Embody MCP
Embody and Envoy: an MCP server embedded in TouchDesigner through which an agent builds and debugs live operator networks
- 219 ★ on the repository
- Last commit
- MIT
Extended access
Why this level
- The agent changes the live TouchDesigner session and writes project files to disk
- Convoy allows driving and starting other nodes, so enable it only on a trusted network
Install
- Works in
Manual install
Download the Embody `.tox` from the repository's release folder, drag it into a TouchDesigner project and go through the setup wizard choosing Envoy and your agent. Then check that `.mcp.json` appeared at the project root.
Access and checks
How we reviewExtended accessThe tool runs code or makes network calls and only reads external data.
- The agent changes the live TouchDesigner session and writes project files to disk
- Convoy allows driving and starting other nodes, so enable it only on a trusted network
This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
Embody is a toolkit for TouchDesigner. Envoy, its embedded MCP server, gives Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Gemini, Cursor and Windsurf direct access to a live session: 70 tools to create operators, wire them, change parameters and debug a network. The server runs on `127.0.0.1:9870` and writes `.mcp.json` at the project root by itself (a STDIO bridge, so tools are visible before TouchDesigner starts). Embody itself externalizes tagged operators to files on disk that mirror the network hierarchy, so you can branch ideas and restore yesterday's state. The TDXN format exports a network to readable YAML that an agent understands and that diffs cleanly. Convoy gives several Embody nodes on a trusted LAN a way to discover and drive each other.
Who it is for. Artists and interactive installation developers in TouchDesigner who want to build networks with an agent and keep them in version-controlled files.
Good fit when
- An agent builds a chain of operators for a video feed and sets parameters while you watch the network grow
- Two versions of a network need a diff, so it is exported to readable TDXN
- Two approaches to a project branch in files on disk and you return to yesterday's state
- A render node with no monitor is provisioned in one line and driven remotely from one agent session
Not a fit when
- You work without TouchDesigner: the tool embeds in the environment and is useless without it
- You need a TouchDesigner build older than 2025.33230: only newer builds are supported
- The network is too big to export wholesale: externalization works by tags and nothing is written without them
Example request
Build a chain of Movie File In, Level and Out in my project, set brightness to 1.2 and show the network structureMCP
- Transport
- stdio, http
- Authentication
- not required
Limitations
TouchDesigner 2025.33230 or newer on Windows or macOS is required. Embody is installed by downloading the `.tox` from the `/release` folder and dragging it into a project, after which a setup wizard opens. Externalization is tag-based: nothing is written to disk until an operator is tagged. In Export-on-Save mode the `.toe` file stays authoritative on open, while Roundtrip rebuilds TDXN networks from files. Convoy is intended for a trusted LAN. A Python environment is built per project and Embody updates itself by a button. The license is MIT.
How to disable. Turn off the Envoy Enable parameter in the Embody component and delete the entry from `.mcp.json`. The component is removed from the project, and externalized files stay on disk.
FAQ
How do I connect Envoy to Claude Code?
Drag the Embody `.tox` into a project and pick the assistant in the setup wizard. Envoy starts the server on `127.0.0.1:9870` and writes `.mcp.json` itself.
How many tools does Envoy have?
Seventy: they create, wire, configure and debug operators in a live network.
What is TDXN?
A format that exports a TouchDesigner network as a readable YAML file. An agent reads the screen from it, versions can be diffed and a network rebuilt.
What does Convoy do?
Convoy-enabled Embody nodes on a trusted LAN discover each other and one agent session relays builds, tests, saves and restarts to other machines.
Do I need to set up Python?
No, Embody builds a `.venv` matched to TouchDesigner's own interpreter and your packages can live in it too.
Discussion
No questions or reviews yet.
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README in short
The text describes four parts: Envoy, Embody, Convoy and TDXN. A quick start, the Envoy MCP server section, documentation and update notes follow.