sublime-mcp

MCP server for Sublime Text 4. Lets Claude Code (or any MCP client) read and control a running ST instance via a local HTTP bridge.

58 tools covering reading, navigation, editing, searching, build, Terminus integration, settings, layout, and live Python scripting.

Architecture

Claude Code (MCP client)
        │  stdio / MCP protocol
        ▼
  mcp_server.py          ← Python process you run outside ST
        │  HTTP  127.0.0.1:9500
        ▼
  sublime_mcp.py         ← ST plugin, HTTP server on ST's main thread
        │  sublime API
        ▼
  Sublime Text 4

File	Role
sublime_mcp.py	ST plugin — runs an HTTP server inside Sublime Text
mcp_server.py	MCP server — wraps the HTTP API for MCP clients

Installation

1. Install the ST plugin

Copy sublime_mcp.py to your Sublime Text Packages/User/ folder:

%APPDATA%\Sublime Text\Packages\User\sublime_mcp.py

ST loads it automatically on start (or via Tools › Developer › New Plugin… then save over it). You should see:

sublime-mcp: listening on 127.0.0.1:9500

in the ST console (View › Show Console).

2. Install the MCP server

pip install sublime-mcp

3. Register with Claude Code

Add to ~/.claude/settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sublime": {
      "command": "sublime-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Then restart Claude Code. Tools will appear with the mcp__sublime__ prefix.

Then restart Claude Code. Tools will appear with the mcp__sublime__ prefix.

Tools

Read / Introspect

Tool	Description
get_active_file	Path, full content, cursor line/col, dirty flag, and syntax name
get_selection	Current selection(s): text and begin/end line+col for each
get_cursor_context	lines lines above and below cursor, with 1-based line numbers prepended
get_open_files	All files open in the current window (path, name, is_dirty)
get_project_folders	Project root folder paths
get_file_content	Full content of any already-open file by path
get_view_content	Full content of any open tab by name (partial match). Works for Terminus tabs and nameless views
get_view_size	Total character count of any open tab. Use to compute offsets before get_view_chars
get_view_chars	Text at character offsets begin..end (0-based, end exclusive). Clamps to buffer bounds
get_view_phantoms	Phantom HTML and extracted plain text from a named view; filters by phantom key
get_output_panel	Text content of a named output panel. Omit name for the active panel; name='exec' for build output
get_active_panel	Active panel id and, if it is an output panel, its content
get_symbols	All symbols (functions, classes, etc.) in the active file with line numbers
lookup_symbol	Find where a symbol is defined across all open files
get_project_data	Raw .sublime-project JSON for the current project
get_variables	ST build variables: $file, $project_path, $platform, etc.
get_command_palette	Command Palette entries from installed *.sublime-commands resources; filterable by package, command, or caption
get_commands	Runnable command ids from loaded command classes, optionally merged with palette metadata
get_menu_items	Menu items from *.sublime-menu resources; filterable by menu filename, caption, or command
get_syntaxes	All syntax definitions available in ST (name + path)
get_scope_at_cursor	Full syntax scope string at the cursor position
get_word_at_cursor	Word under the cursor and its line/col
get_bookmarks	All bookmarked positions in the active file
get_line_count	Total number of lines in the active file
get_encoding	Character encoding of the active file
get_setting	A ST setting by key. scope='view' (default) or 'window'
get_layout	Current window layout (groups, cells) and which files are in each group

Navigate

Tool	Description
open_file	Open a file, optionally jumping to a specific line and column
goto_line	Move cursor to line (and optional column) in the active file
show_panel	Bring an output panel to the front. Default name='exec' for the build panel
focus_group	Move focus to a pane group by 0-based index

Edit

Tool	Description
replace_selection	Replace the current selection(s) with text
replace_lines	Replace lines begin..end (inclusive, 1-based) in the active file
insert_snippet	Insert at the cursor using ST snippet syntax ($1 for tab stops, etc.)
duplicate_line	Duplicate the current line(s)
toggle_comment	Toggle line comment, or block comment if block=True
sort_lines	Sort selected lines, or all lines if nothing is selected
select_lines	Select lines begin..end (1-based, inclusive)
fold_lines	Fold (collapse) lines begin..end in the active file
undo	Undo the last edit
redo	Redo the last undone edit
run_command	Run any ST command with optional args. scope='window' (default) or 'view'

Search

Tool	Description
find_in_file	Find all occurrences of a pattern in the active file. Returns {line, col, text} list
find_in_files	Search across project folders (or a supplied list). Skips .git, __pycache__, node_modules, .venv. Returns {path, line, match} list, capped at max_results (default 200)

File / Project

Tool	Description
save_file	Save the active file
save_all	Save all open files
close_file	Close a file by path, or the active file if path is omitted
revert_file	Revert the active file to its last saved state
add_folder	Add a folder to the current project (no-op if already present)
remove_folder	Remove a folder from the current project by path

Syntax / Encoding

Tool	Description
set_syntax	Set the syntax of the active file by name (case-insensitive partial match)
set_encoding	Set the character encoding of the active file (e.g. 'UTF-8', 'Western (Windows 1252)')

Settings / Window

Tool	Description
set_setting	Set a ST setting by key. scope='view' (default) or 'window'
toggle_sidebar	Show or hide the sidebar
set_layout	Set the window pane layout. Accepts a ST layout dict with cols, rows, cells
set_status	Write a message to ST's status bar

Build

Tool	Description
run_build	Trigger the current build system, or pass cmd/shell_cmd + working_dir for a custom command

Terminus Integration

Terminus is a popular ST terminal package. send_to_view is Terminus-aware: when targeting a Terminus tab it uses terminus_send_string to type text into the terminal session rather than inserting into a buffer.

Tool	Description
send_to_view	Send a string to any open tab by name. For Terminus tabs, types the text as if the user typed it. Include a trailing \n to execute a command

Scripting

Tool	Description
eval_python	Execute arbitrary Python in ST's main thread. Locals available: sublime, window, view, print. Returns captured stdout in output

Configuration

Port

Default is 9500. To change it, edit _PORT in sublime_mcp.py and BASE in mcp_server.py.

Timeout

The MCP server waits up to 10 seconds for each HTTP response. Edit TIMEOUT in mcp_server.py if you need longer (e.g. for slow eval_python calls).

Security note

The HTTP server binds to 127.0.0.1 only and accepts any request without authentication. Do not expose port 9500 to a network interface.

Requirements

• Sublime Text 4
• Python 3.10+ (for the MCP server process)
• pip install mcp httpx
• Terminus package (optional, required only for send_to_view on terminal tabs)