tiacommander-mcp

# TiaCommander — MCP Server for Siemens TIA Portal

| | |
|---|---|
| **Version** | 3.42.0 |
| **Protocol** | MCP 2024-11-05 (stdio) |
| **Runtime** | .NET Framework 4.8 |
| **TIA Portal** | V17 – V20 (Openness API, tested on V19) |
| **License** | Proprietary (free beta) |

**New in this release:** a new `technology_objects` tool — 15 actions for listing and reading technology objects, changing parameters, structural edits, export/import, and connecting an object to its hardware; per-project PLC credentials with a new Credentials tab in the Manager — a project's own password is tried first, a global one is the fallback; transactional block overwrites — the block is exported before the import and restored if the import fails, and overwrites no longer lose attributes, block numbers or folder placement; and compiler results that list only real diagnostics, so totals always match the compiler's own count. Dozens more fixes and improvements since v3.15.2 — see `CHANGELOG.md` for the full list.

*\*V17 through V20 are supported for project work. V16 and older are detected and refused with a clear message. Only V19 is fully tested; the others are expected to work as TIA Portal maintains backward-compatible Openness APIs across versions.*


---

## Overview

TiaCommander is an MCP server that connects AI assistants to Siemens TIA Portal via the Openness API. It enables AI-assisted PLC programming, project management, library operations, hardware configuration, cross-reference analysis, and deployment — all through natural language.

**Tested AI clients:** Claude Desktop, Claude Code, VS Code (Copilot), Cursor, Windsurf, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI.

**19 tools, 230 actions** covering the full TIA Portal project lifecycle.

| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| `admin` | Server administration, usage stats, export storage |
| `alarm_text` | Alarm texts and text lists, XLSX import / export |
| `blocks_read` | Read, inspect and export FB / FC / OB / DB blocks (XML, SCL) |
| `blocks_write` | Create and import blocks (SCL, LAD, FBD, STL) |
| `db` | Global and instance data-block members and values |
| `diagnostics` | Connection setup, online / offline compare, PLC state |
| `download_upload` | Compile-checked download to / upload from the PLC |
| `folders` | Navigate and organise the project-tree groups |
| `get_info` | Server capabilities and version |
| `hardware` | Device, rack / slot, network and I/O configuration |
| `library` | Master copies, library types, versioned instantiation |
| `live_data` | Live values and CPU diagnostics from the running controller |
| `open_manager` | Open the TiaCommander Manager window |
| `session` | Open, save, archive and switch projects; connection lifecycle |
| `tag` | PLC tag tables: create, edit, search, address assignment |
| `technology_objects` | Axes and other technology objects: read, tune, connect to hardware |
| `udt` | User-defined types: create, edit members, import / export |
| `watch` | Watch and force tables |
| `xref` | Cross-references: callers, unused blocks, orphaned instance DBs |

---

## What's in the download?

```
TiaCommander-v3.42.0-portable/
├── bridge/                              ← Live PLC data helper (S7CommPlus / TLS)
│   ├── libcrypto-3-x64.dll
│   ├── libssl-3-x64.dll
│   ├── S7CommPlusDriver.dll
│   ├── TiaCommander.S7Bridge.exe
│   ├── TiaCommander.S7Classic.dll
│   └── zlib.net.dll
├── data/
│   └── exports/                         ← Export output folders
│       ├── alarm_text/
│       ├── hardware/
│       ├── tag/
│       └── watch/
├── docs/
│   ├── configs/
│   │   ├── claude_code.txt
│   │   ├── claude_desktop_config.json
│   │   ├── codex_cli_config.toml
│   │   ├── cursor_mcp.json
│   │   ├── gemini_cli_settings.json
│   │   ├── generic_stdio.json
│   │   ├── vscode_copilot_mcp.json
│   │   └── windsurf_mcp_config.json
│   ├── 1-QUICKSTART.md
│   ├── KNOWN_LIMITATIONS.md
│   ├── LICENSE.txt
│   ├── README.md
│   └── THIRD-PARTY.md
├── help/
│   ├── github-offline.html
│   └── readme-offline.html
├── licenses/                            ← Full third-party licence texts
│   ├── Apache-2.0.txt
│   ├── BSD-3-Clause.txt
│   ├── GPL-3.0.txt
│   ├── LGPL-3.0.txt
│   ├── Microsoft-WebView2-SDK.txt
│   ├── MIT.txt
│   └── Polyform-Noncommercial-1.0.0.txt
├── Resources/
│   ├── logoBlack.png
│   └── tiacommander.png
├── runtimes/                            ← WebView2 native loaders
│   ├── win-x64/native/WebView2Loader.dll
│   ├── win-x86/native/WebView2Loader.dll
│   └── win-arm64/native/WebView2Loader.dll
├── Templates/                           ← Block XML, alarm & diagnostics templates
│   ├── diagnostics/
│   │   ├── TC_Diag_1200.xml
│   │   └── TC_DiagOB.xml
│   ├── Fb.xml
│   ├── Fc.xml
│   ├── GlobalDb.xml
│   ├── Ob.xml
│   ├── Ob_FBD.xml
│   ├── Ob_LAD.xml
│   ├── Ob_SCL.xml
│   └── TextListTemplate.xlsx
├── x64/                                 ← SQLite native library (64-bit)
│   └── SQLite.Interop.dll
├── x86/                                 ← SQLite native library (32-bit)
│   └── SQLite.Interop.dll
├── CHANGELOG.md
├── EPPlus.dll
├── EPPlus.Interfaces.dll
├── icon.png
├── manifest.json
├── Microsoft.Bcl.AsyncInterfaces.dll
├── Microsoft.IO.RecyclableMemoryStream.dll
├── Microsoft.Web.WebView2.Core.dll
├── Microsoft.Web.WebView2.WinForms.dll
├── System.Buffers.dll
├── System.ComponentModel.Annotations.dll
├── System.Data.SQLite.dll
├── System.IO.Pipelines.dll
├── System.Memory.dll
├── System.Numerics.Vectors.dll
├── System.Runtime.CompilerServices.Unsafe.dll
├── System.Security.Cryptography.Xml.dll
├── System.Text.Encodings.Web.dll
├── System.Text.Json.dll
├── System.Threading.Tasks.Extensions.dll
├── THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.md
├── TiaCommander.exe                     ← MCP server + Manager GUI
└── TiaCommander.exe.config
```


