@jjp00/rdlc-designer-mcp

MCP server (stdio) that lets an AI agent create and edit Business Central RDLC / RDL (2016) report layouts. It runs the same editing engine as the RDLC Report Designer desktop app, without needing the app: no GUI, no Electron.

The agent never writes XML. It sends typed commands (insert a textbox, add a tablix column, set a style, …) that keep the file's structure consistent, can be undone, and are validated against the official RDL 2016 schema when saving. Files round-trip byte for byte: a diff only shows what changed.

Requires Node.js 22+.

Use

npx -y @jjp00/rdlc-designer-mcp

You normally don't run it by hand: you register it in your agent (below).

Claude Code

claude mcp add rdlc-designer -- npx -y @jjp00/rdlc-designer-mcp

On native Windows (not WSL), wrap npx with cmd /c:

claude mcp add rdlc-designer -- cmd /c npx -y @jjp00/rdlc-designer-mcp

Add --scope user for all your projects, or --scope project to write a shared .mcp.json.

Other agents

Any MCP client that supports stdio servers takes the same command. Typical shapes (check your client's docs, they change):

// Claude Desktop (claude_desktop_config.json), Cursor (.cursor/mcp.json)
{ "mcpServers": { "rdlc-designer": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@jjp00/rdlc-designer-mcp"] } } }

// VS Code (.vscode/mcp.json)
{
  "servers": {
    "rdlc-designer": { "type": "stdio", "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@jjp00/rdlc-designer-mcp"] },
  },
}

# Codex CLI (~/.codex/config.toml)
[mcp_servers.rdlc-designer]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@jjp00/rdlc-designer-mcp"]

Tools

| Tool | Purpose | | ------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | rdlc_open / rdlc_create | Open an existing file or create a blank one | | rdlc_get_report | Page, regions, item counts, dataset fields, parameters, VB code | | rdlc_get_outline / rdlc_get_item | Compact layout map / full JSON of one item | | rdlc_find | Find text/expressions/ids: item id + exact spot (not grep) | | rdlc_list_commands | Command signatures, or the exact JSON Schema of the ones you name | | rdlc_apply_commands | Apply commands in order (validated first, atomic by default) | | rdlc_undo / rdlc_redo | Per-session history | | rdlc_save / rdlc_save_as | Write (schema-validated) / write a copy | | rdlc_reload / rdlc_close | Re-read from disk discarding edits / close the session | | rdlc_list_sessions | Open sessions |

Edits live in memory until rdlc_save. Dataset fields and parameters are read-only: in Business Central they come from the AL report dataset, so add the column in AL, compile, and re-open the regenerated .rdlc.

Notes

• Only .rdlc / .rdl files are accepted. rdlc_create and rdlc_save_as refuse to overwrite an existing file unless you pass overwrite: true.
• The server has the file access of the process that launches it. Work on copies until you trust it.
• RDLC_SCHEMA_PATH overrides the bundled XSD.

MIT licensed.