VICE C64 Monitor MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that provides VICE C64 emulator debugging capabilities to LLMs and AI assistants. Connects to VICE's remote monitor interface for memory inspection, register reading, and execution control.

Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• VICE C64 emulator with remote monitor enabled
• MCP-compatible client (e.g., Claude Desktop)

Installation

pip install -r requirements.txt

Usage

1. Start VICE with Remote Monitor

x64sc -remotemonitor

VICE listens on 127.0.0.1:6510 by default.

2. Start the MCP Server

For Claude Desktop (stdio transport):

python run_vice_mcp.py --transport stdio

For HTTP-based clients (SSE transport):

python run_vice_mcp.py --transport sse

3. Configure Claude Desktop

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vice-c64-monitor": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": [
        "C:/path/to/run_vice_mcp.py",
        "--transport",
        "stdio"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PYTHONIOENCODING": "utf-8"
      }
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

Tool	Description
peek_memory	Read bytes from memory
peek_memory_range	Read a range of memory addresses
poke_memory	Write a byte to memory
get_cpu_registers	Get CPU register values (PC, A, X, Y, SP, flags)
check_vic_registers	Inspect VIC-II graphics chip configuration
verify_bitmap_mode	Check bitmap mode setup
reset_c64	Soft or hard reset
load_program	Load a PRG file
start_execution	Start execution at address
send_monitor_command	Send raw VICE monitor command