almond-mcp
MCP server for Rhino 8: a semantic scene layer, curated asset libraries, and structural analysis with a 3D frame solver and EN 1990/1993 checks for agents driving Rhino.
What it does and how it connects
Almond is an MCP server for Rhino 8 built as a semantic layer around the application, so a language model can design with spatial awareness instead of blind script generation. It keeps a persistent scene ledger in SQLite (scenes, rooms, placed instances, delta-based revisions) so the model queries the current state instead of guessing it, and it ships curated asset libraries with spatial contracts: real catalogue dimensions plus an authored contract of anchor point, floor footprint, functional clearances, collision shape, and placement rules.
The Structure workspace runs Almond's own 3D frame solver: floor and placed-model loads, EN 1990 combinations, rigid and simple joints, stability (alpha-cr, sway imperfections, P-delta), EN 1993-1-1 member checks, per-curve sections, and an Almond Results panel for every member, support, and combination. Concrete, timber, and aluminium are indicative. The workspace can also run Karamba3D instead of the native solver. The 0.7.0-rc.2 pre-release carries the structural analysis work; stable 0.6.0 is published on Rhino Package Manager as almondbridge and on PyPI as almond-mcp.
Other coverage in the README includes script execution over a TCP bridge, structured retrieval (SQLite FTS5 plus an R-tree scene ledger), publishing into Chestnut, an object archive of generated models with embedded asset passports, daylight-linked lighting control, curtains and interior glass handling, and environmental analysis (climate, daylight, radiation, thermal comfort). The active IKEA catalogue and four supplier-specific MCP tools are retired.
The GitHub release v0.5.0 (2026-07-21) lags the README: stable 0.6.0 is published on Rhino Package Manager and 0.7.0-rc.2 is the structural analysis pre-release.
Alternatives
Compare side by side- ai-for-structural-engineers
Claude Code skills for Eurocode calculations and BIM tools, rather than an MCP server with a semantic scene layer for Rhino.
- PartCAD
A parametric CAD package for parts and assemblies, rather than an MCP server for Rhino 8.
- CADAM
A CAD agent workspace, rather than an MCP server with a semantic scene layer for Rhino.
Recurring errors it addresses
Error Index entries this tool is built to reduce or work around.
- a Rhino MCP bridge's start command launched the server through uv, and stopping only the uv parent could leave Python running while reporting a successful connection that was not real; loading the plugin also opened an unbound listener on port 5000.Error Index
- The almond-mcp cache kept a deleted member with a direct Scene link and could report an unobserved cached target as live.Error Index
- a headless Rhino.Inside worker behind an MCP server loaded a placeholder System.Management.dll, got a different device id, and Cloud Zoo licensing then voided every open desktop Rhino (McNeel RH-99363); the fix commits sat unpushed from Oct 22.Error Index
- The MCP tool's four-point surface rebuild kept only a face's corners, so a curved panel with coplanar corners (e.g. a cylinder section) was replaced by a flat surface instead of skipped.Error Index
- The Rhino MCP server silently never started on a Mac with no supported AI client installed: slot listing came back empty, commands timed out at 120 seconds, and nothing was logged.Error Index
Sources
Not verified
- Pricing: none stated on the repo.
- Real user voices: recent repo activity is the owner's own pull requests.
- A standalone vendor website: repo only.
Last verified November 6, 2026. Listings are informational. The evidence score measures public, verifiable evidence and is not an endorsement or a compatibility claim.