What it does
An AI assistant such as Claude can work with the OSCAR on your computer. Describe the interface you need and it writes a draft for you to open and check. Tell it something is not responding and it reads your settings and what OSCAR lately sent. OSCAR speaks MCP, the standard way assistants connect to apps, so it is not tied to one assistant: Claude, Cursor, GitHub Copilot in VS Code, Windsurf, Codex and Gemini CLI can all use it.
1. Start OSCAR
Open OSCAR and look at the MCP pill in the top bar. Green means assistants on this computer may connect. Click it for the switch, these steps with a Copy button for each, and a list of what assistants lately asked for.
2. Connect your assistant, once
- Claude Desktop: download OSCAR.mcpb, double-click it, and choose Install. There is nothing else to set up.
- Claude Code: run
claude mcp add oscar -- npx -y createwithoscar - Cursor: Add OSCAR to Cursor and confirm the prompt.
- VS Code with GitHub Copilot: Add OSCAR to VS Code, or search
@mcp oscarin the Extensions view. - Gemini CLI: run
gemini extensions install https://github.com/trafalmejo/OSCAR - Codex: run
codex mcp add oscar -- npx -y createwithoscar - Windsurf and other apps that speak MCP: add a server named
oscarwith the commandnpxand the arguments-y createwithoscar.
Assistants that read skills can also learn how to design a surface for your software without OSCAR running: npx skills add trafalmejo/OSCAR. In Claude Code the skill and the connection come together as a plugin: claude plugin marketplace add trafalmejo/OSCAR, then claude plugin install oscar@createwithoscar.
The command-line routes need Node.js on your computer. On Windows, if the app cannot start it, use the command cmd with the arguments /c npx -y createwithoscar.
3. Ask
- “Build me an OSCAR interface with four faders and a blackout button for my lighting desk.”
- “Make an OSCAR controller for Resolume: eight clips and a crossfader, on port 7000.”
- “My OSCAR slider is not moving the light. Can you see why?”
A draft appears in OSCAR under File → Open project or template, marked Draft. Open it, change what you like, and publish it yourself when it is right.
What an assistant can and cannot do
- It can read: your projects, what is published, each control’s settings, your MIDI ports, and the network log.
- It can write: a draft, and nothing else. A draft does nothing until you open it.
- It cannot: send anything to your software, gear or lights, publish, or change a project.
- It stays on your computer: only an assistant running on the same computer as OSCAR can connect. If OSCAR is closed, the assistant will ask you to start it.
Questions people ask
Which AI assistants work with OSCAR?
Any assistant that speaks MCP: Claude Desktop and Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot in VS Code, Windsurf, Codex and Gemini CLI. The helper is the npm package createwithoscar; OSCAR is also on the MCP registry as io.github.trafalmejo/oscar, and there is a Claude Code plugin and a Gemini CLI extension.
Can the assistant control my show?
No. It can read your setup and write a draft interface. Sending OSC, MIDI or DMX, publishing, and changing a project stay with you. That is a deliberate limit, not a missing feature.
Does this need the internet or an account?
The connection between the assistant and OSCAR is on your computer. The assistant itself needs whatever it normally needs; OSCAR asks for no account and sends nothing about your projects anywhere.
Is OSCAR an MCP server?
Yes. OSCAR runs one on the computer it is installed on, reachable only from that computer, with tools to list and read projects and published interfaces, see MIDI ports and recent activity, validate a draft and create one.
Next
Download OSCAR, connect your assistant with one of the lines above, and ask for a desk. How it works covers the rest of OSCAR.