C64 Debug MCP

Debug Commodore 64 programs through conversation - AI-powered control of the VICE emulator for 6502 assembly and BASIC.

Features

• 🎮 Full C64 Control: Pause, resume, step, and reset the emulator
• 🔍 Memory Operations: Read, write, search, and compare memory
• 🐛 Breakpoints: Set execution breakpoints and watchpoints
• 📊 Register Access: Get and set CPU registers (A, X, Y, PC, SP, flags)
• 📸 Display Capture: Capture screen state and text content
• ⌨️ Input Control: Send keyboard and joystick input
• 📝 Program Loading: Load PRG files and manage execution
• 🔢 Flexible Formats: Use C64 notation ($D000, $FF, %11111111) or standard formats (0xD000, 255, 0b11111111)

Address Formats

The MCP server accepts C64 addresses in multiple formats for natural interaction:

• C64 style: $D000 (dollar sign prefix - classic 6502 assembler notation)
• C style: 0xD000 (0x prefix - standard programming hex notation)
• Decimal: 53248 (traditional decimal format)

Note: Bare hex without prefix (e.g., D000) is NOT supported to avoid ambiguity with 4-digit decimals.

Range Support

Tools that read memory or set breakpoints support both address+length and start+end formats:

Address + Length format (original):

memory_read(address="$D000", length=256)      // Read 256 bytes starting at $D000
breakpoint_set(kind="exec", address="$1000", length=1)  // Breakpoint at $1000

Start + End format (more intuitive for ranges):

memory_read(start="$D000", end="$D0FF")       // Read from $D000 to $D0FF inclusive
memory_read(start=198, end=199)                // Read addresses 198-199 (2 bytes)
breakpoint_set(kind="exec", start="$1000", end="$1000")  // Breakpoint at $1000

Both formats work with all address representations (decimal, $, 0x).

Common C64 Addresses:

• $D000 - SID chip registers (sound)
• $D020 - Border color register
• $D021 - Background color register
• $0400 - Default screen memory
• $0800 - Common program start
• $C000 - BASIC ROM start

Address Ranges

For operations that work with memory ranges (like memory_read and breakpoint_set), you can specify ranges in two ways:

Option 1: Address + Length

memory_read(address="$0400", length=256)  // Read 256 bytes from $0400
breakpoint_set(kind="exec", address="$1000", length=16)  // Break on $1000-$100F

Option 2: Start + End (inclusive)

memory_read(start="$0400", end="$04FF")  // Read from $0400 to $04FF (256 bytes)
breakpoint_set(kind="exec", start="$1000", end="$100F")  // Break on $1000-$100F

Both formats work identically and support all address formats (decimal, hex).

Byte Value Formats

The MCP server accepts byte values (0-255) in multiple formats for natural C64-style input:

• C64 hex: $FF (dollar sign prefix - classic 6502 notation)
• C hex: 0xFF (0x prefix - standard programming notation)
• C64 binary: %11111111 (percent prefix - classic 6502 bit notation)
• C binary: 0b11111111 (0b prefix - standard programming notation)
• Decimal: 255 (traditional decimal format)

Note: Bare hex/binary without prefix (e.g., FF, 11111111) is NOT supported to avoid ambiguity.

Mixed formats in arrays:

[255, "$FF", "0xFF", "%11111111", "0b11111111"]

Common C64 Byte Values:

• $00-$0F - Color values (0-15)
• $20 - PETSCII space character
• $41 - PETSCII 'A' character
• %00011011 - VIC-II D011 control register (text mode, 25 rows, screen on)
• %11111111 - All bits set (enable all sprites, etc.)

Use Cases:

// Set border to light blue
memory_write(address="$D020", data=["$0E"])

// Enable all 8 sprites
memory_write(address="$D015", data=["%11111111"])

// Write " AB" to screen (PETSCII)
memory_write(address="$0400", data=["$20", "$41", "$42"])

// Set VIC-II control register with bit pattern
memory_write(address="$D011", data=["%00011011"])

Requirements

• Node.js >= 22.13.0
• VICE Emulator (https://vice-emu.sourceforge.io/)
• MCP-compatible AI assistant (Claude Code, Codex, Windsurf, etc.)

Installation

claude mcp add c64-dev-tools -- npx -y c64-debug-mcp@latest

Or add manually to your MCP client config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "c64-dev-tools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "c64-debug-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

Quick Start

1. Add MCP server (see Installation above)

2. Ask your AI assistant to interact with C64:

   • "What's in memory at $D000?"
   • "Set a breakpoint at $1000"
   • "Load and run my program.prg"

Important: The MCP server launches and controls VICE automatically. Your AI assistant owns the emulator process and can reset or restart it at any time. Don't use VICE manually or create valuable work in the emulator while debugging - any unsaved state may be lost when it resets the machine.

Example Workflows

Debugging a Program

You: Load examples/hello.prg and set a breakpoint at $1000

AI assistant will:
1. Load the program using program_load
2. Set a breakpoint at $1000 using breakpoint_set
3. Resume execution until breakpoint is hit
4. Show you the register state when stopped

Memory Analysis

You: What's the BASIC program in memory?

AI assistant will:
1. Read memory from $0801 (BASIC start)
2. Parse the BASIC tokens
3. Show you the program listing

Screen Capture

You: Show me what's on the screen

AI assistant will:
1. Capture the display using capture_display
2. Save a PNG image
3. Describe what's visible

License

MIT - see LICENSE file

Made with ❤️ for C64 developers and AI-assisted retro coding

"The C64 never gets old, it just gets smarter" 🎮