Getting Started

This guide walks you through downloading, installing, and configuring the Keysight MCP Server for Instrument Control with your AI client.

Prerequisites

Windows 10 or Windows 11 (64-bit)
Keysight IO Libraries Suite (IOLS) 2026 or later, required for VISA-based instrument communication over USB or GPIB. LAN instruments can connect directly by IP address or hostname without it.
Any MCP-compatible AI client. All MCP-compatible clients should work. We have tested primarily with Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and GitHub Copilot.

Step 1: Download and Install

Download the latest Keysight MCP Server for Instrument Control from the Keysight website:

Open File Explorer and navigate to the download location.
Run the MCP executable and follow the on-screen instructions to install it.
After installation, the installed files are located under:
C:\Program Files\Keysight\MCP\Instrument Control\

Step 2: Configure Your AI Client

Register the MCP server with your AI client so it can find and launch it. We provide tested, step-by-step setup below for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and GitHub Copilot. If you use a different MCP-compatible client, consult that client's documentation for how to add an MCP server — the configuration follows the same general pattern.

Common Config File Locations

AI Client	Config File
Claude Code / VS Code Extension	`<project>/.mcp.json`
Claude Desktop	`%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json`
GitHub Copilot	`.vscode/mcp.json`

Using a different MCP-compatible AI client? Consult that client's documentation for how to add an MCP server.

Configuration Settings

All MCP-compatible AI clients use a JSON configuration block in the same format. The command field must point to the exact filename you installed.

Argument	Value	Description
`-transport`	`stdio`, `http`, or sse	Select one of the following communication transport methods: stdio – For local AI clients. http (endpoint: /mcp) – For HTTP-based connections. sse (endpoint: /sse) – For Server-Sent Events (SSE) connections. TLS is supported when a certificate and key are provided during startup.
`-http-allowed-origins`	`(empty)`	Applies to the `http` and `sse` transports. Sets the allowed value for the `Origin` header on incoming requests; the server rejects any request with a non-matching `Origin` header and returns HTTP 403. Omit this argument, or pass an empty string, to allow all origins — there is no `"allow all"` keyword; passing that or any other literal text is treated as the one allowed origin value, so real requests will be rejected (see Security).
`-visa-provider`	`ks`	Selects the VISA provider. Use `ks` for Keysight IO Libraries Suite, `ni` for National Instruments VISA, `rs` for Rohde & Schwarz VISA, `socket` to connect to LAN instruments directly with no VISA library installed, or `mock` for simulation without hardware. If you omit this argument, the server uses `ks`. To use the generic IVI VISA router instead, set this argument to an empty string. If the driver for `ks`, `ni`, or `rs` isn't installed or fails to load, the server automatically falls back to the socket method.
`-log-level`	`warn`	Sets the log verbosity. Accepted values are `debug`, `info`, `warn`, and `error`.
`-scpi-poll-instrument-errors`	`true`	Controls when the server checks the instrument's error queue during a command sequence. True is the default: the server checks after each command and stops the sequence as soon as one fails. False: the server checks only once, at the end of the sequence, and keeps running even if a command fails. Pass this flag with an equals sign, for example `-scpi-poll-instrument-errors=false`. Passing the flag and value as two separate arguments does not work.
`-file-transfer-local-base-dir`	`(empty)`	When set, restricts file operations to this directory tree. Omitting `local_path` for `capture_screenshot` saves files into this directory instead of the OS temporary directory. For `upload_file`, `download_file`, and explicit `local_path` values in `capture_screenshot`, the server rejects any path that escapes this directory tree (see Security).

Example: Claude Code (CLI and VS Code Extension)

Create the file .mcp.json at the root of your project workspace if it does not already exist, and add the following. If the file already exists, for example because you have registered other MCP servers, add the keysight-instrument-control entry to its existing mcpServers object instead of replacing the file:

<your-project>/.mcp.json
{ "mcpServers": { "keysight-instrument-control": { "type": "stdio", "command": "C:\\Program Files\\Keysight\\MCP\\Instrument Control\\mcp-instrument-control.exe", "args": ["-transport", "stdio", "-visa-provider", "ks", "-log-level", "warn"] } } }

Restart Claude Code after saving. The MCP server appears automatically in the session.

Example: GitHub Copilot

Assuming Copilot is integrated with VS Code, create a .vscode folder at the root of your project workspace, then create mcp.json inside it:

<your-project>/.vscode/mcp.json
{ "servers": { "keysight-instrument-control": { "type": "stdio", "command": "C:\\Program Files\\Keysight\\MCP\\Instrument Control\\mcp-instrument-control.exe", "args": ["-transport", "stdio", "-visa-provider", "ks", "-log-level", "warn"] } } }

Restart VS Code after saving. The MCP server appears automatically for Copilot.

Step 3: Verify the Installation

After configuring your client, verify connectivity by asking the AI:

Verification Prompt
Discover available instruments.

The server should respond with a list of VISA resources on your system. If no instruments are found, check that:

Keysight IO Libraries Suite (IOLS) is installed and running.
Your instrument is powered on and connected (USB, LAN, or GPIB).
The VISA resource string is visible in Keysight Connection Expert.

For a LAN instrument, you can also connect directly by asking the AI to connect to the instrument's IP address or hostname, without IOLS or Connection Expert.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely Cause	Fix
Server not listed in AI client	Config file not saved or wrong path	Re-check the JSON file path and restart the client.
Command not found error	Executable path incorrect	Verify the `.exe` exists at the configured path.
No instruments discovered	IOLS not installed, instrument offline, or not registered in Connection Expert	Install Keysight IO Libraries Suite and check Connection Expert, or connect directly using the instrument's IP address or hostname.
Permission denied	Not running as administrator	Run the AI client as Administrator, or move the executable to a non-admin path.