CorelDRAW Live MCP

Control the exact document already open in CorelDRAW through the Model Context Protocol. Version 0.2.2 focuses on safe live editing, predictable coordinates, atomic undo, and cross-model reliability.

Windows-only: CorelDRAW automation uses the local COM API. The MCP server must run on the same Windows computer as CorelDRAW.

Supported usage scope: This project is intended only for desktop applications and local CLI agents that support user-configured/custom MCP servers—for example Claude Desktop and compatible desktop/CLI clients such as Antigravity. It is not designed for browser-only AI websites that cannot start or connect to a local custom MCP server. A desktop ChatGPT client is supported only when that specific app/version provides custom local MCP configuration.

What changed in 0.2.2

• Attaches to an existing CorelDRAW process by default; it will not silently launch a second instance.
• Binds every edit to an explicit document session.
• Uses one public coordinate system: page top-left, Y downward, millimetres.
• Applies related changes atomically as one CorelDRAW Undo command.
• Detects both stale agent revisions and external document changes before editing.
• Prevents preview/export from overwriting files unless overwrite=true.
• Keeps hidden and non-printable layers unchanged during preview and export.
• Lazily reconnects when CorelDRAW starts after the MCP server.
• Separates live edit, create, save, Save As, preview, and export.
• Exposes a compact 14-tool MCP catalog instead of 70+ overlapping tools.
• Fixes nested COM-thread deadlocks and double Y-coordinate conversion.

See the phased implementation document for completed and planned phases. Use the manual Windows/CorelDRAW test plan before production use.

Requirements

• Windows 10/11
• CorelDRAW X6 or newer; certify your exact version before production use
• 64-bit Python 3.11–3.13 recommended
• Python bitness matching CorelDRAW

Install

py -3.12 -m venv .venv
.\.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
python -m pip install --upgrade pip
pip install -r requirements.txt

Optional features are separate so MCP-only users do not install heavy agent and data-processing packages:

pip install ".[agent]"       # Streamlit + bundled LLM agent
pip install ".[datamerge]"   # Excel, barcode and image helpers
pip install ".[https]"       # Optional local HTTPS wrapper
pip install ".[all]"         # Everything

Start CorelDRAW and open the document you want to edit before starting the server.

$env:COREL_ATTACH_POLICY = "existing_only"
python server\server.py --transport stdio

MCP client configuration

Replace the two example paths with paths on the user’s computer.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "coreldraw-live": {
      "command": "C:\\path\\to\\coreldraw-mcp\\.venv\\Scripts\\python.exe",
      "args": [