OriginLab MCP Server

<p align="center"> <h1 align="center">OriginLab MCP Server</h1> <p align="center"> <strong>Use AI as your OriginLab assistant</strong> </p> <p align="center"> Connect OriginLab data analysis and visualization to Antigravity, Claude, Cursor, and other AI clients through the <a href="https://modelcontextprotocol.io">Model Context Protocol</a>. </p> <p align="center"> <a href="https://github.com/garethbeaumo/originlab-mcp/blob/main/LICENSE"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-blue.svg" alt="License"></a> <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/python-3.10%2B-blue.svg" alt="Python"> <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/version-0.2.1-green.svg" alt="Version"> <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/platform-Windows-lightgrey.svg" alt="Platform"> <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/tools-65-orange.svg" alt="Tools"> </p> <p align="center"> <a href="#quick-start">Quick Start</a> · <a href="#features">Features</a> · <a href="#examples">Examples</a> · <a href="#client-configuration">Client Configuration</a> </p> <p align="center"> <a href="README.zh.md">简体中文</a> · English </p> </p>

[!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.

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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

Requirement	Details
Operating system	Windows
OriginLab	OriginLab 2021 or later with a valid license
Python	3.10+

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.

<details open> <summary><b>Option A: uv (recommended)</b></summary>

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

</details>

<details> <summary><b>Option B: pip</b></summary>

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

</details>

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)

Category	Tools
Import	import_csv · import_excel · import_data_from_text
Inspect	list_worksheets · get_worksheet_info · get_worksheet_data · get_cell_value
Edit	set_column_designations · set_column_labels · set_column_formula
Manage	add_worksheet · sort_worksheet · clear_worksheet · delete_columns

Plotting (11 Tools)

Category	Tools
Create	create_plot · create_double_y_plot
Modify	add_plot_to_graph · remove_plot_from_graph · change_plot_data · change_plot_type
Layers	add_graph_layer · group_plots
Inspect	list_graphs · list_graph_templates · get_graph_info

Graph Customization (25 Tools)

Category	Tools
Axes	set_axis_range · set_axis_scale · set_axis_step · set_axis_title
Lines	set_plot_line_style · set_plot_line_width
Fonts and ticks	set_graph_font · set_tick_style
Colors	set_plot_color · set_plot_colormap · set_plot_transparency
Symbols	set_plot_symbols · set_symbol_size · set_symbol_interior
Group increments	set_color_increment · set_symbol_increment
Error bars	set_error_bar_style
Fill	set_fill_area
Legend	set_legend
Preset styling	apply_publication_style
Annotations	set_graph_title · add_text_label · add_line_to_graph · remove_graph_label

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

Request	Typical tool call
Import data.csv into Origin	import_csv
Show worksheet columns and metadata	get_worksheet_info
Set the first column as X and the next two columns as Y	set_column_designations
Create a scatter plot	create_plot
Add another curve from the third column	add_plot_to_graph
Change the X-axis title and set the curve color to red	set_axis_title + set_plot_color
Apply a publication-style preset	apply_publication_style
Apply publication styling to layer 2 with line width 3 and symbol size 12	apply_publication_style
Run a Gaussian fit	nonlinear_fit
Set the Y axis to logarithmic scale	set_axis_scale
Export a graph as PNG	export_graph
Export all project graphs as SVG	export_all_graphs
Release Origin so I can use it manually	release_origin

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"
    }
  }
}

<details> <summary><b>Claude Desktop</b></summary>

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

</details>

<details> <summary><b>Cursor</b></summary>

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

</details>

<details> <summary><b>Trae</b></summary>

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

</details>

<details> <summary><b>Codex (OpenAI)</b></summary>

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

</details>

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

<details> <summary><b>Origin connection failed</b></summary>

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

</details>

<details> <summary><b>The MCP client cannot see the tools</b></summary>

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.

</details>

<details> <summary><b>Fit results look inaccurate</b></summary>

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.

</details>

License

MIT © 2025 garethbeaumo