@yodolabs/plateau-creative-mcp

An MCP server that turns Project PLATEAU's 3D city data into scene-editing and glTF export tools for creative LLM agents.

npm License: MIT Data: CC BY 4.0 Node

English · 日本語

This server exposes tools. Orchestration is your LLM's job — point Claude / Cursor / any MCP client at this server alongside Blender MCP / Unity MCP / Unreal MCP and let it compose the workflow.

PLATEAU has an official MCP server for data access (catalog, specs, CityGML, attributes). This one fills the missing creation, scene-editing, and DCC export layer: load a Tokyo neighbourhood, delete every skyscraper, scale a block to 3× height, and emit a .glb ready for Blender / Unity / Unreal — all driven by tool calls.

flowchart LR
  CLIENT["Claude / Cursor<br/>(any MCP client)"] -->|tool calls| MCP["plateau-creative-mcp"]
  MCP -->|download_area| DATA["plateau-bridge<br/>artifact index + bundles"]
  MCP -->|"load → filter → edit"| SCENE["scene_id<br/>(in-memory)"]
  MCP -->|export_glb| OUT[".glb + LICENSE.txt"]
  OUT --> DCC["Blender / Unity / Unreal"]

Status

v0.1.0 — first public release. 10 MCP tools (incl. on-demand artifact download — no data clone needed), polygon footprint extrusion with mesh merging, single-GLB export ≤ 1 km² (≈40% gltf-transform compression) with a scene_manifest 3D Tiles fallback for larger areas, three data-access modes (TS+duckdb artifact / Python subprocess / upstream MCP via JSON-RPC), Overpass POI linking, and an optional cross-MCP bridge to BlenderMCP. Vendor-neutral over MCP — Claude, Cursor, any client works.

Tools

Tool Purpose
download_area Fetch + cache a prebuilt city bundle from the plateau-bridge artifact index (resolves the slug, downloads the .tar.zst, verifies sha256, extracts buildings.parquet + manifest.json), so load_area works without cloning the data pipeline.
load_area Load a city + bbox + LOD into a new scene_id.
filter_buildings Query building_uid[] inside a scene by height / year / use / zoning / flood depth.
delete_buildings Counterfactual edits — mark buildings as removed.
extrude_buildings Scale heights by a factor.
compose_scene Set render hints (time of day, weather, camera).
export_glb Emit a .glb (single_glb, real geometry from the parquet) or a scene_manifest referencing 3D Tiles. scene_manifest tile enrichment needs locally-built 3D Tiles; downloaded cities get a tile-less manifest (edits + bbox + attribution) plus a tileset_note.
link_buildings_to_pois Associate buildings with nearby OSM POIs (Overpass).
get_attribution Full dataset / license / URL metadata for a scene.
render_via_blender Export the scene as GLB and (optionally) bridge to a BlenderMCP-compatible HTTP MCP server via JSON-RPC. Dry-run returns the suggested cross-MCP call sequence instead.

When PLATEAU_UPSTREAM_ENABLED=true, the server also exposes 13 tools proxied from the official Project PLATEAU MCP server: plateau_spec_outline, plateau_spec_read, plateau_get_metadata, plateau_search_areas, plateau_get_area, plateau_search_datasets, plateau_get_dataset, plateau_list_dataset_types, plateau_citygml_get_attributes, plateau_citygml_get_features, plateau_citygml_get_geoid_height, plateau_get_citygml_files, plateau_explain_spatial_id. The LLM client sees 23 tools in a single catalog, with no need to wire two separate MCP servers.

Every tool returns { result, attribution_metadata }. export_glb writes asset.extras.attribution into the GLB and a LICENSE.txt next to it. You must keep that attribution in any derived video, image, or asset.

Quickstart

npm install
npm run build

There are two ways to get city data in place.

