Tactus

A content-agnostic MCP server that lets any AI agent control intimate hardware through a clean, safe tool interface.

Tactus is a thin, neutral control layer. It wraps Buttplug / Intiface — so a single integration reaches 750+ devices across ~26 brands — and exposes them to AI agents as Model Context Protocol (MCP) tools. It forwards hardware control commands only. It does not generate, host, or store any content of any kind.

• Safety first. Intensity clamping, an independent watchdog auto-stop, a one-call emergency stop, and fail-safe stop semantics are built in and on by default — this is the headline feature, not an afterthought.
• One-line install. npx -y tactus-mcp, no clone or build.
• OS-agnostic. Tactus never touches Bluetooth. Intiface owns the radio; we just talk to it over a local WebSocket.

⚠️ Adults only (18+, or the age of majority in your jurisdiction). For use only on devices you own and only with the consent of everyone involved.

How it works

  AI client / agent           Tactus (this server)            Intiface Central
  (Claude Desktop,    MCP      - MCP server          WebSocket - holds BLE/USB
   Claude Code, your  ───────▶ - Buttplug client     ────────▶   - 750+ device
   own AI product)            - SAFETY LAYER          :12345      protocols
                                                                     │ BLE/USB
                                                                     ▼
                                                                🔵 your device

Everything runs locally on your machine. Tactus is a Buttplug client that connects to a locally running Intiface Central/Engine at ws://127.0.0.1:12345.

Prerequisites

1. Install Intiface Central.
2. Open it and click Start Server.
3. Pair your device (or, for development, add a simulated device under Devices → Manage Simulated Devices).

Install & configure

Tactus runs over stdio via npx. Add it to your MCP client config.

Claude Desktop / Claude Code (claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tactus": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "tactus-mcp"],
      "env": { "MAX_INTENSITY": "1.0" }
    }
  }
}

The same command/args work for any MCP client that launches stdio servers (Cursor, Cline, Continue, etc.).

Tools

| Tool | Purpose | |---|---| | list_devices | List connected devices and their actuators | | scan_for_devices | Scan for and return newly found devices | | get_battery | Read battery level (0.0–1.0) | | vibrate | Set vibration intensity (0.0–1.0) | | oscillate | Set oscillation intensity (0.0–1.0) | | rotate | Set rotation speed and direction | | linear | Move a stroker to a position over a duration | | vibrate_pattern | Play a timed, interruptible vibration pattern | | stop_device | Stop one device | | stop_all | Emergency stop — halt every device immediately | | server_status | Report connection status to Intiface |

All intensities are normalized to 0.0–1.0. Every tool returns both structured data and human-readable text.

Safety

The safety layer wraps every driving command and is on by default:

• Intensity clamp — requests are clamped to MAX_INTENSITY; the effective value is reported back, and out-of-range input is rejected with a clear error rather than silently coerced.
• Watchdog auto-stop — any continuous drive auto-stops after MAX_CONTINUOUS_MS (default 10 minutes) unless refreshed by a new command. This is an independent timer, not a check-on-next-call.
• Stop on disconnect/exit — if the AI client disconnects or the process is signalled, all devices stop. The watchdog is the hard backstop for hard kills.
• Interruptible patterns — patterns are time-scheduled so a single call never blocks the server; any stop preempts them instantly.
• Rate limiting — per-device command bursts are coalesced to protect BLE.
• Fail-safe stop — if a stop cannot be confirmed, Tactus retries rather than optimistically reporting success.

Configuration

| Variable | Default | Meaning | |---|---|---| | INTIFACE_URL | ws://127.0.0.1:12345 | Intiface WebSocket address | | MAX_INTENSITY | 1.0 | Clamp ceiling for drive intensity (0.0–1.0) | | MAX_CONTINUOUS_MS | 600000 | Watchdog auto-stop window | | SCAN_DEFAULT_MS | 5000 | Default scan duration | | --allow-unsafe | off | Disables the intensity clamp (discouraged) |

Troubleshooting

"Intiface is not reachable at ws://127.0.0.1:12345" Start Intiface Central and click Start Server (the top status should read "Engine running"). Tactus retries automatically with backoff, so once Intiface is up the tools start working without restarting your MCP client.

