Vibe Coding a Rhino Plug-in

Rhino connects to an AI assistant through the Model Context Protocol (MCP) with the native RhinoMCP and mcpstart commands. Where Vibe Coding your Tools in Rhino turns a single conversation into a script and a command alias, this tutorial goes further: we’ll use an AI coding assistant and a developer tool such as Visual Studio Code to build a real Rhino plug-in, from first prototype to something you can package and share.

What You’ll Need

Rhino 9 for Windows or Mac.
An MCP-capable AI chat client, such as Claude Desktop, that can connect to a local MCP server.
Visual Studio Code (or another code editor) to hold the plug-in project.
No prior plug-in development experience required. The assistant writes and edits the code for you; some familiarity with C# or Python is helpful, but not necessary, if you want to read along.

Connect Rhino to an AI Assistant

NOTE TO SELF: Reuse/link the connection steps from Vibe Coding your Tools in Rhino once that section is finalized, instead of duplicating it here.

This Gives the Assistant Real Control

Once connected, the assistant can create, modify, and delete geometry, and run arbitrary code in your Rhino session. Only connect it to a file you don’t mind an AI editing, and run mcpstart again to close the bridge, or quit the chat client, once you’re done experimenting.

Prototype the Plug-in Idea in Conversation

NOTE TO SELF: Walk through describing the plug-in’s intended behavior to the assistant and iterating on a working prototype in the live Rhino session, the same way everyday-tools iterates on the speaker grid script.

Scaffold the Plug-in Project

NOTE TO SELF: Cover generating a real Rhino plug-in project (e.g. via the yak / Visual Studio / VS Code plug-in templates) with the assistant’s help, and moving the prototyped logic into it.

Build and Test in Rhino

NOTE TO SELF: Cover loading the plug-in into Rhino for testing (PlugInManager, debug attach from the editor), and iterating with the assistant when something doesn’t work.

Package the Plug-in

NOTE TO SELF: Cover packaging with PackageManager / Yak for distribution. See How to Use Scripts and Plugins for existing packaging guidance to draw from.

Where to Go from Here

Prefer a lighter-weight approach first? See Vibe Coding your Tools in Rhino for turning a single script into a command and toolbar button, no packaging required.
Remember to close the mcpstart bridge when you’re not actively using it — there’s no reason to leave an AI assistant with live code execution access to Rhino running in the background.