No installer, no registry changes, no system modifications. Extract, configure, and run. Download the latest `.zip` from [GitHub Releases](https://github.com/a4webdev/tiacommander-mcp/releases).

**Claude Desktop users:** Download the `.mcpb` bundle from [Releases](https://github.com/a4webdev/tiacommander-mcp/releases/latest) and install via Settings → Extensions → Advanced Settings → Install Extension. No config file editing needed. See the [Quick Start Guide](docs/1-QUICKSTART.md) for details.

> **Prerequisite:** [Siemens TIA Portal](https://www.siemens.com/tia-portal) V17 or later must be installed on your machine with the **Openness** component enabled. TiaCommander loads Siemens Openness libraries directly from your TIA Portal installation at runtime. Without TIA Portal, the server starts in **degraded mode** with limited functionality and guides you through setup.

---

## Why this tool exists?

First things first — we are software developers and automation engineers who use Siemens products daily — in our own facilities, at client sites, and in every project that needs industrial automation. We love it. With Siemens, it's simple — it just works. Every time. All the time.

During years of hands-on programming, wiring, testing, debugging and making things happen with Siemens PLCs, we have built TiaCommander just for our own internal needs. That's the honest reason why it exists — we built it for ourselves, and we find it awesome. It speeds things up tenfold, sometimes twentyfold, and sometimes more — until you ask yourself: how the hell were we getting things done before?!

You can get full project context through your AI assistant in under a minute. Create any block in seconds — SCL, LAD, FBD, DB — get interface structures, build multi-instance DBs, run cross-references, compile, debug, retrieve errors, and a lot more.

Every tool you see in the tool map below is built from what we actually need or use in our daily operations with Siemens PLCs. Whether you're working with S7-1200 or S7-1500 series — it doesn't matter. If Siemens TIA Portal supports it, you can use TiaCommander to manage it.

Now that we're making this tool public — we're genuinely keen on what features you're missing for your development workflow. Don't be shy — submit a feature request, file a bug report, or just tell us what you think. As an Engineer to Engineer — we read every line of feedback.

Enjoy TiaCommander.

---

## Architecture

```
AI Clients
  Claude Desktop / Code · Cursor · VS Code / Copilot · Windsurf · Codex CLI · Gemini CLI
    │
    │  JSON-RPC 2.0 · stdio
    ▼
TiaCommander MCP Server
  19 tools · 230 actions · standalone I/O · .NET Framework 4.8
    │
    │  Siemens Openness API
    ▼
TIA Portal  (V17 – V20*, tested on V19)
    │
    ▼
S7-1200 · S7-1500 · S7-300 · S7-400 · ET 200
```

---

## Tool Map

| Tool / Action | # | Description |
|---|---|---|
| **`admin`** | **13** | **Server administration** |
|     `clear_exports` | | (optional olderThanHours=24) Delete expired exports. |
|     `delete_export` | | (exportId) Delete a single export. |
|     `get_device_profiles` | | All unique devices seen by the server. |
|     `get_export` | | (exportId; optional offset, length, raw=false) Retrieve export content with paging. raw=true returns content only, no metadata header. |
|     `get_recent_errors` | | (optional count=10) Last N failed tool calls with device/firmware context. |
|     `get_system_info` | | OS, .NET version, TIA Portal version, process uptime. |
|     `get_stats` | | (optional top_n=20) Call statistics per tool+action, sorted by total calls. |
|     `get_version` | | Server version, DB path, DB size. |
|     `list_exports` | | (optional tool, limit=20) Recent export results stored in export DB. |
|     `open_file` | | (filePath) Open a file using the Windows default application (Excel for .xlsx, browser for .html, etc.). Use after any export action to let the user inspect results immediately. |
|    &nbs