# Set up Unreal 5.8 MCP with Claude Code or Cursor · Dola AI

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# Set up Unreal 5.8 MCP with Claude Code or Cursor

Enable Epic's experimental Unreal MCP in Unreal Engine 5.8, connect Claude Code or Cursor, fix common errors, and see what it can and cannot do.

Last updated 11 November 2026

Blog title card reading Set up Unreal 5.8 MCP with Claude Code or Cursor, with the Dola mascot
Published 11 November 2026

Checked on 11 November 2026 against Epic's [Unreal MCP documentation](https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/unreal-engine/unreal-mcp-in-unreal-editor) and the plugin files in the Unreal Engine 5.8.0 source release. The plugin is marked Experimental, so details can change.

## [What Epic's Unreal MCP is](#what)

Unreal MCP (plugin name ModelContextProtocol) runs an MCP server inside Unreal Editor. An AI client such as Claude Code or Cursor connects to it and calls the editor's tools. The tools come from toolsets registered with Unreal's Toolset Registry, and Epic ships many: actors, Blueprints, Widget Blueprints, materials, MetaSounds, PCG, Niagara, Sequencer, Slate inspection, profiling and automation tests.

Epic marks the plugin Experimental. Expect changes between engine versions.

## [Enable it, step by step](#enable)

- Open your project in Unreal Engine 5.8. Go to **Edit > Plugins** and search for **Unreal MCP**. Epic's page says it is on by default; the 5.8.0 source release marks it off, so check the box yourself.

- Search for **All Toolsets** and tick it to load every default toolset. You can also enable toolset plugins one at a time if you want fewer tools.

- Restart the editor.

- Open **Edit > Editor Preferences > Agentic Workflows > Model Context Protocol**. **Auto Start Server** is on, the port is 8000 and the URL path is /mcp, so the server listens on http://127.0.0.1:8000/mcp.

- In the same panel, pick your client under **Client Selection** (Claude Code is the default) and press **Generate Client Config**.

## [Connect Claude Code](#claude-code)

For Claude Code, Generate Client Config writes a .mcp.json file: in the project folder on a Launcher (installed) engine, in the engine folder on a source build. On a source build you may need to copy the entry into your project's config. The entry looks like this:

```
{
"mcpServers": {
"unreal-mcp": {
"type": "http",
"url": "http://127.0.0.1:8000/mcp"
}
}
}
```

Start Claude Code from the folder that holds the config, after the editor is open and the server is running. If Claude Code was already open, reconnect it.

## [Connect Cursor](#cursor)

Epic's page has no ready-made Cursor snippet. Run the console command ModelContextProtocol.GenerateClientConfig Cursor in the editor, copy the entry it prints in the Output Log, and add it where Cursor's own MCP documentation says. The server is the same HTTP endpoint as above.

## [Transport and safety](#transport)

- Streamable HTTP and SSE only. stdio and WebSocket are not supported.

- The server listens on 127.0.0.1 only, checks the Origin header against an allow list, and has no authentication. Epic advises against exposing it beyond your own machine.

- Tool calls run one at a time on the game thread, so a long call blocks the next one.

## [Console commands worth knowing](#commands)

- ModelContextProtocol.StartServer [port] and ModelContextProtocol.StopServer

- ModelContextProtocol.RefreshTools after you add or change tools

- ModelContextProtocol.GenerateClientConfig with a client name such as ClaudeCode, Cursor, Codex or Gemini

- -ModelContextProtocolPort=8001 on the command line to pick another port

- Log LogModelContextProtocol Verbose for more detail in the Output Log

### Two editors at once

Generate Client Config only writes one entry, named unreal-mcp. For a second editor, start it on another port (for example 8001) and add a second entry to your client config by hand.

## [What it can and cannot do](#limits)

It can:

- Give your AI client the editor tools from every toolset you enable.

- Keep the tool list short: with Enable Tool Search on, the client sees a small set of meta-tools (such as list_toolsets and call_tool) and looks the rest up on demand.

