ArcGIS Pro MCP — Claude plugin

Drive a live, open ArcGIS Pro session from Claude using arcpy. Claude can list layers, describe datasets, run geoprocessing, and inspect the current project — executing directly against whatever project you have open in Pro.

Because it runs inside your open Pro session, everything happens locally on your Windows machine. This plugin is a distribution wrapper; the actual arcpy work still requires ArcGIS Pro running in front of you.

---

Prerequisites (required — this will not work without them)

• Windows (ArcGIS Pro is Windows-only)
• ArcGIS Pro installed with a valid license
• Claude Code or the Claude desktop / Cowork app on the same machine
• A one-time mcp package install into Pro's Python (handled by install.ps1)

If you don't have ArcGIS Pro installed and licensed, this plugin cannot do anything.

---

What you get

An MCP server (arcgis-pro) exposing:

Tool	Purpose
project_info()	Current project path, default gdb, maps
list_layers()	Layers in the active map (CRS, source)
describe(dataset)	arcpy.Describe on a layer/path + fields
execute_arcpy(code)	Run arbitrary arcpy in the live session
execute_arcpy_credit(code, reason, confirm_credit)	Same, for Esri credit-consuming ops (gated)
listener_status/pause/resume/stop()	Control the in-Pro listener

Plus a bundled skill (arcgis-pro-workflow) that teaches Claude the per-session listener startup, credit-gating etiquette, and releasing Pro's UI when done.

---

Install

1. Install the plugin

From a local folder (e.g. this OneDrive copy):

/plugin marketplace add "C:\Users\<you>\OneDrive - Econsult Solutions Inc\Documents\Claude\plugins\arcgis-pro-mcp"
/plugin install arcgis-pro-mcp@arcgis-pro-mcp-dev

Then restart Claude Code / the desktop app so the MCP server loads.

In the Claude desktop / Cowork app you can also add the marketplace folder through the plugin UI instead of the slash command.

2. One-time environment setup

The MCP server runs under Pro's Python and needs the mcp package there. Run:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\install.ps1

This finds arcgispro-py3\python.exe, installs mcp into it, and prints the exact listener line to use each session. If your Pro is on a non-standard path, update the command field in .claude-plugin/plugin.json to the path the script reports.

---

Using it (every session)

1. Open your project in ArcGIS Pro.
2. In Pro's Python window (View → Python), paste this self-locating snippet. It finds pro_listener.py wherever Cowork / Claude Desktop installed the plugin — you don't need to know the path (it differs per machine and per install):

   import glob, os
   _hits = sorted(
       glob.glob(os.path.join(os.environ["APPDATA"], "Claude", "**", "pro_listener.py"), recursive=True),
       key=os.path.getmtime, reverse=True)
   if not _hits:
       raise SystemExit("pro_listener.py not found. Is the arcgis-pro-mcp plugin installed?")
   print("Starting listener from:", _hits[0])
   exec(open(_hits[0]).read())
   

   The Python window will show "listener ready" and then appear busy — that's expected; the pump is running.
3. Ask Claude to do GIS work ("what layers are in my map?", "describe the parcels layer", "reproject X to Y").
4. Claude calls listener_stop() when finished to free Pro's UI. Re-run the snippet next time.

---

Notes on credits

execute_arcpy refuses Esri credit-consuming functions (geocoding, EnrichLayer, network solves, agolservices, drive-time areas, etc.). Those must go through execute_arcpy_credit with confirm_credit=True, which Claude sets only after you explicitly approve the credit cost.

---

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Fix
"Cannot reach ArcGIS Pro listener at 127.0.0.1:53535"	Pro isn't open, or you haven't run the exec(...) listener line this session.
MCP server not listed after install	Restart Claude Code / the desktop app. Confirm the command path in plugin.json points to your real arcgispro-py3\python.exe.
ModuleNotFoundError: mcp	Re-run install.ps1 (installs mcp into Pro's env).
Pro UI frozen / unresponsive	Have Claude call listener_stop(), or close Pro as a last resort.
Port 53535 in use	Another listener is already running, or the port conflicts. Stop the old one, or change PORT in both server.py and pro_listener.py.

---

Sharing with your organization

To let coworkers install with one command, put this folder in a GitHub repo and have them run:

/plugin marketplace add your-org/arcgis-pro-mcp
/plugin install arcgis-pro-mcp@arcgis-pro-mcp-dev

Each coworker still needs the prerequisites above (Pro + license) and must run install.ps1 once. You can also pre-wire the marketplace for a team via extraKnownMarketplaces in a shared .claude/settings.json.

---

Author: Angel Zhong