Rigol Dho824 MCP

🚀 Rigol DHO824 MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for controlling and querying the Rigol DHO824 oscilloscope.

Built by ai.moda.

🚀 Quick Start

This MCP server is designed for controlling and querying the Rigol DHO824 oscilloscope. The recommended way to use it is via Docker, which simplifies dependency management and provides isolation.

✨ Features

• Control and query the Rigol DHO824 oscilloscope.
• Support for multiple environment variables to configure the server.
• Compatibility with different MCP clients like Claude Code and Codex.
• Automatic translation of container paths to host paths for easy access to temporary files.

📦 Installation

Pull the Docker Image

Pull the pre-built image from GitHub Container Registry:

docker pull ghcr.io/aimoda/rigol-dho824-mcp:latest

Environment Variables

You need to provide several environment variables to configure the Docker container:

• RIGOL_RESOURCE: Required - VISA resource string for connecting to the oscilloscope (e.g., TCPIP0::192.168.1.100::inst0::INSTR).
• RIGOL_TEMP_DIR: Required for Docker - Host-side path for returned file paths. The container always writes to /tmp/rigol internally and translates paths to this value in responses. Must match the host path in your -v mount. Outside Docker, this sets the directory for temporary files (waveforms, screenshots); if not set, uses system default temp directory.
• VISA_TIMEOUT: Communication timeout in milliseconds (default: 30000).
• RIGOL_BEEPER_ENABLED: Enable/disable oscilloscope beeper sounds (default: false).
• RIGOL_AUTO_SCREENSHOT: Automatically capture screenshot after each MCP tool execution for visualization/debugging (default: false). Screenshots are saved with human-readable timestamp format (e.g., auto_screenshot_20251030_143045_123.png) for chronological sorting.

You can configure the Docker container with environment variables in two ways:

1. Hardcoded values (shown in examples below): -e RIGOL_RESOURCE="TCPIP0::192.168.1.100::inst0::INSTR".
2. Pass-through from host (recommended): -e RIGOL_RESOURCE (without =value).

When you use -e VARIABLE_NAME without a value, Docker automatically passes through the variable from your host environment. This is useful if you have environment variables already set in your shell (e.g., in ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc).

💻 Usage Examples

MCP Client Configuration

Claude Code

Option 1: Using .mcp.json file Create a .mcp.json file in your project directory (or copy from .mcp.json.example):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rigol-dho824": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-v",
        "/tmp/rigol-data:/tmp/rigol",
        "-e",
        "RIGOL_RESOURCE",
        "-e",
        "VISA_TIMEOUT",
        "-e",
        "RIGOL_BEEPER_ENABLED",
        "-e",
        "RIGOL_AUTO_SCREENSHOT",
        "-e",
        "RIGOL_TEMP_DIR",
        "ghcr.io/aimoda/rigol-dho824-mcp:latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "RIGOL_RESOURCE": "TCPIP0::192.168.1.100::inst0::INSTR",
        "VISA_TIMEOUT": "30000",
        "RIGOL_BEEPER_ENABLED": "false",
        "RIGOL_AUTO_SCREENSHOT": "false",
        "RIGOL_TEMP_DIR": "/tmp/rigol-data"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option 2: Using CLI

claude mcp add --scope local rigol-dho824 -- \
  docker run -i --rm \
  -v /tmp/rigol-data:/tmp/rigol \
  -e RIGOL_RESOURCE="TCPIP0::192.168.1.100::inst0::INSTR" \
  -e VISA_TIMEOUT=30000 \
  -e RIGOL_BEEPER_ENABLED=false \
  -e RIGOL_AUTO_SCREENSHOT=false \
  -e RIGOL_TEMP_DIR=/tmp/rigol-data \
  ghcr.io/aimoda/rigol-dho824-mcp:latest

Codex

codex mcp add rigol-dho824 -- \
  docker run -i --rm \
  -v /tmp/rigol-data:/tmp/rigol \
  -e RIGOL_RESOURCE="TCPIP0::192.168.1.100::inst0::INSTR" \
  -e VISA_TIMEOUT=30000 \
  -e RIGOL_BEEPER_ENABLED=false \
  -e RIGOL_AUTO_SCREENSHOT=false \
  -e RIGOL_TEMP_DIR=/tmp/rigol-data \
  ghcr.io/aimoda/rigol-dho824-mcp:latest

Replace 192.168.1.100 with your oscilloscope's IP address.

Your first prompt

Enter the following prompt in your MCP Client to verify your setup:

Capture a waveform from channel 1 of my oscilloscope

Your MCP client should connect to the oscilloscope and capture the waveform data.