- Take your own C++ functions as tools, marked with the AICallable attribute.

It cannot, according to Epic's page:

- Serve MCP Resources from the engine toolsets, or MCP Prompts.

- Offer more than the AIRuntimeCallable tools in a cooked (packaged) game.

- Pick up a new C++ tool through Live Coding. Restart the editor to add one.

It also does not review or test the changes your client makes. That part is up to you and your client.

## [Common errors](#errors)

- **The server does not start:** check the Output Log for a port already in use or a missing plugin. Try another port.

- **The client cannot find the server:** open the editor first, wait for the server, then launch the client from the folder with the config and reconnect.

- **Tools are missing:** enable the toolset plugin, run ModelContextProtocol.RefreshTools, and reconnect the client.

- **Long calls time out:** Claude Code stops waiting after about 120 seconds. Split the work into smaller calls.

- **Not sure which editor answered:** connect the MCP Inspector (npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector) to the same URL and read the instance in the initialize result.

## [Where Dola fits](#dola)

Dola is not Epic's MCP plugin and does not need it. It is a desktop app plus its own Unreal Editor plugin, joined by a local bridge. Its published plugin builds are for **Unreal Engine 5.7** on Windows and Linux, so on a 5.8 project Epic's MCP is an option today.

- **Packaged:** install the app, add the plugin to your project, sign in. No client config to write.

- **Review before you keep:** each edit waits in a Changes panel. Open the diff in Unreal, then accept it or reject it to restore the old asset.

- **QA by playing:** a QA agent reads the graph and plays the change in Play in Editor before it calls the run done.

A real Dola run on 9 November 2026: one prompt, "make BP_Lamp blink", checked in PIE, then held for review.

Dola desktop app: a Blueprint run that made BP_Lamp blink, with the QA agent's PIE check and the pending change in the Changes panel
The run: Director (Sonnet) planned, Blueprint (Haiku) edited, QA (Sonnet) read the graph, played it in PIE, and found 0 compile errors. $2.34 on Auto.

Dola's Changes panel listing BP_Lamp.uasset as edited, with Accept all, Reject all and a button that opens the diff in Unreal
The Changes panel holds the edit for review before you keep it.

Dola's app is also an MCP client for servers you add ([Unreal Engine MCP and Dola](https://dolaai.pro/unreal-engine-mcp)). The whole run, step by step: [see Dola work](https://dolaai.pro/see-it-work).

## [FAQ](#faq)

###

Epic's documentation says it is. The plugin file in the 5.8.0 source release marks it as off by default. Open Edit > Plugins, search for Unreal MCP, and tick it if it is not already on.

###

By default the editor serves MCP at http://127.0.0.1:8000/mcp over Streamable HTTP. You can change the port and path in Editor Preferences under Agentic Workflows > Model Context Protocol.

###

No. Epic's page lists Streamable HTTP and SSE only. stdio and WebSocket are not supported, so the client entry has to be an HTTP one.

###

No. Dola is a separate product: a desktop app and its own Unreal Editor plugin. Its published plugin builds are for Unreal Engine 5.7 on Windows and Linux, not 5.8.

## [Related posts](#related)

- [Claude Code for Unreal Engine vs UE-native AI](https://dolaai.pro/blog/claude-code-unreal-engine)
What Claude Code does well in an Unreal Engine project, what it cannot reach without an MCP bridge, and how it compares with Dola, a UE-native assistant.

- [Unreal Engine AI plugin: what to look for](https://dolaai.pro/blog/unreal-engine-ai-plugin)
Why an AI assistant for Unreal Engine needs an Editor plugin, how the Dola plugin and its local bridge work, and a checklist for choosing an Unreal AI plugin.

- [Unreal Engine AI tools: which one fits the job](https://dolaai.pro/blog/unreal-engine-ai-tools)
The four kinds of Unreal Engine AI tools (editor assistants, AI coding tools, asset generators and in-game AI), what each is good at, and how to pick.

