Revit MCP Server

AI chat for Autodesk Revit that lives inside Revit. No Claude Desktop. No external apps. Just a native chat panel, a WebSocket server, and 53+ tools that talk directly to the Revit API.

Author: Sanjay Chauhan | GitHub

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A native WPF chat panel docked inside Revit. The plugin and MCP server communicate over WebSocket on localhost — the AI sees your active view, selection, and model context in real time. No middleman.

Supports multiple AI providers out of the box: OpenRouter (100+ models), Anthropic Claude, DeepSeek, and Qwen. Switch providers by changing one line in your .env file. Run Qwen locally through Ollama for free.

53 specialized tools cover query, selection, visibility, views, sheets, MEP, tagging, and export. 5 additional dynamic intent tools (query, execute, analyze, navigate, create) work across any Revit category — so "query Walls", "query Conduit", "query Electrical Fixtures" all work without needing a separate hardcoded tool for each.

Demo

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Features

Query & Analysis (10 tools)

• get_elements - Query any category with pagination
• get_element_parameters - Get Length, Area, Volume, Mark, Comments
• calculate_quantities - One-stop quantity takeoffs
• find_elements_by_parameter - Complex AND/OR filtering with operators
• export_schedule_data - Export schedules to CSV
• count_elements_by_family / count_elements_by_type / count_views_by_type
• get_element_room - Get containing room or MEP space
• get_project_info - Project metadata

Selection (8 tools)

• select_all_by_category - Select all elements of a category
• select_elements_by_level - Select by level
• select_similar_by_category / select_similar_by_family / select_similar_by_type
• select_and_hide_category - Compound select + hide
• select_and_isolate_category - Compound select + isolate

Visibility & Isolation (6 tools)

• hide_elements_by_category / unhide_elements_by_category
• hide_selected_elements / unhide_all_in_view
• isolate_elements_by_category / isolate_selected_elements

View Management (6 tools)

• duplicate_active_view / duplicate_view_by_name / duplicate_views
• create_dependent_views - Create N dependent views from parent
• get_view_info / list_all_views

Sheet Management (6 tools)

• create_new_sheet - Create sheet with number and name
• place_view_on_sheet - Place viewport at coordinates
• get_sheet_info / get_all_sheets_info
• duplicate_and_place_view - Atomic duplicate + place
• create_sheet_and_place_view - Atomic sheet creation + view placement

MEP & Electrical (8 tools)

• get_panel_schedules - All electrical panels with metadata
• create_panel_schedule - Create panel schedule view
• perform_conduit_run_qa - Full QA workflow with color coding
• calculate_conduit_bend_total - Bend angles for conduit runs
• get_total_conduit_length - Sum all conduit in model
• get_conduit_length_by_size - Length breakdown by conduit diameter
• get_total_wall_length - Wall length calculations
• get_element_room - Room/space containment

Grid & Level Tools (3 tools)

• copy_grid_state - Copy visibility states to storage
• paste_grid_state - Apply saved state to current view
• rename_element - Rename views, levels, or sheets

Annotation & Drafting (4 tools)

• find_and_tag_elements - Find and tag in one operation
• batch_create_tags - Tag multiple elements
• delete_empty_tags - Remove tags with no content
• find_duplicate_elements - Detect duplicates by name/type

Utilities (2 tools)

• orient_elements_to_view - Align with view orientation
• export_to_csv - Export elements to CSV file

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Supported AI Models

Provider	Models	Notes
OpenRouter	Qwen3 235B, DeepSeek v3, Claude, Gemini, and 100+ more	Recommended — one API key, many models
Anthropic	Claude Opus 4.5, Sonnet, Haiku	Direct API, best tool-use accuracy
DeepSeek	DeepSeek Chat, R1 (reasoning)	Cost-effective
Qwen	Qwen 2.5 (via Ollama or DashScope)	Free local option with Ollama

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Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Autodesk Revit 2026
• Node.js 18.0+
• API key for your chosen provider (or Ollama for free local use)

Installation

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/schauh11/revit-mcp-server.git
cd revit-mcp-server

