PixInsight Connector

Name: PixInsight Connector
Author: mxcoppell

by mxcoppellversion 2.5.2i★ –iRuns on your computer

Registry nameio.github.mxcoppell/pixinsight-connector

Install

Overview

Description from the maker (original English)

Operate PixInsight from any MCP agent. Community project, not affiliated with Pleiades Astrophoto

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

These three are never merged into one score: opinions, measurements and popularity are different things.

User voiceiNo reviews yetReviews open together with accounts in a later step
Our basic checksi1 of 1 passedChecked from public information; code not scanned yet
UsageiNot measured yet★ –

What you can do with it

We have not written a plain-language summary for this one yet. Below are the facts we read from the registry.

Connection: Runs on your computer
Transport: stdio
Category: Other

Install

Pick the AI app you use, then copy the settings.

Before you install

Basic checks: 1 of 1 passed
Runs on your computer with your user’s permissions (files, network, apps).
You fill in yourself: PIXINSIGHT_BIN, PIXINSIGHT_DIR, PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_PACKS, PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_AUTOSTART, PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_WORKSPACE, PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_STATE, PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_LOG

You need

npmNode.js installed (for the npx command)

Which app do you use?

ClaudeClaude CodeCursorVS CodeChatGPT

Pick your app above. We remember it, so next time the button says “Install in …”.

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config, and paste this into claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pixinsight-connector": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "pixinsight-connector"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PIXINSIGHT_BIN": "your-value",
        "PIXINSIGHT_DIR": "your-value",
        "PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_PACKS": "your-value",
        "PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_AUTOSTART": "your-value",
        "PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_WORKSPACE": "your-value",
        "PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_STATE": "your-value",
        "PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_LOG": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Run this in your terminal

claude mcp add pixinsight-connector --env PIXINSIGHT_BIN=your-value --env PIXINSIGHT_DIR=your-value --env PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_PACKS=your-value --env PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_AUTOSTART=your-value --env PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_WORKSPACE=your-value --env PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_STATE=your-value --env PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_LOG=your-value -- npx -y pixinsight-connector

Fill in the empty values before running it.

Open in Cursor

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .cursor/mcp.json in your project, or ~/.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pixinsight-connector": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "pixinsight-connector"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PIXINSIGHT_BIN": "your-value",
        "PIXINSIGHT_DIR": "your-value",
        "PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_PACKS": "your-value",
        "PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_AUTOSTART": "your-value",
        "PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_WORKSPACE": "your-value",
        "PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_STATE": "your-value",
        "PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_LOG": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

Open in VS Code

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .vscode/mcp.json in your project

{
  "servers": {
    "pixinsight-connector": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "pixinsight-connector"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PIXINSIGHT_BIN": "your-value",
        "PIXINSIGHT_DIR": "your-value",
        "PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_PACKS": "your-value",
        "PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_AUTOSTART": "your-value",
        "PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_WORKSPACE": "your-value",
        "PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_STATE": "your-value",
        "PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_LOG": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

This one runs on your computer, and ChatGPT can only connect to servers on the internet. Pick another app.

Your choice stays on this device in a cookie; no account needed.

Values you fill in

PIXINSIGHT_BIN env
Path to the PixInsight executable. When unset, the default install location for the OS is used.
PIXINSIGHT_DIR env
PixInsight install root, from which the executable and its resources are derived. When unset, the default install location for the OS is used.
PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_PACKS env
Comma-separated tool packs to load: pack directories and .mjs files (an npm package by the path to its folder). Empty: no packs.
PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_AUTOSTART env
0 stops the connector from starting PixInsight when a tool call finds it not running.
PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_WORKSPACE env
The target folder the tools work in (session files in its agentic folder, results in its output folder). When unset, the folder the connector was started in; the set_workspace tool overrides both.
PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_STATE env
Where the connector's session files (scratch, bridge, logs) go, resolved against the target folder. When unset, /agentic.
PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_LOG env
0 turns off the per-session call logs in /agentic/logs.

These settings are generated from the maker’s registry entry. If the README says otherwise, follow the README.

What it can do

Runs on your computer; the tool list appears in your AI app after you install it.

Basic checksi

We check information anyone can see; we have not read the code. Checks that do not apply are left out of the count. · Checked Nov 8, 2026

✓ Pass
Maker matches the repo
The registry name was verified with the GitHub account mxcoppell, which owns the repo
… Not checked yet
Still maintained
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
… Not checked yet
Has a licence
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
– Not applicable
Endpoint responds
This one runs on your computer; there is no internet endpoint
– Not applicable
Sign-in with OAuth
Runs on your computer and uses local settings instead
… Not checked yet
No hidden instructions in tool descriptions
Runs on your computer; we can only read tool lists from internet endpoints

Compared with others in Otheri

More stars than 0% of the other 18386 servers in this category
Published to the registry more recently than 81% of the other 18386 servers in this category
Basic checks equal to or better than 100% of the other 18386 servers in this category

Compared with every active server in this category in the registry. Stars count only when the publisher owns the repo.

Common questions

Is PixInsight Connector safe?

It passed 1 of 1 applicable basic checks. We have not read the code. Before adding a key or token, see what access the server asks for and use a key with only the permissions you need.

What keys or codes does it need?

The registry does not list a required key, though some servers ask you to sign in on first use.

Does it run on my computer or in the cloud?

It runs on your computer. Your AI app starts it when needed, and data does not pass through the maker’s servers (unless it calls an online service itself).

