Rigol DHO824 MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for controlling and querying the Rigol DHO824 oscilloscope.

Built by ai.moda.

Hardware Requirements

Supported Models

This project only supports DHO804/DHO824 oscilloscopes (identical hardware). We recommend purchasing a DHO804.

Firmware Requirements

IMPORTANT: The DHO804 must be flashed to DHO824 firmware before using this MCP server. Use the rigol_vendor_bin project to flash your oscilloscope.

Supported Firmware Version: 00.01.04

This is the only firmware version we test and support. Other firmware versions may work but are not guaranteed.

Compatibility Note

Other Rigol oscilloscope models may work with this MCP server, but we have no way to test them or guarantee functionality. Use with other models at your own risk.

Installation

The recommended way to use this MCP server is via Docker, which eliminates dependency management and provides isolation.

Quick Start

Pull the pre-built image from GitHub Container Registry:

docker pull ghcr.io/aimoda/rigol-dho824-mcp:latest

Using Environment Variables with Docker

IMPORTANT: You must provide the RIGOL_RESOURCE environment variable with your oscilloscope's IP address (e.g., TCPIP0::192.168.1.100::inst0::INSTR).

You can configure the Docker container with environment variables in two ways:

1. Hardcoded values (shown in examples below): -e RIGOL_RESOURCE="TCPIP0::192.168.1.100::inst0::INSTR"
2. Pass-through from host (recommended): -e RIGOL_RESOURCE (without =value)

When you use -e VARIABLE_NAME without a value, Docker automatically passes through the variable from your host environment. This is useful if you have environment variables already set in your shell (e.g., in ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc).

Environment Variables

• RIGOL_RESOURCE: Required - VISA resource string for connecting to the oscilloscope (e.g., TCPIP0::192.168.1.100::inst0::INSTR)
• RIGOL_TEMP_DIR: Required for Docker - Host-side path for returned file paths. The container always writes to /tmp/rigol internally and translates paths to this value in responses. Must match the host path in your -v mount. Outside Docker, this sets the directory for temporary files (waveforms, screenshots); if not set, uses system default temp directory.
• VISA_TIMEOUT: Communication timeout in milliseconds (default: 30000)
• RIGOL_BEEPER_ENABLED: Enable/disable oscilloscope beeper sounds (default: false)
• RIGOL_AUTO_SCREENSHOT: Automatically capture screenshot after each MCP tool execution for visualization/debugging (default: false). Screenshots are saved with human-readable timestamp format (e.g., auto_screenshot_20251030_143045_123.png) for chronological sorting.

MCP Client Configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rigol-dho824": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-v",
        "/tmp/rigol-data:/tmp/rigol",
        "-e",
        "RIGOL_RESOURCE",
        "-e",
        "VISA_TIMEOUT",
        "-e",
        "RIGOL_BEEPER_ENABLED",
        "-e",
        "RIGOL_AUTO_SCREENSHOT",
        "-e",
        "RIGOL_TEMP_DIR",
        "ghcr.io/aimoda/rigol-dho824-mcp:latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "RIGOL_RE

... [View full README on GitHub](https://github.com/aimoda/rigol-dho824-mcp#readme)