Codex Desktop + SideFX Houdini

Control a live Houdini scene from an AI coding agent.

This fork documents and fixes a working Windows pipeline where Codex Desktop talks to Houdini through MCP, FastMCP, RPyC, and Houdini's bundled hrpyc remote listener.

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Codex Desktop
  -> stdio MCP server
    -> FastMCP tools
      -> RPyC 5.x client
        -> Houdini hrpyc
          -> live /stage edits

check_connection:
  Houdini 21.0.671
  127.0.0.1:18811
  status: connected

Why this matters

Houdini is powerful, but production scene work often means repetitive graph edits, parameter wiring, import fixes, and validation. MCP gives Codex a structured way to operate Houdini directly instead of describing steps for a human to repeat.

Live scene operations

Create nodes, wire networks, set parameters, inspect errors, and run targeted Python against the open Houdini session.

Solaris and USD workflows

Useful for splitting imports, fixing transforms, restoring material bindings, and building controllable LOP/SOP networks.

Less manual glue

Let the agent handle mechanical setup while the artist keeps control over intent, look, animation, and approvals.

Windows architecture

The stable setup runs the MCP process in normal Python and connects to Houdini through a remote hrpyc listener. This avoids running FastMCP under hython, where Houdini's event loop can break tool discovery.

1. Start Houdini Install the shelf tool and run Start Remote on port 18811.
2. Run MCP in Python Use normal Python with fastmcp and rpyc 5.x.
3. Connect Codex Register the stdio launcher in Codex Desktop config.
4. Work live Use tools like check_connection, list_children, execute_code, and node wiring.

Fixes in this fork

  • Clean FastMCP stdio output without banner noise.
  • Correct stdio run arguments.
  • Start and stop hrpyc with ThreadedServer.

Tested with

  • Windows 11
  • Houdini 21.0.671
  • Codex Desktop
  • Python 3.14 + RPyC 5.3.1

Community status

Pull request open. The changes are proposed upstream so the broader Houdini MCP community can use the same Windows/Codex path. Updates and discussion are in CG Pipeline Lab.