Is it still maintained?

The GitHub repo last changed –, and the latest version (2.5.2) reached the registry 9 days ago.

Which apps can use it?

Apps that support MCP, such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code. You also need Node.js on your computer.

What can I use instead?

In the same category: Spec Driven Development, Remote Desktop Commander, Tethered Trust

Alternatives

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Reading a card:★ GitHub starsiThree pillars: reviews · checks · usageiUpdated = latest version published to the registryi

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README from the maker

Open the README

Copied from the maker’s repo as written. PopNx MCP has not reviewed or endorsed it. HTML, images and scripts are removed. Links lead off this site.

PixInsight Connector

An MCP connector that lets any AI agent operate PixInsight: about 80 PixInsight operations as tools, for chat sessions and the skills that guide them. New here? Start with the [Quick start](QUICKSTART.md).

Community project, not affiliated with or endorsed by Pleiades Astrophoto. PixInsight® is a registered

trademark of Pleiades Astrophoto S.L.

The principle: a toolbox, not a pipeline

The connector knows how to operate PixInsight, never what makes a good picture. No pipeline, no ordering, no recommended values, no verdicts: every tool takes the values that shape the image as inputs, and every measurement returns numbers. The knowledge (which tools, in what order, with which values, what counts as good enough) lives in skills: markdown in your own repositories, public or private.

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Install

Needs Node 22+ and PixInsight 1.9.5+. The same three steps work whether you or your agent runs them.

1. Install the connector from npm:

npm install -g pixinsight-connector

2. Register it with your agent harness as the MCP server pixinsight. Claude Code:

claude mcp add -s user pixinsight -- pixinsight-connector

Any harness configured with an mcpServers JSON file (Cursor, Windsurf, Gemini CLI, Claude Desktop, Cline, Kiro):

{ "mcpServers": { "pixinsight": { "command": "pixinsight-connector" } } }

Codex, OpenCode, VS Code and Zed use other shapes; each one, and where its file lives: docs/setup.md.

3. Check the machine:

pixinsight-connector doctor

PixInsight and its watcher script start on the first tool call; there is nothing else to launch. Upgrade with npm install -g pixinsight-connector@latest. Without installing, register npx -y pixinsight-connector as the command instead (npx fetches it from npm, so the first start needs the network). From pixinsight-mcp 1.x: point your pixinsight entry at pixinsight-connector (not a second server) and npm uninstall -g pixinsight-mcp.

Where files go

The tools work in a target folder: the one set_workspace names, else PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_WORKSPACE, else the folder the harness started in. The connector writes only /agentic/ (scratch, the bridge, call logs) and /output/, never your home folder. Details and every environment variable: docs/setup.md.

Tools, packs and skills

Tools: 78, grouped as images, processes, channels, tone, detail, masks, stars, narrowband, astrometry, measurement, preview, PJSR execution, introspection and session. Full list: docs/tools.md.
Skills hold the technique. Companion skills (environment preflight, dataset intake, a basic LRGB flow): pixinsight-connector-skills.
Packs are ES modules that add or replace tools at startup, listed in PIXINSIGHT_CONNECTOR_PACKS. A pack is arbitrary code running with your privileges; only packs you configure load. See CONTRIBUTING.md.
Models: any with vision and reliable tool calling. Start with a Sonnet-class model (Claude Sonnet 5, GPT-6 Sol, Gemini 3.8 Flash), then try cheaper ones (GPT-6 Luna, GLM-5.3-Flash, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash): prices and the list are in docs/setup.md.

Contributing

A PixInsight capability with no tool yet is one module in src/tools/, no registry: CONTRIBUTING.md. Humans and agents are both welcome; npm test needs no PixInsight.

Cross-platform

macOS, Windows and Linux are all first-class, for running this connector and for developing it. A change that works on one OS and breaks another is a bug, not a limitation.

No shell pipelines. No ps, grep, awk, wc, df or && in src/ or in npm scripts. OS-specific behaviour goes behind src/platform.mjs (paths) or src/process-probe.mjs (process inspection), one implementation per OS.
No POSIX path literals. Use path.join. Use forward slashes only when handing a path to PixInsight, which accepts them everywhere.
CI runs the full suite on Linux, macOS and Windows. Green on one is not green.
Degrade, never fail. If an OS cannot supply something optional — a memory reading, a process start time — carry on without it. Never report it as a crash.
Overrides always win: PIXINSIGHT_BIN for the executable, PIXINSIGHT_DIR for the install root.

Tests need no PixInsight and no astronomy software, so you can develop on any of the three.

Troubleshooting

Run pixinsight-connector doctor first. Common symptoms and fixes: docs/troubleshooting.md.

Credit and license

This project began as aescaffre/pixinsight-mcp by Alain Escaffre; parts of the original file bridge and watcher script remain. MIT licensed: see LICENSE.

PixInsight Connector

Overview

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

What you can do with it

Install

Before you install

Values you fill in

What it can do

Basic checksi

Maker matches the repo

Still maintained

Has a licence

Endpoint responds

Sign-in with OAuth

No hidden instructions in tool descriptions

Compared with others in Otheri

Common questions

Alternatives

Spec Driven Development

Remote Desktop Commander

Tethered Trust

README from the maker

PixInsight Connector

The principle: a toolbox, not a pipeline

Install

Where files go

Tools, packs and skills

Contributing

Cross-platform

Troubleshooting

Credit and license