.py"
    ]
  }
}

Using Docker:

{
  "lmstudio-mcp-docker": {
    "command": "docker",
    "args": [
      "run",
      "-i",
      "--rm",
      "--network=host",
      "ghcr.io/infinitimeless/lmstudio-mcp:latest"
    ]
  }
}

For complete MCP configuration instructions, see MCP_CONFIGURATION.md.

Usage

Start LM Studio and ensure it's running on port 1234 (the default)
Load a model in LM Studio
Configure Claude MCP with one of the configurations above
Connect to the MCP server in Claude when prompted

Available Functions

The bridge provides the following functions:

health_check(): Verify if LM Studio API is accessible
list_models(): Get a list of all available models in LM Studio
get_current_model(): Identify which model is currently loaded
chat_completion(prompt, system_prompt, temperature, max_tokens): Generate text from your local model

Deployment Options

This project supports multiple deployment methods:

Method	Use Case	Pros	Cons
Local Python	Development, simple setup	Fast, direct control	Requires Python setup
Docker	Isolated environments	Clean, portable	Requires Docker
Docker Compose	Production deployments	Easy management	More complex setup
Kubernetes	Enterprise/scale	Highly scalable	Complex configuration
GitHub Direct	Zero setup	No local install needed	Requires internet

Known Limitations

Some models (e.g., phi-3.5-mini-instruct_uncensored) may have compatibility issues
The bridge currently uses only the OpenAI-compatible API endpoints of LM Studio
Model responses will be limited by the capabilities of your locally loaded model

Troubleshooting

API Connection Issues

If Claude reports 404 errors when trying to connect to LM Studio:

Ensure LM Studio is running and has a model loaded
Check that LM Studio's server is running on port 1234
Verify your firewall isn't blocking the connection
Try using "127.0.0.1" instead of "localhost" in the API URL if issues persist

Model Compatibility

If certain models don't work correctly:

Some models might not fully support the OpenAI chat completions API format
Try different parameter values (temperature, max_tokens) for problematic models
Consider switching to a more compatible model if problems persist

For detailed troubleshooting help, see TROUBLESHOOTING.md.

🐳 Docker & Containerization

This project includes comprehensive Docker support:

Multi-architecture images (AMD64, ARM64/Apple Silicon)
Automated builds via GitHub Actions
Pre-built images available on GitHub Container Registry
Docker Compose for easy deployment
Kubernetes manifests for production deployments

See DOCKER.md for complete containerization documentation.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

License

MIT

Acknowledgements

This project was originally developed as "Claude-LMStudio-Bridge_V2" and has been renamed and open-sourced as "LMStudio-MCP".

🌟 If this project helps you, please consider giving it a star!

LMStudio Claude Bridge