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Embody

Supercharge Your TouchDesigner Workflow With AI

Build faster. Debug smarter. Let AI handle the tedious parts while you focus on what matters — your creative vision. Through the Envoy MCP server, you can direct AI assistants like Claude to create operators, wire connections, set parameters, write extensions, and debug errors, all inside your live TD session.

No copy-pasting code. No describing your network in chat. You stay in control while AI does the heavy lifting.

  • Envoy — AI Meets TouchDesigner

    An embedded MCP server with 40+ tools that connects AI assistants like Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf to your live TD session. Create operators, set parameters, wire connections, write extensions, inspect errors, export networks — all through natural conversation.

    Setup Envoy

  • Embody — Version Control for TD

    Tag any operator and Embody keeps external files (.tox, .py, .json, .glsl, etc.) in sync. On project open, everything is auto-restored from disk. Your entire network becomes diffable, mergeable, and reviewable in git.

    Get started

  • TDN — Networks as JSON

    Export your operator network to human-readable JSON. Review structural changes in git diffs, snapshot configurations, and reconstruct entire networks from text.

    Learn about TDN

What You Can Do With Envoy

With Envoy running, you can direct an AI assistant to handle anything in TouchDesigner — programmatically:

Capability Example
Create & connect operators "Build me a noise-driven particle system"
Read & set any parameter "Set the noise frequency to match the audio input"
Write extensions "Create an extension class that manages scene transitions"
Debug errors "Why is my render chain producing a black output?"
Export & import networks "Export this COMP to TDN so I can review the diff"
Inspect anything "What parameters are non-default on this operator?"
:material-annotation: Document networks "Add annotations to group and label these operators"
Run tests "Run the test suite and fix any failures"

You describe what you want in plain language, and the AI works with your live network — operators, connections, parameters, hierarchy — with full context.

Full tool reference

Key Features

Feature Description
Envoy MCP Server 40+ tools connect AI assistants to your live TD session
Automated Externalization Tags COMPs and DATs, keeps external files in sync — auto-restores from disk on project open
TDN Format Export/import operator networks as diffable JSON for code review and snapshots
Keyboard Shortcuts Double-tap Left Ctrl to tag, Ctrl+Shift+U to save — minimal friction
Parameter Tracking Automatically detects parameter changes and marks COMPs dirty
30 Test Suites Comprehensive automated testing with 587 test methods
Structured Logging Multi-destination logging with file rotation, ring buffer, and MCP access

Requirements

  • TouchDesigner 2025.32280 or later (Windows / macOS)
  • A git repository containing your .toe project (recommended)

Quick Start

  1. Download the Embody .tox from the release folder
  2. Drag and drop it into your TouchDesigner project
  3. Enable Envoy to connect AI assistants to your session
  4. Externalize operators by pressing Left Ctrl twice on any COMP or DAT — tags and saves in one step
  5. Save as you work with Ctrl+Shift+U — on next project open, everything restores from disk automatically

Full setup guide