2. Configure the MCP server

cd mcp-server
npm install
cp .env.example .env

Edit .env with your configuration:

# Choose your provider (default: openrouter)
LLM_PROVIDER=openrouter

# Set your API key
OPENROUTER_API_KEY=sk-or-v1-...

# Optional: change model (default: qwen/qwen3-235b-a22b)
OPENROUTER_MODEL_NAME=qwen/qwen3-235b-a22b

# Optional: change port (default: 3847)
PORT=3847

3. Build the Revit plugin

dotnet build RevitPlugin/RevitPlugin.csproj -c Release

The DLL auto-copies to %APPDATA%\Autodesk\Revit\Addins\2026\

4. Launch

• Open Revit 2026
• Go to Add-Ins ribbon
• Click "pySC Chat"
• The server starts automatically when you open the chat panel
• Start chatting with your model

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Example Conversations

Simple Query

You: List all the walls
AI: Found 127 walls in your model:
    - Basic Wall - Interior: 45
    - Basic Wall - Exterior: 32
    - Curtain Wall: 50

Context-Aware Follow-up

You: List all grids
AI: Found 12 grids: A, B, C, D, E, F, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

You: Hide them
AI: Hidden 12 grids in the current view.

Multi-Step Operation

You: Duplicate Level 2 floor plan and place it on a new sheet A221
AI: Done! Created:
    - View: "Level 2 - Copy 1"
    - Sheet: A221 - "Level 2 Plan"
    - Placed view at center of sheet

MEP Workflow

You: Calculate total conduit length by size
AI: Total conduit lengths:
    - 3/4": 1,250 LF
    - 1": 890 LF
    - 1-1/4": 445 LF
    - 2": 220 LF
    Total: 2,805 LF

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Architecture

How It Works

1. User types a natural language command in the embedded Revit chat panel
2. Plugin sends the message via WebSocket with model context (active view, selection, levels, sheets)
3. MCP Server forwards to the configured AI provider with conversation history and tool definitions
4. AI selects appropriate tools and returns execution plan
5. Server routes tool commands back to the plugin
6. Plugin executes via ExternalEvent (thread-safe Revit API access)
7. Results return to AI for natural language response
8. User sees the formatted response in the chat panel

Technical Details

• Thread-safe - All Revit API calls go through ExternalEvent pattern
• Atomic transactions - Multi-step operations succeed or fail together
• Prompt caching - Reduces system prompt tokens from ~5000 to ~200 per request
• Auto-reconnect - Handles disconnections gracefully
• 100-message history - Full conversation context persisted in SQLite
• Request locking - Per-connection locks prevent concurrent API calls

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Project Structure

revit-mcp-server/
+-- RevitPlugin/              # C# Revit Plugin (.NET 8.0)
|   +-- Commands/             # App lifecycle, server management
|   +-- UI/                   # WPF chat panel
|   +-- Services/             # WebSocket, tool executor, model index
|   +-- Helpers/              # Category normalization, grid/level utilities
|   +-- Resources/tools.json  # Plugin-side tool schemas
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+-- mcp-server/               # Node.js/TypeScript Server
|   +-- src/
|   |   +-- index.ts          # Entry point, provider initialization
|   |   +-- mcpServer.ts      # WebSocket server
|   |   +-- websocketHandler.ts  # Message routing, tool execution
|   |   +-- providers/        # LLM provider implementations
|   |   +-- conversation/     # SQLite-backed history management
|   |   +-- config/           # Model configuration
|   +-- tools.json            # 53+ tool definitions
|
+-- docs/                     # Documentation and images
+-- README.md

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Troubleshooting

Issue	Cause	Solution
"Timeout: No response"	Server not running or API issue	Check server console, verify API key
"Auto-disconnected"	Idle for 15+ minutes	Normal behavior, send message to reconnect
"Failed to connect"	Port conflict or server down	Check port 3847, restart server
Slow first response	Model indexing in progress	Subsequent requests use cache

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Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.

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License

MIT License - see LICENSE

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Acknowledgments

Special thanks to the Revit API community and all contributors who helped make this project possible.

If you find this project useful, please consider giving it a star!