Check prerequisites before connecting
Use these checks before configuring the client. They diagnose readiness; none launches the MCP server or saves a drawing.
Desktop and Visio
Use an interactive Windows desktop session. Use installed, licensed Visio Desktop under the same Windows user as the client/server, not Visio for the web or a remote Linux/container session.
Open Visio manually once and complete sign-in, activation, licensing, and other first-run prompts. Check release compatibility for your specific Visio edition/build rather than assuming every perpetual or subscription edition is validated.
SDK and launcher
Install the .NET 10 SDK (10.0.100 or later in the .NET 10 family). The SDK includes runtimes; a runtime-only installation doesn’t supply the required SDK tooling. Check from a Windows terminal:
dotnet --info
dotnet --list-sdks
dotnet --list-runtimes
dnx --help
Confirm a .NET 10 SDK is listed and dnx is available. If commands aren’t
found after installing, reopen the terminal/client and inspect its PATH.
An SDK selected by a workspace global.json can differ from another terminal;
check the environment actually launching the server.
Client, access, and assets
| Check | Ready when… |
|---|---|
| Local MCP support | The chosen client/profile can launch a command over stdio on this Windows desktop |
| Model/session | Agent/tool-calling mode is selected, not text-only chat |
| Entitlement | Your account has the needed client/model access, quota, and organizational permission; the server supplies none |
| Package source | Approved NuGet sources, source mapping, proxy, and endpoint policies allow obtaining Microsoft.Visio.Mcp |
| Files | Required drawings/templates/stencils are local, approved, and licensed for use |
| Destination | An organization-approved folder is writable by the server’s Windows user |
Don’t disable security controls or substitute private package-feed URLs from old guides to make setup work. Follow your organization’s approved package configuration.
After connecting, tool discovery verifies the MCP link only. Complete the first-diagram exercise to check desktop automation, native editability, reading, and explicit saving.
Related: Setup troubleshooting | Configuration.