Option A — zero setup (recommended)

Don't clone the data pipeline at all. Out of the box the server reads the public plateau-bridge artifact index, so download_area works with no configuration — it fetches the prebuilt bundle for a city, verifies its sha256, and caches it locally:

export PLATEAU_AUTO_DOWNLOAD=true     # load_area auto-fetches a missing city (optional)
export PLATEAU_OUTPUT_DIR=./out
npx @yodolabs/plateau-creative-mcp             # stdio MCP server

Call download_area(city="shibuya") once (or set PLATEAU_AUTO_DOWNLOAD=true and just call load_area, which fetches a missing city first). Only buildings.parquet + manifest.json are extracted; bundles cache under PLATEAU_ARTIFACT_DIR (default ~/.cache/plateau-creative-mcp/artifacts), so each city downloads only once. Point PLATEAU_ARTIFACT_INDEX_URL at a different index to use your own mirror.

Downloaded bundles do not include 3D Tiles (they are gigabytes per city). Everything works from the parquet — load_area, all edits, and export_glb single_glb (real geometry, ≤ 1 km² / ≤ 5000 buildings). Only scene_manifest export loses its tile references for downloaded cities (it still emits the edit list, bbox, and attribution, with a tileset_note telling you to narrow to single_glb or run a local build). For full-geometry exports of larger areas, use Option B with a local build.

For Claude Desktop, add to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "plateau-creative": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@yodolabs/plateau-creative-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "PLATEAU_AUTO_DOWNLOAD": "true",
        "PLATEAU_OUTPUT_DIR": "/Users/you/plateau-out"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option B — bring your own artifacts

If you already have plateau-bridge's out_<city>/ outputs, point straight at them:

export PLATEAU_ARTIFACT_DIR=/path/to/plateau-bridge
export PLATEAU_OUTPUT_DIR=./out
npx @yodolabs/plateau-creative-mcp        # stdio MCP server
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "plateau-creative": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@yodolabs/plateau-creative-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "PLATEAU_ARTIFACT_DIR": "/path/to/plateau-bridge",
        "PLATEAU_OUTPUT_DIR": "/Users/you/plateau-out"
      }
    }
  }
}

Smoke run without an MCP client:

npx tsx scripts/smoke-load-area.ts

Example workflows

1. Cyberpunk Shibuya flythrough (cross-MCP)

load_area(city="shibuya", bbox=[139.6975,35.6555,139.7045,35.6605], lod=2)
  -> compose_scene(time="19:30", weather="rain")
  -> export_glb()              # to ./out/<scene>_v3.glb
=> BlenderMCP: import_glb + cyberpunk shader + render
flowchart LR
  LLM(("LLM")) --> A["plateau-creative-mcp<br/>load · edit · export_glb"]
  LLM --> B["Blender MCP<br/>import · shade · render"]
  A -->|".glb + sidecar"| B

2. Tokyo without skyscrapers

load_area(...)
  -> filter_buildings({height_min: 100})
  -> delete_buildings(filter={height_min: 100})
  -> export_glb()

3. Office-tower draft (requires zoning fields in the artifact)

load_area(...)
  -> filter_buildings({zoning_use: ["commercial"], far_max_min: 400})
=> SketchUp MCP: design a new building inside those parcels

Architecture

src/
  server/   MCP protocol entry, tool registry, unified envelope
  tools/    10 MCP tool handlers
  schemas/  Zod schemas + JSON Schema export
  scene/    scene_id LRU + lock + optional disk persistence
  data/     Artifact (duckdb) access layer + on-demand bundle downloader
  export/   three.js scene builder + GLTFExporter + manifest fallback
  attribution/  Envelope wrapping, attribution merge
  rateLimit/    Token bucket per (client, tool)
  errors/   Stable error codes + AppError
  config/   Env-driven config
  utils/    ids, bbox, paths, logger
  • scene_id is the only shared state. All mutate / export tools must reference it. IDs are server-generated ULIDs.
  • building_uid is the single canonical reference. No gml_id or batch index alternates.
  • export_glb hard limits: ≤ 1 km² bbox and ≤ 5000 buildings for single_glb. Larger scenes return EXPORT_LIMIT_EXCEEDED with a suggestion to switch to scene_manifest.
  • Attribution is wrapped at the executor level — no handler can return a result without it.

