ArcGIS Pro MCP Bridge

Control ArcGIS Pro from Claude Desktop using the Model Context Protocol (MCP).
Pure Python — no C#, no .NET SDK, no Visual Studio required.

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What It Does

Connects Claude Desktop (or any MCP client) to a live ArcGIS Pro session, enabling natural language control of:

• Add / remove layers (vector and raster)
• Run any ArcPy geoprocessing tool (buffer, clip, intersect, project, dissolve, and more)
• Check coordinate systems and reproject data
• Query and select features by attribute
• List layers, fields, feature classes, rasters, and tables
• Create layouts and export maps (PDF, PNG, JPG, TIF, SVG, EPS)
• Zoom to layers, toggle visibility, save projects
• Execute arbitrary ArcPy / arcpy.mp code

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Requirements

• ArcGIS Pro 3.x (tested on 3.6.1)
• Claude Desktop
• uv — lightweight Python package manager

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Setup

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/Geo2004/MCP-ArcGISPro.git

2. Install uv (if not already installed)

powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"

uv handles the mcp package dependency automatically — no manual pip install needed.

3. Configure Claude Desktop

Open your Claude Desktop config file and add the arcgis-pro entry under mcpServers.

Config file location:

Installation	Path
Standard installer	%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Windows Store (Microsoft Store)	%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc\LocalCache\Roaming\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Not sure which you have? Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Hit Edit Config Button.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "arcgis-pro": {
      "command": "C:/Users/<YourUsername>/.local/bin/uv.exe",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "C:/path/to/MCP-ArcGISPro",
        "run",
        "arcgis_mcp_server.py"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Replace <YourUsername> and the directory path with your actual values.

3. Start the bridge in ArcGIS Pro

Every session, before using Claude:

1. Open ArcGIS Pro and load a project (or create a new one)
2. Open a Map, Scene, or Globe so it is active
3. Go to the Analysis tab → click Python to open the Python window
4. Run:

exec(open(r"C:/path/to/MCP-ArcgisPro/pro_bridge.py").read())

You should see:

[MCP Bridge] Project cached: C:\path\to\your.aprx
[MCP Bridge] Running in background thread. IPC: C:\Users\..\.arcgis_mcp
[MCP Bridge] Python window is free.  To stop: _bridge_active = False

4. Restart Claude Desktop

Restart Claude Desktop after updating the config. The ArcGIS Pro tools will appear automatically.

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Usage

Just talk to Claude naturally. Examples:

"Add the roads shapefile from C:/data to the map"

"Check the coordinate system of parcels.shp and run a 500m buffer, dissolve all overlaps"

"List all layers in my current map"

"Export the layout as PNG to C:/output/map.png"

"Select all features where KECAMATAN = 'Semarang Tengah' and count them"

"Run a slope analysis on my DEM raster"

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Available Tools (30)

Category	Tools
Connection	ping
Project	get_project_info, save_project
Map	get_active_map_name, create_map
Layers	list_layers, add_vector_layer, add_raster_layer, remove_layer, zoom_to_layer, set_layer_visibility
Data	describe_data, list_directory, list_fields, get_layer_features, get_unique_values
Workspace	set_workspace, get_workspace, list_feature_classes, list_rasters, list_tables
Selection	select_by_attribute, clear_selection, count_features
Geoprocessing	run_geoprocessing (any arcpy tool by dotted name)
Layout & Export	list_layouts, create_layout, export_layout
Advanced	execute_python (arbitrary arcpy/arcpy.mp code)

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How It Works

Claude Desktop
    ↓  stdio (MCP)
arcgis_mcp_server.py   ← runs via uv, any Python
    ↓  file-based IPC  (~/.arcgis_mcp/)
pro_bridge.py          ← runs in ArcGIS Pro's Python window
    ↓  arcpy.mp API
ArcGIS Pro (live session)

The bridge uses file-based IPC (command / result JSON files in ~/.arcgis_mcp/) — no sockets, no named pipes, no compilation required.

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Known Limitations

• Opening a map view automatically is not possible via Python/ArcPy alone (requires ArcGIS Pro C# SDK). The user must open the map view manually once per session by double-clicking it in the Catalog pane. All other operations work without an open view.
• ArcGIS Online / Enterprise publishing is not yet implemented.
• Interactive editing (sketch tools, attribute forms) requires the ArcGIS Pro UI and cannot be automated.

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Stopping the Bridge

In the ArcGIS Pro Python window:

_bridge_active = False

Or simply close the Python window or restart ArcGIS Pro.

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License

MIT