I built an AI Agent that can control a smart-home and you can too.

AI Agents + MCP + Matter = Amazing Opportunity The world of AI agents is evolving rapidly, with the ability to control real-world connected devices in smart homes. This advancement unlocks new opportunities for automation, enabling seamless interaction with physical environments through APIs. However, integrating AI Agents with smart home devices is challenging. If you’ve ever tried to control IoT-based devices programmatically, you know how frustrating it can be—dealing with protocols, writing low-level code, and debugging endless connection issues. That’s why I built the Matter-MCP Server, an open-source tool that makes it ridiculously easy for AI Agents and AI assistants like Claude to control Matter devices using natural language. In this article, I’ll break down how it works, why it’s a game-changer for developers, and how you can set it up yourself. Why I Built the Matter-MCP Server When working with AI and IoT, I found myself constantly wrestling with connectivity complexity. Matter is an amazing protocol backed by industry giants, but it isn’t exactly built for AI-driven automation out of the box. One major issue is the need to communicate with devices using the Matter protocol. This makes automation difficult, especially for developers working on AI-powered assistants. That’s where MCP (Model-Context-Protocol) comes in. The Matter-MCP Server acts as a bridge between AI models and Matter devices, allowing seamless communication through structured interfaces. Instead of writing raw protocol commands, you can now control your IoT setup with simple, human-readable requests. What Can It Do? The Matter-MCP Server allows AI to: ✅ Commission new Matter devices (without manual intervention!) ✅ Read and update device attributes (e.g., check if a door is locked) ✅ Send commands in natural language (e.g., “Turn off the smart plug”) ✅ Monitor device status in real-time ✅ Search and access Matter protocol documentation dynamically By leveraging MCP, it makes AI-driven home automation smoother and more intuitive than ever. How to Set It Up (Step-By-Step) Setting up the Matter-MCP Server is easy! Here’s how to do it in a few minutes: 1️⃣ Clone the Repository git clone https://github.com/MatterCoder/matter-mcp-server.git cd matter-mcp-server 2️⃣ Set Up a Python Virtual Environment python3 -m venv .venv source .venv/bin/activate # On Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate 3️⃣ Install Dependencies pip install -r requirements.txt 4️⃣ Install UV (Required for AI Integration) curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh If curl is unavailable, use wget: wget -qO- https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh Integrating with Claude (For AI-Powered Control) To enable Claude to interact with the Matter-MCP Server, configure your Claude desktop settings: 1️⃣ Locate the claude_desktop_config.json file Ubuntu: ~/.config/Claude MacOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude 2️⃣ Add the MCP Server Configuration { "mcpServers": { "matter-mcp-server": { "command": "uv", "args": [ "--directory", "[REPLACE_WITH_FULL_PATH_TO_YOUR_REPO]", "run", "matter-mcp-server.py" ] } } } 3️⃣ Restart Claude Desktop Claude Code MCP Installation You can also install the Matter MCP server in Claude Code using the claude mcp add command. claude mcp add matter-mcp-server uv --directory [REPLACE_WITH_FULL_PATH_TO_YOUR_REPO] run matter-mcp-server.py Python Matter Server The Python Matter Server is used by my MCP server. The Python Matter Server, from the Open Home Foundation, implements a Matter Controller Server over WebSockets using the official Matter (formerly CHIP) SDK. For running the server and/or client in your development environment, see the Development documentation. For running the Matter Server as a standalone docker container, see the docker instructions. Testing with a Matter device? A Matter Virtual Device (MVD) is a software-based emulator provided by Google that simulates Matter-compatible smart home devices for testing and development. It allows developers to validate device behavior without physical hardware. To set it up, use the Matter Virtual Device Tool, follow the steps in the MVD official guide Debugging Your AI-Powered IoT Setup If you are having difficulties, you can check the communication to the python matter server websocket by running these sample scripts:

Mar 27, 2025 - 12:02

I built an AI Agent that can control a smart-home and you can too.

AI Agents + MCP + Matter = Amazing Opportunity

The world of AI agents is evolving rapidly, with the ability to control real-world connected devices in smart homes. This advancement unlocks new opportunities for automation, enabling seamless interaction with physical environments through APIs.

However, integrating AI Agents with smart home devices is challenging. If you’ve ever tried to control IoT-based devices programmatically, you know how frustrating it can be—dealing with protocols, writing low-level code, and debugging endless connection issues.

That’s why I built the Matter-MCP Server, an open-source tool that makes it ridiculously easy for AI Agents and AI assistants like Claude to control Matter devices using natural language. In this article, I’ll break down how it works, why it’s a game-changer for developers, and how you can set it up yourself.

Why I Built the Matter-MCP Server

When working with AI and IoT, I found myself constantly wrestling with connectivity complexity. Matter is an amazing protocol backed by industry giants, but it isn’t exactly built for AI-driven automation out of the box.

One major issue is the need to communicate with devices using the Matter protocol. This makes automation difficult, especially for developers working on AI-powered assistants.

That’s where MCP (Model-Context-Protocol) comes in. The Matter-MCP Server acts as a bridge between AI models and Matter devices, allowing seamless communication through structured interfaces. Instead of writing raw protocol commands, you can now control your IoT setup with simple, human-readable requests.

What Can It Do?

The Matter-MCP Server allows AI to:

✅ Commission new Matter devices (without manual intervention!)

✅ Read and update device attributes (e.g., check if a door is locked)

✅ Send commands in natural language (e.g., “Turn off the smart plug”)

✅ Monitor device status in real-time

✅ Search and access Matter protocol documentation dynamically

By leveraging MCP, it makes AI-driven home automation smoother and more intuitive than ever.

How to Set It Up (Step-By-Step)

Setting up the Matter-MCP Server is easy! Here’s how to do it in a few minutes:

1️⃣ Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/MatterCoder/matter-mcp-server.git
cd matter-mcp-server

2️⃣ Set Up a Python Virtual Environment

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate

3️⃣ Install Dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

4️⃣ Install UV (Required for AI Integration)

curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

If curl is unavailable, use wget:

wget -qO- https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

Integrating with Claude (For AI-Powered Control)

To enable Claude to interact with the Matter-MCP Server, configure your Claude desktop settings:

1️⃣ Locate the `claude_desktop_config.json` file

Ubuntu: ~/.config/Claude
MacOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude

2️⃣ Add the MCP Server Configuration

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "matter-mcp-server": {
            "command": "uv",
            "args": [
                "--directory",
                "[REPLACE_WITH_FULL_PATH_TO_YOUR_REPO]",
                "run",
                "matter-mcp-server.py"
            ]
        }
    }
}

3️⃣ Restart Claude Desktop

Claude Code MCP Installation

You can also install the Matter MCP server in Claude Code using the claude mcp add command.

claude mcp add matter-mcp-server
uv --directory [REPLACE_WITH_FULL_PATH_TO_YOUR_REPO] run matter-mcp-server.py

Python Matter Server

The Python Matter Server is used by my MCP server. The Python Matter Server, from the Open Home Foundation, implements a Matter Controller Server over WebSockets using the official Matter (formerly CHIP) SDK.

For running the server and/or client in your development environment, see the Development documentation.

For running the Matter Server as a standalone docker container, see the docker instructions.

Testing with a Matter device?

A Matter Virtual Device (MVD) is a software-based emulator provided by Google that simulates Matter-compatible smart home devices for testing and development. It allows developers to validate device behavior without physical hardware. To set it up, use the Matter Virtual Device Tool, follow the steps in the MVD official guide

Debugging Your AI-Powered IoT Setup

If you are having difficulties, you can check the communication to the python matter server websocket by running these sample scripts: