@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
   "homepage": "https://tmhsdigital.github.io/Blender-Developer-Tools/",
   "repository": "https://github.com/TMHSDigital/Blender-Developer-Tools",
   "license": "CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0 AND MIT",
+  "mcpServers": "./mcp.json",
   "skills": [
     "./claude/skills/"
   ],
 
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
     "blender-addon",
     "blender-python"
   ],
+  "mcpServers": "./mcp.json",
   "skills": [
     "skills/addon-scaffolding/SKILL.md",
     "skills/ai-mesh-cleanup/SKILL.md",
 
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ repeats the other.
 
 Skills, rules, snippets, starter templates, and runnable smoke-gated examples
 for Blender Python development. The repo targets **Blender 5.2 LTS** (current
-stable) with a **Blender 4.5 LTS** fallback. **Blender 5.1** is prior stable. There is no MCP server. It ships
+stable) with a **Blender 4.5 LTS** fallback. **Blender 5.1** is prior stable. The repo ships no MCP server of its own; the plugin's `mcp.json` registers the upstream Blender Lab server (pinned commit, launched with `uvx`) for optional live sessions. It ships
 a `.cursor-plugin/plugin.json` manifest so the ecosystem drift checker
 classifies it as a `cursor-plugin`. This is content the AI loads when the user
 asks Blender questions or works on Blender add-ons in Cursor or Claude Code.
 
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ This file provides guidance to Claude Code (claude.ai/code) when working with co
 
 ## Project Overview
 
-The **Blender Developer Tools** repository is at **v0.152.1**. It packages skills, rules, snippets, starter templates, and runnable smoke-gated examples for Blender Python development with Cursor and Claude Code. Coverage targets **Blender 5.2 LTS** (current stable) with **Blender 4.5 LTS** fallback. **Blender 5.1** is prior stable. There is no MCP server; content is consumed directly by the AI when working in Blender add-on or scripting projects.
+The **Blender Developer Tools** repository is at **v0.152.1**. It packages skills, rules, snippets, starter templates, and runnable smoke-gated examples for Blender Python development with Cursor and Claude Code. Coverage targets **Blender 5.2 LTS** (current stable) with **Blender 4.5 LTS** fallback. **Blender 5.1** is prior stable. The repo ships no MCP server of its own: the plugin registers the official Blender Lab server through `mcp.json` (see Live MCP vs Headless Harness). Content is consumed directly by the AI when working in Blender add-on or scripting projects.
 
 **Version:** 0.152.1
 **License:** CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ cross-example import mechanism (see its docstring).
 
 ## Live MCP vs Headless Harness
 
-Two execution paths exist for Blender work. The headless harness (`.scratch/` or system binaries, check-only scripts, CI smoke) is the **only source of truth for correctness** — every witness, check, and CI gate runs headless. The official Blender Lab MCP server ([lab/blender_mcp](https://projects.blender.org/lab/blender_mcp)), when registered on the local machine, provides a live interactive session for exploration.
+Two execution paths exist for Blender work. The headless harness (`.scratch/` or system binaries, check-only scripts, CI smoke) is the **only source of truth for correctness** — every witness, check, and CI gate runs headless. The official Blender Lab MCP server ([lab/blender_mcp](https://projects.blender.org/lab/blender_mcp)), when registered on the local machine, provides a live interactive session for exploration. The plugin ships it: both manifests set `"mcpServers": "./mcp.json"`, which runs `uvx --from git+https://projects.blender.org/lab/blender_mcp.git@<sha>#subdirectory=mcp blender-mcp`. `tests/check_manifest_meta.py` requires a full 40-hex commit pin, and `build_plugin_dist.py` ships `mcp.json` and fails if a manifest's path is missing. To bump it, review the upstream diff, replace the SHA, and confirm `initialize` + `tools/list` over stdio. The server is GPL-3.0: reference it, never vendor it. The add-on needs Blender 5.1+.
 
 - **Use the live MCP for:** interactively inspecting a scene while designing a render, querying data relations, diagnosing why staged geometry or lighting looks wrong, and prototyping API calls before committing them to a script.
 - **Never use the live MCP for:** anything a check depends on, anything reported as verification evidence, or anything CI must reproduce. A behavior observed in the live session must be re-proven in the headless script before it counts. Examples must never import from, depend on, or assume the MCP server.
 
