Connect Claude to Rillsoft MCP

Claude connects to the MCP server inside the running Rillsoft Project application. You ask a question; Claude calls tools and Rillsoft Project supplies planning data. This guide takes you from an unconnected client to a first answer you can check. Choose either Claude Code or Claude Desktop: their setup differs.

Prerequisites and data flow

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You need Rillsoft Project 10 on Windows, an installed Claude client and an open sample project. Claude Code requires build 10.0.625 or later. The documented client checks on 12 October 2026 used Claude Code 2.1.296 and Claude Desktop 2.31226 on Windows. These are tested versions, not a claim about the latest client releases.

The MCP endpoint is on your computer: http://127.0.0.1:3928/mcp. Claude Code accesses it directly through Streamable HTTP. The tested Desktop configuration uses the local mcp-remote bridge. The connection to Rillsoft Project is local; the AI client may send the data it reads to its provider. Review the client’s settings and start with synthetic sample data. A connector running in a remote web application cannot reach this loopback endpoint.

If you need an installation, the Rillsoft Project product page explains the product and how to obtain it. This guide makes no separate MCP licensing commitment.

1. Start the server and open a sample

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1. In Rillsoft Project, open Settings → MCP Server and enable the server.
2. Keep Read-only enabled initially. Use port 3928; if you select another port, change the client configuration too.
3. If an API key is configured, retain it and configure the client to send Authorization: Bearer <KEY>. The examples below show the configuration without a key; <KEY> is a placeholder. Do not publish your key in a project configuration.
4. Use File → Open to open a copy of “Assembly line MX-200” from the Machinery and plant engineering sample package.

Check the server settings to confirm that the listener is running on the selected port. Check the project name and visible phases in the Gantt chart. This gives you a known reference for the first AI response. A second application instance must not occupy the same port.

2a. Configure Claude Code

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Open a terminal in your working directory. Use the command or JSON entry from the same tested configuration source as “Get started”:

claude mcp add --transport http rillsoft-project http://127.0.0.1:3928/mcp

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rillsoft-project": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:3928/mcp"
    }
  }
}

The command writes the entry for the current folder; add --scope user to use it everywhere. Check it in the session with /mcp.

Requirement: Rillsoft Project 10 build 10.0.625 or later – older builds reject the protocol version Claude Code requests.

Verified on 12 Oct 2026, Claude Code 2.1.296

Start Claude Code in the configured directory and open /mcp. The rillsoft-project server must be connected and offer tools. Approving the server in Claude Code does not replace your approval of a subsequent project change. The official Claude Code documentation explains configuration scopes and HTTP setup.

2b. Configure Claude Desktop

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This variant also requires Node.js with npx. In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Add the server to the existing file, retaining any other server entries. This entry launches a local bridge and supplies the HTTP endpoint:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rillsoft-project": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "[email protected]", "http://127.0.0.1:3928/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop starts local servers only as a program; the mcp-remote bridge passes the requests on to Rillsoft Project and needs Node.js. Open the file via Settings → Developer → Edit Config, then restart Claude Desktop. Check: under Developer, rillsoft-project shows as running.

Verified on 12 Oct 2026, Claude Desktop 2.31226 (Windows)

Quit and restart Claude Desktop after saving the configuration. Under Developer, confirm that rillsoft-project is connected. On its first run, npx may download the specified, pinned helper version. Changing that version would require a new verification.

Examples with an API key are in the Rillsoft MCP client configurations. Use the example for your client: the Code and Desktop formats are not interchangeable.

3. First read-only query and expected result

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Give Claude this instruction:

Read the open project with rillsoft_project_tree_get. State its name and top-level subprojects. Then read its open conflicts with rillsoft_project_conflict_list and summarise them by category. Do not change or save anything.

The corresponding tool arguments are:

{"name":"rillsoft_project_tree_get","arguments":{}}
{"name":"rillsoft_project_conflict_list","arguments":{}}

Each line is a separate tools/call parameter object, not a JSON-RPC batch. Claude handles the MCP handshake. The tree contains structure, names and UUIDs; the conflict list reports conflicts in the open plan. There is no universal expected conflict count: it depends on the file, status date and changes.

Compare the reported project name and top-level subprojects with the Gantt chart, and the conflict categories with the conflict list in Rillsoft Project. An answer about another project, or an answer without a tool call, is not a successful connection check. This query requires neither write access nor saving. Proceed to planning analysis only after this check.

If the connection fails

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The reference for errors, undo and safe writes distinguishes connection errors, application rejections and uncertain write outcomes.

Next steps and evidence

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Next, check resource capacity with MCP or follow the project creation and modification examples on a copy. Get started covers other clients.

Sources reviewed on 19 October 2026: client configurations and connection checks from 12 October 2026; tool arguments from the generated catalogue, build 10.0.626. Reviewing configuration is not a new runtime test of every client version. The client blocks above are generated from the existing setup data.

Product version

Rillsoft Project 10.0.625; Claude Code 2.1.296 / Desktop 2.31226

Last verified

2026-10-12