Settings and preferences
Use Edit → Glyphs MCP Server… for application-wide server controls, even with no font open.
| Setting or control | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Start / Stop | Controls the external MCP server. Active preparation, writes, cancellation or recovery prevent shutdown. The native bridge remains available for a later restart. |
| MCP port | Default 9680. Apply validates the port and restarts a running server; update your client's URL afterward. |
| Copy URL | Copies the current MCP endpoint, including the /mcp/ path. |
| Automatic start | Starts the external server at the next login. |
| Open Logs | Opens diagnostic information. |
| Heart button | Opens or focuses Glyphs' nonmodal Welcome/support links panel. |
The bridge uses a separate local connection on port 9681. This internal port is hidden from the Glyphs interface; the palette shows Ready. The visible MCP server port and URL are the ones to use in your agent. Product versions and interface/protocol revisions have different meanings. The coordinated sidecar and bridge product version is 2.1.0; the bridge protocol remains 1. Verify current release labels and fingerprints through get_status; see version and identity.
Server preferences are application-wide. Comparison references are stored per saved font path. A native checkmark and filename/revision identify the current reference in Edit → Comparison Reference; the complete values are in its tooltip.
Glyphs' Welcome/support panel appears automatically once after a successful first display. Closing it does not disable the heart button. It is nonmodal and shared across documents, and can be opened without a font.
Upgrades preserve ports, startup choices, authentication and welcome preferences. Component and connector installation, updates and removals are managed on Setup. Use the discreet Setup log button for paths, per-card failures and redacted diagnostics.
Legacy v1 environment-variable controls are documented in the v1 settings guide. They are not the v2 configuration contract.
The local v2 desktop introduction has its own first-launch completion preference. Replay its six slides through File → Welcome & Support or the sidebar; Skip/Start setup opens Setup. Completed relaunches and quiet login startup do not automatically reopen it.
Desktop Settings also controls menu-bar visibility, optional desktop launch at login and automatic update checks, which are enabled by default and can be disabled. Desktop login startup is independent of the sidecar service. See desktop behavior.