Accessing Temp Files in Docker

The container writes temporary files (waveform captures, screenshots) to /tmp/rigol internally. To access these files from your host machine:

1. Create a directory on your host for storing temporary files:

   mkdir -p /tmp/rigol-data
   

2. Mount this directory as a volume and set RIGOL_TEMP_DIR in your Docker configuration:

   docker run -i --rm \
     -v /tmp/rigol-data:/tmp/rigol \
     -e RIGOL_TEMP_DIR=/tmp/rigol-data \
     ...
   

The server automatically translates all returned file paths from the container path (/tmp/rigol/*) to the host path (/tmp/rigol-data/*), so you can directly access files at the paths shown in tool responses.

Manual Cleanup Example

# Remove waveform captures older than 7 days
find /tmp/rigol-data -type d -name "waveform_capture_*" -mtime +7 -exec rm -rf {} \;

# Remove screenshots older than 7 days
find /tmp/rigol-data -type f -name "screenshot_*.png" -mtime +7 -delete

📚 Documentation

Hardware Requirements

Supported Models

This project only supports DHO804/DHO824 oscilloscopes (identical hardware). We recommend purchasing a DHO804.

Firmware Requirements

IMPORTANT: The DHO804 must be flashed to DHO824 firmware before using this MCP server. Use the rigol_vendor_bin project to flash your oscilloscope.

Supported Firmware Version: 00.01.04

This is the only firmware version we test and support. Other firmware versions may work but are not guaranteed.

Compatibility Note

Other Rigol oscilloscope models may work with this MCP server, but we have no way to test them or guarantee functionality. Use with other models at your own risk.

Troubleshooting

Container exits immediately

• Ensure you're using the -i flag (interactive mode).
• Verify RIGOL_RESOURCE is set correctly.

Cannot connect to oscilloscope

• Verify oscilloscope IP address and network connectivity (ping <ip-address>).
• Check oscilloscope's remote control settings are enabled.

Environment variables not working

• Ensure you're using -e VARIABLE_NAME in the Docker args array.
• Set the actual values in the env field of .mcp.json.

Building Locally

To build the Docker image yourself:

docker build -t rigol-dho824-mcp:local .

Then use rigol-dho824-mcp:local as the image name in your configuration.

Development Setup

Create and activate virtual environment

python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

Install the package

# Install in editable mode for development
pip install -e .

# Or just install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

Add to MCP Client

Claude Code:

claude mcp add --scope local rigol-dho824 -- <path-to-this-repo>/venv/bin/rigol-dho824-mcp

Codex CLI:

codex mcp add \
  --env RIGOL_RESOURCE="TCPIP0::192.168.1.100::inst0::INSTR" \
  --env VISA_TIMEOUT="30000" \
  --env RIGOL_BEEPER_ENABLED="false" \
  --env RIGOL_AUTO_SCREENSHOT="false" \
  rigol-dho824 -- <path-to-this-repo>/venv/bin/rigol-dho824-mcp

Replace:

• <path-to-this-repo> with the actual path to this repository.
• 192.168.1.100 with your oscilloscope's IP address.

Development Configuration

The server can be configured using environment variables. Create a .env file from the example:

cp .env.example .env

Then edit .env to set your configuration:

• RIGOL_RESOURCE: VISA resource string for the oscilloscope (required).
  • Example: TCPIP0::192.168.1.100::inst0::INSTR.
• VISA_TIMEOUT: Communication timeout in milliseconds (default: 5000).

Running the Server (Development)

STDIO Transport

# Set resource string via environment variable
export RIGOL_RESOURCE="TCPIP0::192.168.1.100::inst0::INSTR"
python -m rigol_dho824_mcp.server

HTTP Transport

# Default HTTP server (http://127.0.0.1:8000/mcp)
python -m rigol_dho824_mcp.server --http

# Custom host and port
python -m rigol_dho824_mcp.server --http --host 0.0.0.0 --port 3000

# Custom path
python -m rigol_dho824_mcp.server --http --path /api/mcp

⚠️ Important Note

• The host directory (/tmp/rigol-data in examples) must exist before starting the server.
• RIGOL_TEMP_DIR must match the host-side path in your -v mount.
• Temporary files are not automatically cleaned up.
• You are responsible for manually cleaning up old waveform and screenshot files.

💡 Usage Tip

When using environment variables, it's recommended to use the pass-through from host method (-e VARIABLE_NAME without =value) in Docker to simplify configuration.