# Does LM Studio have an MCP server?

**Sort of — Community only.** LM Studio does not maintain an official MCP server. Community-built servers exist.

> Since 0.3.17, LM Studio is an MCP host: it connects to MCP servers but doesn't ship one of its own.

## Facts

- Verdict: Community only (Sort of)
- Access: Local server — Runs on your machine over stdio, launched by your MCP client.
- Repository: [infinitimeless/LMStudio-MCP](https://github.com/infinitimeless/LMStudio-MCP) — ★ 169, last push 2026-04-10, MIT
- Maintainer: Infinitimeless
- Language: Python
- Category: [Developer Tools](https://mcpyet.com/category/developer-tools/)
- Verified against vendor docs: 2026-09-29
- GitHub data refreshed: 2026-09-29 (re-checked every 6 hours)

## What it does

> A Model Control Protocol (MCP) server that allows Claude to communicate with locally running LLM models via LM Studio.
> — how [infinitimeless/LMStudio-MCP](https://github.com/infinitimeless/LMStudio-MCP) describes itself

## The receipts

- **Top community server:** [infinitimeless/LMStudio-MCP](https://github.com/infinitimeless/LMStudio-MCP) — ★ 169, pushed 2026-04-10, MIT (maintained)

## How to connect it

Runs on your machine over stdio, launched by your MCP client.

### Claude Code

```sh
claude mcp add lmstudio -- npx -y <package-from-readme>
```

Swap in the exact package and flags from the repo README — most servers need an API key passed as an environment variable. Add `--scope user` to make it available in every project.

### Claude Desktop

Open **Settings → Developer → Edit Config** and add the server to `claude_desktop_config.json`, then restart Claude Desktop:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "lmstudio": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "<package-from-readme>"
      ],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "…"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

### Cursor

Add to `.cursor/mcp.json` in your project, or `~/.cursor/mcp.json` for every project:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "lmstudio": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "<package-from-readme>"
      ],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "…"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

Add to `.vscode/mcp.json`, then pick the server from Copilot's agent-mode tools menu:

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "lmstudio": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "<package-from-readme>"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### ChatGPT

ChatGPT connects to **remote servers only**, and this one runs on your machine. Either expose it through an MCP gateway that gives it a public URL, or use a client with native local support (Claude or Cursor).

## Before you connect this

A community server is unaudited third-party code that will hold your LM Studio API credentials and see whatever data they unlock. Independent research puts SSRF vulnerabilities in roughly a third of public MCP servers, and 41% ship with no authentication at all.

- Read the source before running it — especially any network calls it makes.
- Check who maintains it and whether commits are recent (this one: last push 2026-04-10).
- Issue a scoped, revocable API key rather than an account-wide token.
- Prefer read-only credentials until you trust it with writes.

## How we know

LM Studio's docs (lmstudio.ai/docs/app/mcp and /docs/developer/core/mcp) only cover using MCP servers from the app and its API. There is no LM Studio server in the lmstudio-ai GitHub org or the MCP Registry. The strongest dedicated community server is infinitimeless/LMStudio-MCP (~170 stars), which lets Claude call models running in a local LM Studio.

- GitHub data refreshed 2026-09-29, then every 6 hours.
- Vendor docs verified on 2026-09-29.
- Corrections: hello@mcpyet.com.

## Also in Developer Tools

- [Chrome DevTools](https://mcpyet.com/mcp/chrome-devtools.md) — Official (Yes)
- [Google AI Studio](https://mcpyet.com/mcp/google-ai-studio.md) — Community only (Sort of)
- [Serena](https://mcpyet.com/mcp/serena.md) — Official (Yes)
- [LangChain](https://mcpyet.com/mcp/langchain.md) — Official (Yes)
- [GitLab](https://mcpyet.com/mcp/gitlab.md) — Official (Yes)
- [n8n](https://mcpyet.com/mcp/n8n.md) — Official (Yes)

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Source: https://mcpyet.com/mcp/lm-studio/ — data refreshed 2026-09-29