
You want Claude to read your scripts, write new ones and test your game in Roblox Studio, without copying code back and forth from a chat window. Roblox Studio has an MCP server built in for exactly that. MCP (Model Context Protocol) is the open standard that lets an AI app use tools in another program, and both Claude Desktop and Claude Code support it. Below: the setup on Windows and Mac, what Claude can change in your place, the options for ChatGPT users, and how to keep it all running while your own computer is off.
Quick answer: To connect Claude to Roblox Studio, update Studio, open Assistant, click … and choose Manage MCP Servers, then turn on Enable Studio as MCP server. Under Quick connect, switch on Claude Desktop or Claude Code and restart that app. If your client is not in the list, add the server by hand: the command is cmd.exe /c %LOCALAPPDATA%\Roblox\mcp.bat on Windows and /Applications/RobloxStudio.app/Contents/MacOS/StudioMCP on a Mac. Studio shows a green indicator once a client is connected. Claude can then read and edit scripts, run Luau, insert assets and start playtests in the places you have open, so connect only clients you trust.
What you need
- The latest version of Roblox Studio, on Windows or a Mac. Roblox lists it as the first prerequisite on its MCP server page. Studio itself is a free application for Windows and Mac (Studio setup).
- Claude Desktop or Claude Code on the same computer as Studio. Roblox's server "runs as a local process on your machine" and talks to the AI client over stdio, the standard input and output of a program. A client on another computer cannot reach it. Claude Desktop is a download for Mac and Windows from claude.com/download.
- A Claude account. Claude Code needs a Pro, Max, Ultra, Team or Enterprise plan, or a Claude Console account (Claude Code quickstart).
You no longer need the separate download that older guides describe. Roblox has archived its standalone server on GitHub, and the README now says it "is no longer being actively developed" and recommends the server built into Studio (studio-rust-mcp-server).
Step 1: Turn on the MCP server in Studio
- Open Studio and a place, then click Assistant on the right side of the mezzanine bar (Assistant guide).
- Click … and choose Manage MCP Servers.
- Turn on Enable Studio as MCP server.
The settings panel now shows a Quick connect option and setup instructions for the different clients.
Step 2: Connect Claude with quick connect
Quick connect supports seven clients: Antigravity, Codex CLI, Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Gemini CLI and Visual Studio Code.
- In the same panel (Roblox's docs also call it Assistant Settings > MCP Servers), open the Quick connect dropdown. It lists the supported clients that are installed on your computer.
- Switch on Claude Desktop, Claude Code or both.
- Restart the client. For Claude Desktop, quit the app completely, not just its window, and open it again.
If Claude is missing from the list, install it and restart Studio. Keep Studio open with your place loaded while you work: the AI acts on your open Studio session.
Step 3: Add the server by hand if quick connect fails
Claude Desktop
Claude Desktop reads local MCP servers from a file called claude_desktop_config.json (MCP docs):
- Windows:
%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json - Mac:
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Open it in a text editor, or create it if it does not exist yet, and paste Roblox's configuration for your system. On Windows:
{
"mcpServers": {
"Roblox_Studio": {
"command": "cmd.exe",
"args": [
"/c",
"%LOCALAPPDATA%\\Roblox\\mcp.bat"
]
}
}
}
On a Mac:
{
"mcpServers": {
"Roblox_Studio": {
"command": "/Applications/RobloxStudio.app/Contents/MacOS/StudioMCP"
}
}
}
If the file already lists other servers, copy only the Roblox_Studio entry into the existing mcpServers block and put a comma between the entries. One missing comma makes the JSON invalid, and then nothing loads. Save the file, quit Claude Desktop completely and open it again.
Claude Code
Use Claude Code's claude mcp add command with Roblox's launch command after the -- (Claude Code MCP docs). On Windows, paste it into Command Prompt:
claude mcp add --transport stdio --scope user Roblox_Studio -- cmd.exe /c %LOCALAPPDATA%\Roblox\mcp.bat
On a Mac, in Terminal:
claude mcp add --transport stdio --scope user Roblox_Studio -- /Applications/RobloxStudio.app/Contents/MacOS/StudioMCP
Claude Code passes everything after -- to the server untouched. With --scope user the server works in every folder you start Claude Code from; without it, Claude Code adds the server to the current project only.