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ see the end of this file). Examples and showcase pieces have more gates
 
 ## Repository Structure
 
-This repo is a content collection (skills, rules, snippets, templates, examples, and showcase pieces) for Blender Python development. There is no runtime and no MCP server. Headless checks run through `tests/smoke/run_example.py`; CI validates frontmatter, syntax, and aggregate counts.
+This repo is a content collection (skills, rules, snippets, templates, examples, and showcase pieces) for Blender Python development. There is no runtime and no MCP server of its own; `mcp.json` only registers the upstream Blender Lab MCP server for the plugin, pinned to a commit that `tests/check_manifest_meta.py` requires. Headless checks run through `tests/smoke/run_example.py`; CI validates frontmatter, syntax, and aggregate counts.
 
 ```text
 skills/
 
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@
 
 This repository ships **18 skills, 9 rules, 3 templates, 29 snippets, 66 examples, and 80 showcase pieces** for Blender Python development targeting Blender 5.2 LTS (current stable) with Blender 4.5 LTS fallback support. Blender 5.1 is prior stable.
 
-The content is consumed by AI coding agents, installed as a plugin or read from a checkout — **there is no MCP server in this repository, and none is required**. Cursor and Claude Code both install it as a plugin (see [Quick start](#quick-start)): Cursor loads the skills and applies `rules/*.mdc` wherever their scope globs match; Claude Code loads the skills and gets the rules through a generated `blender-rules` skill, since it does not read Cursor `.mdc` files. An agent picks a skill up when its description matches the task. Any agent that can read files in a workspace can use it the same way. There is no build step for the content — edit the Markdown and Python files directly.
+The content is consumed by AI coding agents, installed as a plugin or read from a checkout. The plugin also registers the official [Blender Lab MCP server](https://www.blender.org/lab/mcp-server/) for live sessions (see [Live Blender session](#live-blender-session-mcp)); it is referenced from upstream, not part of this repository, and nothing else depends on it. Cursor and Claude Code both install it as a plugin (see [Quick start](#quick-start)): Cursor loads the skills and applies `rules/*.mdc` wherever their scope globs match; Claude Code loads the skills and gets the rules through a generated `blender-rules` skill, since it does not read Cursor `.mdc` files. An agent picks a skill up when its description matches the task. Any agent that can read files in a workspace can use it the same way. There is no build step for the content — edit the Markdown and Python files directly.
 
 | Layer | Role |
 | --- | --- |
@@ -79,6 +79,16 @@ Neither agent needs a clone of `main`: both install the slim `plugin-dist` build
 
   Claude Code does not read Cursor `.mdc` rules, so the plugin ships them as the `blender-rules` skill (generated from `rules/`), which Claude loads when it writes or reviews bpy code. No second clone is needed. To keep the rules in context all the time instead, add `@/path/to/Blender-Developer-Tools/claude/blender-rules.md` to your project's `CLAUDE.md` from a checkout. Without the plugin, copy `skills/*` and `claude/skills/*` into your project's `.claude/skills/`.
 
+### Live Blender session (MCP)
+
+Both plugin manifests point at [`mcp.json`](mcp.json), which registers the official [Blender Lab MCP server](https://www.blender.org/lab/mcp-server/) as `blender`, so the agent can inspect and drive a running Blender: scene and object summaries, screenshots, viewport renders, `bpy` execution and bundled API docs. The plugin launches it with `uvx` from [projects.blender.org/lab/blender_mcp](https://projects.blender.org/lab/blender_mcp), pinned to a reviewed commit. The server is GPL-licensed and is not copied into this repository. To use it:
+
+1. Install [uv](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/getting-started/installation/) so `uvx` is on `PATH`. The first launch fetches and builds the server.
+2. In **Blender 5.1 or newer** (the add-on's minimum, so 4.5 LTS has no live session), install the MCP add-on: zip `addon/blender_mcp_addon/` from the upstream repository and use **Edit → Preferences → Get Extensions → Install from Disk**. Start its server from the add-on preferences, or turn on auto-start. It listens on `localhost:9876`.
+3. Optional: set `BLENDER_PATH` if `blender` is not on `PATH` (the `*_for_cli` tools use it to run background Blender), and `BLENDER_MCP_HOST`/`BLENDER_MCP_PORT` to move the socket.
+
+The server runs whatever code the agent sends inside your Blender session, without guards, so attach it only to scenes you can afford to lose. Without the add-on running, the `blender` tools just report that they cannot connect; the skills and rules work the same either way. If you already registered the server yourself, remove one of the two entries so the tools are not listed twice.
+
 ### Run the examples or contribute
 
 The examples, the showcase and the gallery live on `main` (about 30 MB with the renders), so clone it only to run them or to send a change:
 
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+{
+  "mcpServers": {
+    "blender": {
+      "type": "stdio",
+      "command": "uvx",
+      "args": [
+        "--from",
+        "git+https://projects.blender.org/lab/blender_mcp.git@dbbf836ad4b1025f14a2b3b504c43903f39e0b04#subdirectory=mcp",
+        "blender-mcp"
+      ]
+    }
+  }
+}
@@ -6,7 +6,8 @@
 as a self-contained marketplace (its marketplace.json points at "./"):
 
     skills/  claude/  rules/  snippets/  templates/  LICENSE files
-    .claude-plugin/ and .cursor-plugin/ manifests, the Cursor logo, and a short README
+    .claude-plugin/ and .cursor-plugin/ manifests, the Cursor logo, mcp.json,
+    and a short README
 
     python scripts/build_plugin_dist.py --out DIR     # build (DIR must be absent or empty)
     python scripts/build_plugin_dist.py --out DIR --force  # replace a previous build in DIR
@@ -32,10 +33,12 @@
 DIRS = ("skills", "claude", "rules", "snippets", "templates")
 # The Cursor manifest ships too, so Cursor users can install the same slim
 # tree as a local plugin (~/.cursor/plugins/local/) instead of the full repo.
-# assets/favicon.svg is the Cursor manifest's "logo".
+# assets/favicon.svg is the Cursor manifest's "logo". mcp.json is both
+# manifests' "mcpServers": the Blender Lab MCP server, launched with uvx from
+# a pinned upstream commit (GPL, so it is referenced, never vendored).
 FILES = ("LICENSE", ".claude-plugin/plugin.json",
          ".cursor-plugin/plugin.json", ".cursor-plugin/marketplace.json",
-         "assets/favicon.svg")
+         "assets/favicon.svg", "mcp.json")
 MAX_BYTES = 2_000_000
 IGNORE = shutil.ignore_patterns("__pycache__", "*.pyc")
 
@@ -44,7 +47,9 @@
 Generated from https://github.com/TMHSDigital/Blender-Developer-Tools by
 `scripts/build_plugin_dist.py` on every release. Do not edit this branch; it
 is force-pushed. It carries only what the plugin loads: skills, the
-`blender-rules` skill generated from `rules/`, snippets, templates and licenses.
+`blender-rules` skill generated from `rules/`, snippets, templates, licenses,
+and `mcp.json`, which registers the official Blender Lab MCP server (needs `uv`,
+and the MCP add-on enabled in a running Blender 5.1+).
 Examples, the showcase and the gallery live on `main`.
 