- [Unreal Engine's built-in AI Assistant, explained](https://dolaai.pro/blog/unreal-engine-5-7-ai-assistant)
What Epic's AI Assistant in Unreal Engine 5.7 does, how to open it, what is not documented, and when you need an agent that edits and tests your project.

- [Claude Code skills for Unreal Engine](https://dolaai.pro/blog/claude-code-unreal-engine-skills)
What Epic's Claude Code skills plugin for Unreal Engine contains, how to install it, how it works with Unreal MCP, its limits, and where Dola fits.

- [AI for Unreal Engine Blueprints: tools compared](https://dolaai.pro/blog/best-ai-for-unreal-engine-blueprints)
What each AI tool for Unreal Engine Blueprints does: Epic's AI Assistant and Unreal MCP, Aura, Ludus AI, VibeUE, UnrealGenAISupport and Dola. No ranking.

- [Unreal Engine AI for free: what you get](https://dolaai.pro/blog/unreal-engine-ai-free)
How to start with the Dola Unreal Engine AI assistant for free, what uses AI credits, keeping credit use low, and when a plan makes sense.

- [Unreal Engine AI generator: what it makes](https://dolaai.pro/blog/unreal-engine-ai-generator)
What an Unreal Engine AI generator can make today: Blueprints, levels, materials, UI, C++ and 3D models, and how to get good results from one.

- [Unreal Engine AI chat that edits your project](https://dolaai.pro/blog/unreal-engine-ai-chat)
Chat with an AI that makes changes in your open Unreal Engine project: how it works, what to ask, and how it differs from a general chatbot.

- [Unreal Engine AI agent: what it does in the editor](https://dolaai.pro/blog/unreal-engine-ai-agent)
What an Unreal Engine AI agent is, how it reads, plans, acts and checks inside Unreal Editor, and how Dola's specialist agents keep you in control.

- [Unreal Engine AI game maker: what works today](https://dolaai.pro/blog/unreal-engine-ai-game-maker)
Can AI make a game in Unreal Engine? What an AI game maker can really build today, feature by feature in your own project, and what stays your job.

- [What is Dola AI? The Unreal Engine AI assistant](https://dolaai.pro/blog/what-is-dola-ai)
Dola AI is an AI assistant for Unreal Engine: the Dola desktop app plus an Editor plugin for Blueprints and C++. Not related to other apps named Dola.

- [Dola app download for Windows and Linux](https://dolaai.pro/blog/dola-app-download)
How to download the Dola AI desktop app for Windows or Linux, install it, sign in, and connect the Unreal Engine 5.7 plugin to your project.

- [Dola login: sign in, reset password, fix errors](https://dolaai.pro/blog/dola-login)
How to sign in to Dola AI on dolaai.pro and in the desktop app, create an account, reset your password, and fix common Dola login problems.

- [Dola AI assistant: chat and agents for Unreal](https://dolaai.pro/blog/dola-ai-assistant-unreal-engine)
How Dola’s chat and specialist agents work in Unreal Engine: one chat, with Blueprint, C++, and material specialists that edit your open project.

- [Unreal Engine AI: NPC AI vs developer assistants](https://dolaai.pro/blog/unreal-engine-ai-npc-vs-assistant)
“Unreal Engine AI” means gameplay NPC AI, Epic Developer Assistant, or third-party editor plugins. Dola is the last one: not Behavior Trees, not Epic’s panel.

- [Modeling mode is a Babylon studio, not Unreal](https://dolaai.pro/blog/modeling-mode-babylon-studio)
How Dola Modeling mode turns chat into a live Babylon mesh, inspects named parts, and exports GLB — separate from the Unreal Blueprint and C++ path.

- [What Dola is for Unreal Engine developers](https://dolaai.pro/blog/what-dola-is-for-unreal-developers)
Dola AI (dolaai.pro) is a local-first Unreal Engine assistant for Blueprints and C++: the Dola desktop app and an Unreal Editor plugin.

[More on the Dola blog](https://dolaai.pro/blog)

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