Arena MCP Extractor

A read-only Model Context Protocol server that exposes Rockwell Automation Arena simulation models to an LLM client such as Claude Code.

The server asks Arena itself to open .doe files through its Windows COM object model. It never saves, runs, or edits a model. Extracted data is returned as a versioned, JSON-compatible intermediate representation (IR) suitable for driving a Python simulation translator.

Requirements

• Windows (the server uses COM and the Windows registry)
• A licensed local install of Rockwell Automation Arena, registered under the Arena.Application ProgID
• Python 3.10+

Install

python -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

Run

As an MCP server over stdio (the normal mode):

python Arena_MCP_Extractor.py

Register it with Claude Code:

claude mcp add arena -- python C:\path\to\Arena_MCP_Extractor.py

CLI mode

The same file doubles as a command-line tool, which is handy for verifying your Arena install before wiring up an MCP client:

python Arena_MCP_Extractor.py --status
python Arena_MCP_Extractor.py --list-models
python Arena_MCP_Extractor.py --inspect  MyModel.doe
python Arena_MCP_Extractor.py --extract  MyModel.doe
python Arena_MCP_Extractor.py --audit    MyModel.doe

--audit accepts --include-vba-source, --include-siman-source, and --include-binary-payloads to widen what is captured.

Tools

All tools are annotated read-only.

Tool	Purpose
arena_status	Report whether Arena is installed and reachable over COM
list_arena_models	Discover .doe models in the usual document folders
inspect_arena_model	Summarize one model: modules, counts, metadata
list_arena_modules	Enumerate modules with their operand data
list_arena_connections	Enumerate the connection graph between modules
extract_arena_model	Produce the full neutral IR for translation
analyze_arena_model_compatibility	Classify modules as automatic / assisted / unsupported
audit_arena_model_data	Pre-translation coverage gate over every data source
inspect_arena_project_bar	Read the project bar panel structure
extract_arena_submodels	Walk submodel hierarchies
extract_arena_visual_model	Extract animation and layout geometry
extract_arena_material_handling	Extract conveyors, transporters, and networks
inspect_arena_compound_file	Inspect the raw OLE compound file streams
extract_arena_siman_source	Generate SIMAN source from a temporary copy
inspect_arena_results	Inspect an Arena results database
read_arena_results	Read statistics out of a results database

Suggested workflow

1. arena_status — confirm Arena is reachable.
2. audit_arena_model_data — the coverage gate; shows what the model contains and what the extractor cannot yet represent.
3. extract_arena_model — obtain the neutral IR to translate.

Schema versions

• IR schema: 0.3.0
• Audit schema: 2.0.0

Both are reported in every response so downstream consumers can pin behaviour.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.

Disclaimer

Not affiliated with or endorsed by Rockwell Automation. "Arena" is their trademark. You need your own licensed Arena installation to use this.