Already set it up in Claude Desktop? The Code tab inside Claude Desktop loads the servers from claude_desktop_config.json, but the standalone claude command does not read that file. On a Mac, claude mcp add-from-claude-desktop copies them over (Claude Desktop docs).
Check that it works
- In Studio: open Assistant, click … and choose Manage MCP Servers. A green indicator under Enable Studio as MCP server shows how many clients are connected.
- In Claude Desktop: click + under the message box and open Connectors.
Roblox_Studioshould be listed with its tools (Anthropic help). - In Claude Code:
claude mcp listshould show Connected next to the server. Inside a session,/mcpshows the same.
Start with a request that changes nothing, such as "List the scripts in this place and explain what each one does".
If the server does not show up, Roblox's own checklist is short: restart both Studio and the client, check that the path in the command exists on your computer, and check the JSON for a missing comma or bracket. Claude Desktop writes its MCP logs (mcp.log and one mcp-server- file per server) to %APPDATA%\Claude\logs on Windows and to ~/Library/Logs/Claude on a Mac.
Roblox Studio MCP: what Claude can read and change
On 1 November 2026 Roblox's MCP page listed 26 tools. In short, a connected client can:
- Scripts: read a script, search scripts by name or by text, and apply several edits in one go. An edit to a path that does not exist creates a new script.
- Your place: browse the instance tree and inspect an instance's properties, attributes and children.
- Luau: run Luau code in Studio, in the Edit, Client or Server data model.
- Playtests: start and stop play mode, read the output log and capture the viewport. During a playtest it can move the character and send keyboard and mouse input, so it can test the controls and menus of your own place.
- Assets: search the Creator Store and your inventory, insert assets by ID, generate meshes, materials and procedural models, and upload images from web addresses to Roblox.
- Docs: fetch pages from Roblox's own documentation.
That is a lot of reach. Roblox's warning on the same page: "MCP clients can read and modify content in your open Roblox places. Make sure to only connect clients you trust." Claude Desktop asks for your approval before it uses a tool, so read what it wants to do before you approve. Keep a copy of your place before a big change, and turn the MCP server off in Studio when you are not using it.
How to connect ChatGPT, Codex and other AI tools
The ChatGPT app is not on Studio's quick connect list, but OpenAI's Codex CLI is. OpenAI's Codex MCP docs give a ChatGPT user two ways in:
- Codex CLI: install it, run
codex, choose Sign in with ChatGPT (Codex CLI), then switch it on under Quick connect in Studio. - ChatGPT desktop app: open Settings, then MCP servers, and select Add server. Enter a name, choose STDIO, enter Roblox's command for your system from the quick answer above, save, and select Restart. OpenAI says the ChatGPT desktop app, Codex CLI and the Codex IDE extension share one MCP configuration.
OpenAI's Codex pricing page lists Codex as included in ChatGPT plans from Free to Enterprise. ChatGPT on the web uses remote MCP tools through plugins, while Studio's server runs on your own computer, so use one of the desktop routes.
Cursor, Gemini CLI, Visual Studio Code and Antigravity are on the quick connect list too. Roblox says the server works with any client that supports stdio, through the JSON or the command above.
Or run Claude inside Studio's Assistant
You can also skip the separate app and run Assistant itself on a Claude model. In February 2026 the Roblox Studio team added external models from Anthropic, OpenAI and Google Gemini to Assistant (DevForum announcement). In Assistant, click … in the top right corner, choose Manage API Keys, pick Anthropic and paste an API key from the Claude Console. Then enable the provider and choose a model from the Model dropdown. Roblox says the key is masked in the interface and stored on your device.
This route uses the Claude API, which Anthropic bills separately from a Claude plan. Max, Ultra and Team plans include monthly API credits (Anthropic help).
Keep Studio and Claude running while your computer is off
Studio's server only talks to a client on the same computer. To keep working after you close your laptop, put Studio and Claude together on a machine that stays on, and use your own device as a screen. That also takes the load off a laptop: a developer on the Roblox DevForum wrote that their 2020 MacBook Air "gets very hot when working with claude" and asked about renting a PC instead (DevForum).
