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Installation

Glyphs MCP ships as a Glyphs plug-in plus a small Python dependency set. The macOS installer supports Glyphs 3 and Glyphs 4 beta; install it first, then start the local MCP server from inside Glyphs.

Use the installer. It can install the plug-in, install dependencies where Glyphs can load them, link supported clients, and optionally install bundled agent skills.

The macOS app detects Glyphs 3 and Glyphs 4 separately. If both are installed, both are selected initially, and you can choose either version or install for both. A missing version is shown as not detected and cannot be selected.

Supported automatic links:

  • Codex App
  • Codex CLI
  • Claude App
  • Claude CLI

Run from the repo root:

python3 install.py

On macOS, you can also double-click RunInstall.command in Finder. If Gatekeeper blocks it, right-click it and choose Open once.

Glyphs MCP Installer

Requirements​

  • macOS with Glyphs 3 or Glyphs 4 beta
  • Python 3.11-3.14
  • Local access to the repo checkout or a downloaded release package

If python3 is missing or too old, install Python 3.14 from python.org and rerun the installer.

Glyphs 3 backward compatibility is kept for the shared MCP server code where possible. The macOS app detects it automatically. The terminal installer still defaults to Glyphs 4; for a terminal-based Glyphs 3 install, use --glyphs-version 3.

What the installer does​

  • Detects a supported Python environment.
  • Detects installed Glyphs 3 and Glyphs 4 applications and lets you target either or both.
  • Installs Python dependencies for Glyphs.
  • Installs or links Glyphs MCP.glyphsPlugin into Glyphs' plug-ins folder.
  • Can link supported local MCP clients.
  • Can copy bundled glyphs-mcp-* skills into Codex or Claude Code skill directories.
  • Verifies imports and prints actionable errors when setup fails.

Downloads​

Scripted install​

For automation or reproducible development setup, use non-interactive mode:

python3 install.py --non-interactive --python-mode glyphs --plugin-mode link --skip-skills --skip-client-guidance

The terminal installer targets Glyphs 4 by default. For a Glyphs 3 install, add --glyphs-version 3. This option does not affect the macOS app’s automatic target detection.

Add skill installation when needed:

python3 install.py --non-interactive --python-mode glyphs --plugin-mode link --install-skills --skills-target codex --overwrite-plugin --overwrite-skills --skip-client-guidance

Verify installation​

After installation, restart Glyphs. The Edit menu should include:

  • Glyphs MCP Server

Then continue to Start the server.

Uninstall​

macOS app​

  1. Open the installer’s Status page and choose Uninstall….
  2. Review the exact plug-ins, managed skills, and matching MCP client entries. Missing items and same-named custom client entries stay visible but cannot be selected.
  3. Quit only the selected Glyphs versions if prompted.
  4. Read the disclaimer, select the acknowledgment checkbox, and choose Uninstall.

Client configuration files are backed up before their matching Glyphs MCP entry is removed. Unrelated configuration is preserved.

Terminal​

Preview every safely attributable Glyphs 3 and Glyphs 4 artifact without changing files:

python3 install.py --uninstall --glyphs-version both --dry-run

Run the interactive uninstall after reviewing that list:

python3 install.py --uninstall --glyphs-version both

For automation, explicit confirmation is mandatory:

python3 install.py --uninstall --glyphs-version both --non-interactive --confirm-uninstall

The terminal uninstaller continues to default to Glyphs 4. Use --glyphs-version 3 or --glyphs-version both when needed. Repeat --uninstall-component plugin, --uninstall-component skills, or --uninstall-component clients to restrict the plan.

What is preserved​

The uninstaller never removes:

  • Python packages or any Scripts/site-packages folder
  • Glyphs preferences or Glyphs MCP settings
  • Font annotations or other font data
  • Documents, repositories, or shared parent folders

Existing installations do not contain a dependency ownership receipt, and these Python locations may be shared with unrelated Glyphs scripts or Python tools. Removing packages automatically would therefore be unsafe.