Configuration

Env Default Meaning
PLATEAU_ARTIFACT_DIR ~/.cache/plateau-creative-mcp/artifacts Directory containing out_<city>/buildings.parquet. Defaults to a cache dir (where download_area writes); set it to point at an existing plateau-bridge checkout.
PLATEAU_ARTIFACT_INDEX_URL plateau-bridge distribution/index.json Cache index (JSON) listing each city's bundle URL + sha256. Defaults to the public mirror; override to use your own.
PLATEAU_ARTIFACT_DOWNLOAD_TIMEOUT_MS 300000 Per-download timeout in milliseconds (5s–30min).
PLATEAU_AUTO_DOWNLOAD false true makes load_area auto-fetch a missing city from the index before loading.
PLATEAU_OUTPUT_DIR ./out Where .glb / LICENSE.txt / manifests are written.
PLATEAU_DATA_MODE artifact artifact (TS + duckdb) or subprocess (Python helper).
PLATEAU_PYTHON_BIN python3 Python interpreter for subprocess mode (must have duckdb installed).
PLATEAU_SUBPROCESS_SCRIPT bundled python/plateau_query.py Override path to the JSON-stdio helper.
PLATEAU_SCENE_DIR ./.scene-store Disk dir when scene persistence is enabled.
PLATEAU_PERSIST_SCENES false true to serialize scenes to disk between calls.
PLATEAU_MAX_SCENES 64 LRU cap on in-memory scenes.
PLATEAU_SCENE_TTL_MS 3600000 Scene TTL in milliseconds.
OSM_OVERPASS_URL unset Set to enable link_buildings_to_pois (e.g. https://overpass-api.de/api/interpreter).
OSM_OVERPASS_TIMEOUT_MS 25000 Overpass request timeout.
PLATEAU_UPSTREAM_ENABLED false true registers 13 official plateau_* tools proxied to the hosted PLATEAU MCP.
OFFICIAL_PLATEAU_MCP_URL hosted default Override the official PLATEAU MCP endpoint (rare).

See .env.example for a copy-paste template.

Footprint geometry vs box fallback

Polygon extrusion via the DuckDB spatial extension is on by default; on first run the extension is auto-installed. If install/load fails (offline CI, restricted environment), the exporter cleanly falls back to centroid-anchored 12 m × 12 m boxes per building. available_attributes in load_area's response includes footprint_polygon when the high-fidelity path is active.

Mesh merging + sidecar index

single_glb exports merge every building into one BufferGeometry — one draw call, dramatically smaller GLB JSON overhead. To preserve per-building identity for downstream editing tools, each export writes a sidecar <basename>.buildings.json next to the GLB:

{
  "scene_id": "scene_01...",
  "version": 4,
  "merged": true,
  "total_triangles": 73482,
  "ranges": {
    "<building_uid>": [{"triangle_start": 0, "triangle_count": 18}]
  }
}

scene_manifest mode

When the export exceeds the single-GLB limits (1 km² / 5000 buildings) you can request mode: "scene_manifest". The manifest links the corresponding 3D Tiles tileset.json and enumerates the leaf tile content URIs whose bounding regions intersect the scene bbox — downstream consumers can lazy-load just the tiles they need:

{
  "scene_id": "scene_01...",
  "mode": "scene_manifest",
  "bbox": [139.69, 35.65, 139.72, 35.67],
  "tileset": "/abs/path/out_shibuya/3dtiles/tileset.json",
  "tileset_available": true,
  "tiles": [
    {
      "url": "/abs/path/out_shibuya/3dtiles/15/29096/4943_bldg_Building.glb",
      "relative_uri": "15/29096/4943_bldg_Building.glb",
      "bbox": [139.6984, 35.6577, 139.7060, 35.6644],
      "min_height_m": 39.3,
      "max_height_m": 332.3
    }
  ],
  "edits": { "deleted_building_uids": [], "extrusions": [] },
  "attribution": { "license": "CC BY 4.0" }
}

3D Tiles are produced by a local build and are not part of the on-demand download bundles. For downloaded cities, scene_manifest returns a tile-less manifest (edits + bbox + attribution) with a tileset_note.

