Set up your AI client

Prerequisites

Use an interactive Windows desktop session with:

  • Installed, activated, licensed Visio Desktop, not browser-only Visio.
  • The .NET 10 SDK for the dnx launcher, plus network access to the package source.
  • An approved AI client that supports local stdio MCP servers, with a tool-capable model and an agent/tool-calling session.

Run the client, server, and Visio as the same Windows user. Use a local Windows client window, not a server running in WSL, a container, SSH, or a cloud workspace. The server doesn’t include an AI model or a subscription to one.

Complete the prerequisite checks, including Visio’s first-run prompts and the SDK commands, before editing your client settings.

Connect from VS Code

In a local project, create .vscode\mcp.json, or merge the server entry into that file without replacing other settings. For user-profile scope, run MCP: Open User Configuration instead of guessing the active profile’s path. Back up an existing configuration before editing; preserve unrelated servers and never expose stored credentials.

{
  "servers": {
    "visio-local": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "dnx",
      "args": ["Microsoft.Visio.Mcp", "--prerelease"]
    }
  }
}

visio-local is an example server ID; Microsoft.Visio.Mcp is the package ID. The command downloads and runs the NuGet package without a separate global-tool installation. Review the package license before use. --prerelease allows preview versions from your configured NuGet sources.

In VS Code, run MCP: List Servers, select the server, and start it. Review trust and tool-approval prompts; approve only the actions you intend. Select an agent-capable chat session and enable the server’s tools.

See the client-maintained VS Code MCP guide for configuration scopes and controls. Other local clients use the same dnx Microsoft.Visio.Mcp --prerelease command but their own configuration format. Don’t copy VS Code’s servers wrapper into a client expecting another schema. A client’s stdio support isn’t a claim that every client/version has been validated with this preview. See client-specific paths and schemas for client-specific locations, JSON/TOML/YAML examples, and version-specific notes.

Verify the connection

Confirm that the eight tools appear. Tool discovery doesn’t launch Visio or prove desktop automation works. Complete the first-diagram walkthrough for an end-to-end check.

If launch fails, check setup troubleshooting before retrying. Don’t substitute a private feed from an old draft.

Update or remove

Save work before restarting the server. An unpinned dnx configuration resolves package versions from your configured sources; confirm the version in the client’s server output when updating. To remove the integration, stop the server and remove only its client entry. Saved drawings remain where you saved them.

Related: Prerequisite checks  
Client configuration  
Configuration Privacy.

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