- Install Studio and Claude Desktop or Claude Code on that machine and connect them as described above.
- Reach the machine with a remote desktop app, give Claude its task and close the app. The machine and its programs keep running, but a question or approval request from Claude waits until you answer it.
- With Claude Code, run
/remote-controlin the session to follow and steer it from claude.ai/code or the Claude app on your phone. Your MCP servers stay available there, and with Push when actions required turned on under/config, permission prompts reach your phone. Remote Control works on Pro, Max, Ultra, Team and Enterprise plans, and Anthropic notes that the computer has to stay on and theclaudeprocess has to keep running (Remote Control).
The model itself runs at Anthropic: Claude Code sends your prompts and the model's answers over the network (Anthropic).
If you want to rent the machine, our Roblox plans in the Netherlands include two options. The Roblox AFK VM is a virtual machine with 8 GB of RAM and no graphics card, so Studio draws its 3D view on the processor. The Roblox Cloud PC is a dedicated mini PC with integrated graphics and 16 to 32 GB of RAM. You connect with RustDesk or AnyDesk, and the machine stays on with Studio open when you close them (why that is). Check the page for live stock before you order. We have not tested Studio together with Claude Desktop or Claude Code on our machines yet, so we make no promise about how well the two run together there. For scale: Roblox recommends 8 GB of memory for Studio on its own (Studio requirements), and Anthropic lists 4 GB of RAM as the minimum for Claude Code (setup).
FAQ
Is there an official Roblox Studio MCP server?
Yes. Roblox builds it into Studio, and you turn it on in Assistant under … and Manage MCP Servers. The older standalone server, studio-rust-mcp-server on GitHub, is archived and "no longer being actively developed", so skip guides that tell you to download rbx-studio-mcp.exe.
How do I connect ChatGPT to Roblox Studio? Through OpenAI's Codex: switch on Codex CLI under Quick connect in Studio and sign in with your ChatGPT account, or add Studio's server as a STDIO server in the ChatGPT desktop app under Settings, MCP servers.
Claude says its workspace requires the Virtual Machine Platform. Do I need it for Roblox Studio? No. That message is about the Cowork workspace: a dedicated virtual machine in which Cowork runs Claude's shell commands, and which Advanced file analysis in Chat also uses. Claude Desktop's chat and its Code tab work without it, and they are where the Studio connection runs. If you want Cowork as well, turn on the Virtual Machine Platform feature in Windows as an administrator, restart, and check that hardware virtualization (Intel VT-x or AMD-V) is on in your firmware. On a computer that is itself a virtual machine, Cowork only starts if the host exposes nested virtualization (Anthropic). We have not checked that on our AFK VM.
Do I need a paid Claude plan? For Claude Code, yes: Pro, Max, Ultra, Team or Enterprise, or a Claude Console account. Claude's pricing table lists desktop extensions, the packaged local MCP servers for Claude Desktop, on the Free plan as well. Studio and its built-in MCP server are free. A Claude model inside Assistant uses your own API key, billed through the Claude Console.
Can Claude run on a different computer than Studio? Not with this server. It talks to the client over stdio, so both have to run on the same computer. To work from a phone, tablet or Chromebook, run Studio and Claude on one machine that stays on and connect to it with a remote desktop app. Studio itself does not run on a Chromebook (what works instead).
Sources
All opened on 1 November 2026:
- Roblox Creator Hub: Connect to the Roblox Studio MCP server, Assistant for Studio, Roblox Studio setup
- Roblox DevForum: Studio MCP Server Updates and External LLM Support for Assistant (Roblox Staff, 21 February 2026), Can I use Roblox Studio/Roblox in online vm (1 July 2025)
- GitHub: Roblox/studio-rust-mcp-server (archived)
- Anthropic, Claude Code docs: MCP, setup, quickstart, Desktop app, Remote Control, data usage
- Anthropic, other pages: Getting started with local MCP servers on Claude Desktop, Why is Claude API usage billed separately, Claude pricing, Claude Desktop Windows checklist, download
- Model Context Protocol: Connect to local MCP servers
- OpenAI: Codex MCP, Codex CLI, Codex pricing