POI linking

link_buildings_to_pois requires OSM_OVERPASS_URL. With it set, the tool POSTs an Overpass QL query for amenity / shop / office / tourism / leisure nodes inside the scene bbox, then matches each named POI to the nearest building centroid within max_distance_m. ODbL attribution is automatically merged into the returned envelope.

Out of scope (intentionally)

  • export_3dgs — Gaussian-splat round-trip is future work.
  • export_usd — a separate Isaac Sim project.
  • simulate_earthquake / simulate_flood — a separate risk-analysis effort.
  • Generic OSM querying — OSM-MCP territory.
  • Cross-MCP auto-orchestration — your LLM does that.

Attribution & license

  • Software: MIT (this repo).
  • Data: PLATEAU is CC BY 4.0 (© Project PLATEAU / MLIT). OSM POIs are ODbL 1.0.
  • Every tool response carries attribution_metadata. export_glb injects it into asset.extras.attribution and writes a LICENSE.txt next to the GLB. Keep that file alongside the GLB and credit PLATEAU in any derived video / screenshot.

GLB compression

Set options.compress: true on export_glb to apply the gltf-transform pipeline (dedup → weld → prune → quantize). Real-world numbers from a 0.4 km² Shibuya patch (507 buildings, 138k triangles): 9.94 MB → 6.05 MB (~40% reduction), no perceptible loss. Output uses the standard KHR_mesh_quantization extension — Blender, Unity, Unreal, and three.js all decode it natively.

Talking to upstream MCP servers

JsonRpcMcpClient is a minimal MCP-over-HTTP client (tools/list + tools/call) exposed as a building block for upstream integrations.

OfficialPlateauMcpClient is a typed wrapper around the official PLATEAU MCP server (hosted at https://api.plateauview.mlit.go.jp/mcp). It covers all 13 upstream tools:

  • Spec: specOutline, specRead
  • Catalog: getMetadata, searchAreas, getArea, searchDatasets, getDataset, listDatasetTypes
  • CityGML: citygmlGetAttributes, citygmlGetFeatures, citygmlGetGeoidHeight, getCityGmlFiles
  • Helper: explainSpatialId
import { OfficialPlateauMcpClient } from "@yodolabs/plateau-creative-mcp";

const upstream = new OfficialPlateauMcpClient();
const meta = await upstream.getMetadata();
const datasets = await upstream.searchDatasets({ area_codes: ["13113"], year: 2023 });

Response shapes use [k: string]: unknown index signatures because the upstream spec is still evolving — validate at the call site if you need strict types.

Examples

Reproducible workflow recipes live in examples/ — Claude Desktop prompts (examples/claude-prompts.md), Cursor .cursorrules (examples/cursor-rules.md), a Blender Python snippet showing the merged-GLB + sidecar handoff (examples/blender-mcp-handoff.py), and the full cyberpunk-Shibuya walkthrough (examples/cyberpunk-shibuya.md).

Contributing

Issues and PRs are welcome — see CONTRIBUTING.md. Run npm run lint && npm run typecheck && npm test before opening a PR.

What's included

10 own MCP tools + 13 proxied tools from the official PLATEAU MCP (combined 23-tool catalog when PLATEAU_UPSTREAM_ENABLED=true), on-demand artifact download (download_area + optional load_area auto-fetch) so no data clone is needed, polygon footprint extrusion (DuckDB spatial) with box fallback, mesh merging + sidecar identity index, GLB compression (~40% shrink), scene_manifest mode with 3D Tiles tile enrichment, Overpass POI linking, three data-access modes (TS+duckdb artifact / Python subprocess / upstream MCP-over-HTTP), and an allowlist-gated cross-MCP bridge to BlenderMCP-compatible servers.


Built by Yodo Labs — PixelX Inc. / ピクセルエックス株式会社

Built on top of plateau-bridge · Data © Project PLATEAU / MLIT (CC BY 4.0)

Questions: [email protected]