 ```text
@@ -153,6 +158,10 @@ def verify(out: Path, size: int) -> list[str]:
     if not (out / "claude" / "skills" / "blender-rules" / "SKILL.md").is_file():
         errors.append("blender-rules skill missing")
     cursor = json.loads((out / ".cursor-plugin" / "plugin.json").read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    for name, manifest in (("Claude", plugin), ("Cursor", cursor)):
+        mcp = manifest.get("mcpServers")
+        if isinstance(mcp, str) and not (out / mcp).is_file():
+            errors.append(f"{name} manifest mcpServers path {mcp} missing from the dist")
     for key in ("skills", "rules"):
         for rel in cursor.get(key, []):
             if not (out / rel).is_file():
 
@@ -12,17 +12,22 @@
 - keywords: the same set, apart from the agent-specific "cursor-plugin"
 - logo: the Cursor manifest names one, it exists, and the plugin-dist build
   ships it (scripts/build_plugin_dist.py FILES)
+- mcpServers: the same path in both plugin.json files, and every server in
+  that file runs the Blender Lab MCP from a full 40-hex commit pin, so a plugin
+  install never floats to an unreviewed upstream head
 
 Run: python tests/check_manifest_meta.py      (exit 0 ok, 1 on mismatch)
 """
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import html
 import json
+import re
 import sys
 from pathlib import Path
 
 ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent
+PINNED_MCP = re.compile(r"^git\+https://projects\.blender\.org/lab/blender_mcp\.git@[0-9a-f]{40}#subdirectory=mcp$")
 
 
 def load(rel: str) -> dict:
@@ -80,6 +85,22 @@ def check() -> list[str]:
         if logo not in FILES:
             errors.append(f"logo {logo!r} is not shipped in the plugin-dist build "
                           "(scripts/build_plugin_dist.py FILES)")
+
+    mcp = cursor.get("mcpServers")
+    if claude.get("mcpServers") != mcp:
+        errors.append(f".claude-plugin/plugin.json mcpServers {claude.get('mcpServers')!r} != {mcp!r}")
+    if not isinstance(mcp, str) or not (root / mcp).is_file():
+        errors.append(f".cursor-plugin/plugin.json mcpServers {mcp!r} is not a file in the repo")
+    else:
+        servers = load(mcp).get("mcpServers") or {}
+        if not servers:
+            errors.append(f"{mcp} declares no mcpServers")
+        for name, server in servers.items():
+            args = server.get("args", [])
+            src = args[args.index("--from") + 1] if "--from" in args[:-1] else ""
+            if server.get("command") != "uvx" or not PINNED_MCP.match(src):
+                errors.append(f"{mcp} server {name!r} must run uvx --from the Blender Lab repo "
+                              "pinned to a full commit SHA")
     return errors
 
 
@@ -89,7 +110,7 @@ def main() -> int:
         print(f"::error::{e}", file=sys.stderr)
     if errors:
         return 1
-    print("Manifest metadata consistent: description, homepage, license, keywords, logo")
+    print("Manifest metadata consistent: description, homepage, license, keywords, logo, mcpServers")
     return 0