A device doesn't show up when scanning

• Make sure it is powered on and awake (press a button to wake it), and not already connected to its own phone app — Bluetooth devices accept one host at a time, so close/disconnect the app first.
• On macOS, Intiface needs Bluetooth permission: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Bluetooth → enable Intiface Central, then quit and reopen Intiface (the permission only takes effect after a restart).
• Keep the device in range; out-of-range devices drop and disappear from list_devices.

My computer sees the device over Bluetooth, but Intiface/Tactus doesn't The device's advertised Bluetooth name isn't in Buttplug's supported device list (common for regional/rebranded SKUs). Support must be added upstream in Buttplug — Tactus deliberately adds no per-device code and does not reverse-engineer devices.

A command returns "Unknown device id" The device disconnected (e.g. out of range) and left the known set. Call scan_for_devices / list_devices to reconnect and get its current id.

Known limitations

• Device coverage = whatever Buttplug supports. Devices not present in Buttplug's device configuration cannot be controlled until added upstream.
• Silent link degradation is not actively detected. A dropped link that Intiface reports is handled (the device leaves list_devices and drive calls error clearly). But if a Bluetooth link degrades silently without Intiface noticing, commands may appear to succeed while the device is unresponsive — active liveness probing is not yet implemented.
• Local only. This package controls devices on the same machine via a local Intiface. Internet/remote control is out of scope here.

Adding support for an unrecognized device

Using a device from a supported brand that doesn't show up? It often just advertises a Bluetooth name (or regional SKU) that Buttplug hasn't catalogued yet. Because Tactus wraps Buttplug, the fix belongs upstream in Buttplug, not here — and for a same-brand device it's usually just adding a name, with no reverse-engineering.

1. Find the device's advertised Bluetooth name (see Troubleshooting above).
2. In Intiface's user device configuration, add that name to the same brand's existing protocol and test whether it drives correctly.
3. If it works, contribute the name upstream to buttplugio/buttplug so everyone benefits — and/or open an "Unsupported device" issue here and we'll help.

If a device only works under a protocol it doesn't truly match — or needs a protocol Buttplug doesn't have — that would require reverse-engineering, which is out of scope (see CONTRIBUTING).

Trademarks

"Lovense", "We-Vibe", "Satisfyer", "Kiiroo", "Lelo", "The Handy", "Magic Motion", "Svakom", and other device names are trademarks of their respective owners. Tactus is an independent project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or partnered with any device manufacturer. It is described as compatible with these devices only in the factual sense that it builds on the open-source Buttplug protocol library. No manufacturer logos are used.

Content generation — out of scope

This server forwards hardware control commands only. It does not generate, synthesize, recommend, or produce any text, image, audio, or video content. The calling AI agent is the sole content-generating party and is solely responsible for any content it produces and for compliance with content obligations in its jurisdiction.

Acceptable use

Tactus is a neutral, content-agnostic hardware control layer. It does not support, document, or assist with: use on devices you do not own or lack consent to operate; use by or on minors; or any use violating applicable law in your jurisdiction. These statements describe the scope of maintainer support and documentation — they are not additional restrictions on the License, which continues to govern all use, modification, and redistribution. Users are independently responsible for evaluating their use against applicable law.

Tactus only uses device protocols already supported upstream by Buttplug. It does not reverse-engineer unsupported devices and does not break any device encryption or access control. It collects and transmits no personal or usage data.

Disclaimer

This software controls hardware you connect to it. Use it only on devices you own and only with the consent of everyone involved. For adults only (18+, or the age of majority in your jurisdiction).

This software is provided "AS IS", without warranty of any kind (see LICENSE). The statements above are informational; they do not modify the License, add warranties or duties of care, or transfer liability. The License's no-warranty and limitation-of-liability terms continue to apply in full.

License

Apache-2.0.