Connect XTester to an AI agent (MCP)

MCP / transport boundary

AI client
Local stdio
XTester MCP host
Engine · data · project

Client → host uses local stdio, without a separate MCP network port. This does not make the whole AI workflow local: the client’s model provider may process the data you send, according to its settings and privacy policy.

AI agents: install and first run

Start: install → verify → connect → first backtest · Full Markdown guide. Preview guide: readable over HTTP without JavaScript; not cross-platform end-to-end certification. Current version and SHA-256 manifest.

Connecting — the built-in XTester screen

XTester knows the real install path and the current workspace rules, so you connect through the GUI rather than by hand-editing configs:

Download XTester only from the official GitHub Release.
Install or unpack the program.
Launch XTester.
Open Settings → External agents, or run the "Connect external agent (MCP)…" command.
Pick your MCP client — XTester Studio has already prepared its configuration (Claude Code, Codex, a generic mcp.json) with the paths of your installation.
Add it to your client.
Restart the agent session; when connecting to an open XTester Studio window, approve the access in that window.
Verify the connection with a safe read-only call.

These configurations always match the installed version and the real component locations. That is why concrete install paths and launch arguments are not reproduced on the website — the application itself shows their current values.

How it works, conceptually

XTester runs a local MCP server over the stdio transport: the AI client talks to it directly on your computer, and no separate MCP network port is opened. See Security for more on transport and data.

Clients

Source-checked website generator formats: Claude Code — project .mcp.json; Cursor — .cursor/mcp.json (JSON); Codex — user ~/.codex/config.toml, section [mcp_servers.xtester-studio]; Claude Desktop — claude_desktop_config.json, macOS/Windows only, not Linux. Use the actual absolute command from installed XTester Studio, args ["--studio"]. Choose the client actually in use, preserve its existing configuration and approve the diff. Source-valid format does not certify an installed client or a working MCP connection. Other clients need separate verification. Full workflow and checked-release limitations.

What not to do

do not disable antivirus or SmartScreen;
do not run as administrator without a proven need;
do not use debug paths like bin\Debug\...;
an agent must not silently download and run the application — the user confirms install and launch.