Emacs MCP Server

What is Emacs MCP Server?

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that integrates LLMs with Emacs by generating and executing Emacs Lisp code. It uses emacsclient to communicate with a running Emacs process. Designed for users who want to combine AI-based code generation with Emacs workflows.

How to use Emacs MCP Server?

The project is managed with uv. Run uv sync to install dependencies and source .venv/bin/activate to activate the virtual environment. To run the server in the MCP inspector, use mcp dev emacs_mcp_server.py. For integration with Claude Desktop, run mcp install emacs_mcp_server.py and then edit claude_desktop_config.json to include your OPENAI_API_KEY and the full path to emacsclient.

Key features of Emacs MCP Server

• Generates Emacs Lisp code for a given task.
• Executes generated elisp in a running Emacs via emacsclient.
• Exposes two tools: generate_emacs_lisp_code and execute_emacs_lisp_code.
• Requires an OpenAI API key and a configured emacsclient path.
• Can be integrated with Claude Desktop or other MCP-compatible clients.

Use cases of Emacs MCP Server

• Generate elisp code to automate repetitive Emacs actions (e.g., buffer operations).
• Execute AI-generated elisp directly in an active Emacs session.
• Quickly prototype and test Emacs Lisp functions with LLM assistance.

FAQ from Emacs MCP Server

What dependencies are required?

You need Python with uv, the mcp and smartfunc packages, a running Emacs, and emacsclient installed and accessible.

How do I install the server for Claude Desktop?

Run mcp install emacs_mcp_server.py, then edit the generated `claude_desktop_config.json