Originlab MCP

[!WARNING] Early v0.2 release - this project is still under active development. Features and APIs may change. It is suitable for testing and feedback, but not recommended for production use yet.

What Is OriginLab MCP Server?

OriginLab MCP Server is a bridge between AI clients and OriginLab. It lets you import data, create plots, customize figures, run analysis, and export results through natural-language requests instead of manually operating the Origin UI.

User: Import experiment.csv from my desktop into Origin, use the first column as X
      and the second column as Y, create a scatter plot, run a Gaussian fit,
      then export the graph as PNG.

AI: Done.
    Imported experiment.csv -> Sheet1 (200 rows x 5 columns)
    Created scatter plot -> Graph1
    Gaussian fit completed -> xc=2.35, w=0.82, A=156.3, R²=0.9987
    Exported -> C:\Users\Desktop\Graph1.png

How It Works

AI Client (Antigravity / Claude / Cursor)
       ↓ MCP over stdio
OriginLab MCP Server (Python)
       ↓ originpro + COM
OriginLab

Requirements

Quick Start

For AI assistants or one-command local setup, run this from the repository root:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\install-and-open.ps1

The script installs uv if needed, runs uv sync, starts the local status panel, and opens http://127.0.0.1:8765/ automatically. From that page you can test Origin and write MCP client configs.

Choose one installation method.

1. Install uv

irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex

2. Install dependencies

cd C:\path\to\originlab-mcp
uv sync

3. Start the server

uv run originlab-mcp

1. Create a virtual environment (optional but recommended)

cd C:\path\to\originlab-mcp
python -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\activate

2. Install the project

pip install -e .

3. Start the server

originlab-mcp

After startup, the server waits for MCP client requests over stdio. The first tool call automatically connects to the local OriginLab installation.

Optional: Local Status Panel

To check whether the MCP server can start, whether Origin can be reached, and whether common client config files exist, start the local UI:

uv run originlab-mcp-ui

Then open http://127.0.0.1:8765/. This page can start/stop a debug MCP server subprocess, test the Origin connection, and write the originlab MCP configuration for Antigravity / Gemini, Cursor, Codex, Trae, and Claude Desktop. For normal use, the AI client should still start the server automatically from its configuration.

When updating an existing config file, the UI creates a .bak-timestamp backup first. To prevent the browser from opening automatically:

$env:ORIGINLAB_MCP_UI_NO_BROWSER = "1"
uv run originlab-mcp-ui

Features

The server provides 65 tools covering the OriginLab data workflow.

Data Management (14 Tools)

Plotting (11 Tools)

Graph Customization (25 Tools)

Analysis (3 Tools)

linear_fit · nonlinear_fit · list_fit_functions

Common Origin fit functions such as Gauss, Lorentz, ExpDec1, and Boltzmann are supported. You can provide initial parameters, fix parameters, and fit with error bars.

Export and Project Management (6 Tools)

export_graph · export_all_graphs · export_worksheet_to_csv · save_project · open_project · new_project

System Management (4 Tools)

get_origin_info · release_origin · reconnect_origin · close_origin

Advanced (2 Tools)

execute_labtalk · get_labtalk_variable

execute_labtalk is an escape hatch for operations not covered by standard tools. get_labtalk_variable safely reads LabTalk variable values.

Examples

apply_publication_style supports layer_index, axis-title font size, tick-label font size, legend font size, major tick length, minor tick count, line width, symbol size, and other common publication-figure settings.

Typical workflow:

Import data -> inspect structure -> set column designations -> create plot -> customize graph -> run analysis -> export results

Client Configuration

[!NOTE] You do not need to start the MCP server manually. Once configured, the AI client starts the server process when needed and communicates with it over stdin/stdout.

Replace paths with your actual project path.

You can also run uv run originlab-mcp-ui, choose a client in the local status panel, and let it write the config automatically. Manual examples are shown below.

Antigravity (Gemini) - Recommended

Create .gemini/settings.json in the project root.

Using uv:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "originlab": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["--directory", "C:\\path\\to\\originlab-mcp", "run", "originlab-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Using pip:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "originlab": {
      "command": "C:\\path\\to\\originlab-mcp\\.venv\\Scripts\\originlab-mcp.exe"
    }
  }
}

Edit %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json using the same format as above.

Create .cursor/mcp.json in the project root using the same format as above.

Create .trae/mcp.json in the project root using the same format as above.

Create .codex/config.json in the project root using the same format as above.

Testing

# uv
uv run python -m pytest tests/ -v

# pip, after activating the virtual environment
pytest tests/ -v

The basic test suite does not require OriginLab to be installed.

Project Structure

originlab-mcp/
├── pyproject.toml                # Project configuration and dependencies
├── CHANGELOG.md                  # Release notes
├── scripts/
│   └── install-and-open.ps1      # One-command setup and UI launcher
├── src/originlab_mcp/
│   ├── server.py                 # MCP server entry point and dependency injection
│   ├── ui.py                     # Local status panel
│   ├── origin_manager.py         # Thread-safe Origin COM connection manager
│   ├── exceptions.py             # Custom exceptions
│   ├── types.py                  # Protocol type definitions
│   ├── tools/
│   │   ├── data.py               # Data import and worksheet management (14)
│   │   ├── plot.py               # Plot creation and graph management (11)
│   │   ├── customize.py          # Graph customization (25)
│   │   ├── analysis.py           # Linear and nonlinear fitting (3)
│   │   ├── export.py             # Export and project management (6)
│   │   ├── system.py             # System and connection management (4)
│   │   └── advanced.py           # LabTalk escape hatch (2)
│   └── utils/
│       ├── constants.py          # Enums, defaults, and fit-function metadata
│       ├── helpers.py            # Graph/sheet resolution and error handling helpers
│       └── validators.py         # Input validation and standard response builders
└── tests/
    ├── test_helpers.py           # Helper tests
    ├── test_phase3.py            # LabTalk safety and resolve-pattern tests
    ├── test_tools.py             # Tool registration and integration tests
    └── test_ui.py                # Local status panel config tests

FAQ

Check that:

• OriginLab 2021 or later is installed locally
• You have a valid OriginLab license
• The current user can start Origin
• No other program is blocking the Origin COM interface

1. Confirm the client configuration path is correct.
2. Confirm dependencies are installed with uv sync or pip install -e ..
3. Restart the MCP client.

1. Check for outliers with get_worksheet_data.
2. Provide better initial values through initial_params.
3. Fix known parameters with fixed_params.
4. Confirm that the fit function is appropriate. Use list_fit_functions to inspect common options.

License

MIT © 2025 garethbeaumo