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Getting Started

Get MCP Engine running in under a minute. Choose your preferred installation method below.

QUICK START

If you have Claude Code installed, run this instant install command:

01 — INSTALLATION

Installation Methods

Choose your preferred installation method. Click to expand each option.

  1. Download MCP Engine from the releases page
  2. Double-click the .mcpb package to install (if it doesn't open automatically, right-click and choose "Open With" -> Claude Desktop)
  3. Alternative: add the server manually in Claude Desktop config
  4. Restart Claude Desktop
  5. Start chatting with your Power BI models

Pro & Enterprise Features

Free tier works out of the box. For Pro/Enterprise features, activate your license directly from chat.

// Claude Desktop (manual config alternative)
// Add MCP Engine to your Claude Desktop config, then restart Claude Desktop.
// Note: server paths vary by platform and install location.

// Windows (Power BI Desktop)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-engine": {
      "command": "C:\\Path\\To\\McpEngine.exe",
      "args": [],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

// macOS (XMLA Only)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-engine": {
      "command": "/path/to/McpEngineXmla",
      "args": [],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}
  1. Ensure Claude Code and Node.js are installed
  2. Run the install command below
  3. The MCP server will be added to your configuration
  1. Install the MCP Engine extension from the VS Code Marketplace
  2. Restart VS Code
  3. Start chatting with your Power BI models via Copilot
View on VS Code Marketplace

Pro & Enterprise Features

Free tier works out of the box. For Pro/Enterprise features, activate your license directly from chat.

// Manual alternative: .vscode/mcp.json
// Windows (Power BI Desktop)
{
  "servers": {
    "mcp-engine": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "C:\\Path\\To\\McpEngine.exe",
      "args": [],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

// macOS (XMLA Only)
{
  "servers": {
    "mcp-engine": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "/path/to/McpEngineXmla",
      "args": [],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

// Alternative: use npx (requires Node.js)
{
  "servers": {
    "mcp-engine": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-engine"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}
  1. Download the appropriate binary for your platform
  2. Add the server to your client's MCP configuration
  3. Use stdio transport with the executable path

Pro & Enterprise Features

Free tier works out of the box. For Pro/Enterprise features, activate your license directly from chat.

// Windows (Power BI Desktop)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-engine": {
      "command": "C:\\Path\\To\\McpEngine.exe",
      "args": [],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

// macOS (XMLA Only)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-engine": {
      "command": "/path/to/McpEngineXmla",
      "args": [],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

// Alternative: use npx (requires Node.js)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-engine": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-engine"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

02 — REQUIREMENTS

System Requirements

Power BI Desktop

  • •Windows 10/11
  • •Power BI Desktop installed
  • •A .pbix file open

Power BI Service (XMLA)

  • •Windows or macOS
  • •Premium or Fabric capacity
  • •XMLA endpoint enabled

03 — EXAMPLES

Example Prompts

Try these prompts to get started with MCP Engine:

List all measures

"Show me all measures in the current model"

Create a new measure

"Create a measure called Total Revenue that sums the Amount column from Sales"

Run a DAX query

"Show me the top 10 products by revenue"

Analyze performance

"What are the largest tables in this model by memory usage?"

Set up security

"Create a role called Sales Team that filters Region to 'West'"

Compare models

"What changed since my last checkpoint?"

04 — CONFIGURATION

Configuration Reference

Most users can get started without changing anything. If you need to tune limits, enable strict safety modes, or configure formatting, use the configuration reference.

Includes license activation, pagination defaults, external change detection, caches, and expression formatting controls.

Open Configuration

05 — BUILT-IN GUIDES

Docs Library

MCP Engine ships with 20+ built-in markdown guides, available via MCP resources/list and resources/read.

Measure Authoring Guide

docs://measure-authoring-guide

DAX Query Writing Guide

docs://dax-query-guide

DAX Query Plan Reference

docs://dax-query-plan-reference

Calculation Groups Guide

docs://calc-groups-guide

Relationships Guide

docs://relationships-guide

Column & Table Authoring

docs://column-and-table-authoring-guide

Security Roles Guide

docs://security-roles-guide

Partitions & Refresh Guide

docs://partitions-refresh-guide

Query Performance Guide

docs://query-performance-guide

VertiPaq Optimization

docs://vertipaq-optimization-guide

Calendar Configuration

docs://calendar-guide

PII Masking Guide

docs://pii-masking-guide

Policy Guide

docs://policy-guide

Unit Testing Guide

docs://unit-testing-guide

Troubleshooting Guide

docs://troubleshooting-guide

Access guides in your AI assistant: "Read the measure authoring guide" or use resources/read directly.

Ready to explore more?

Check out the full API reference or get help from the community.

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