Getting Started with the Telerik UI for WinForms AI Coding Assistant

Updated on Mar 5, 2026

The Telerik WinForms MCP (Model Context Protocol) Server enhances your AI-powered development experience by providing specialized context about Telerik UI for WinForms components.

This MCP server enables AI-powered IDEs and tools to generate more accurate, tailored code that leverages Telerik UI for WinForms components and APIs. You can ask complex questions about Telerik components, request specific implementations, and generate comprehensive code solutions.

The Telerik WinForms MCP Server works in Chat(Ask) and Agent modes.

Installation

The Telerik WinForms MCP (Model Context Protocol) Server is available as a NuGet package. Beginning with .NET 10 it can be executed directly via the dnx command. For .NET 8 and .NET 9 (where dnx is not available) you can install it as a local dotnet tool and invoke its executable.

Prerequisites

To use the Telerik WinForms MCP server via NuGet, you need:

Target Runtime	Required SDK	Invocation Method	Notes
.NET 10 (Recommended)	.NET 10 SDK (Preview 6 or newer)	dnx dynamic execution	Simplest approach; no prior install step
.NET 8 / .NET 9	.NET 8 or .NET 9 SDK	Local dotnet tool (telerik-winforms-assistant.exe)	dnx not supported; install tool manually

Common requirements:

• An MCP-compatible client that supports MCP tools (latest version recommended).
• A WinForms project targeting net8.0-windows, net9.0-windows, or net10.0-windows if you want local project context to be part of AI responses.
• A valid Telerik license key.

Summary of Installation Approaches

Aspect	.NET 8 / 9	.NET 10 (Recommended)
Availability of dnx	Not available	Available
Install Command	dotnet tool install --tool-path ./.tools Telerik.WinForms.MCP	None (resolved on demand)
Executable Path	./.tools/telerik-winforms-assistant.exe	Handled by dnx
.mcp.json Command	.\\.tools\\telerik-winforms-assistant.exe	dnx
.mcp.json Args	None	Telerik.WinForms.MCP, --yes
Update Version	Re-run tool install with --version or tool update	Handled by latest package resolved by dnx
Offline Use	Requires prior tool install	Requires prior NuGet cache warm-up

Server Installation

.NET 10 (Recommended)

No manual install step is needed. The dnx command will download and execute the NuGet package on demand.

.NET 8 / .NET 9

Install the MCP server as a local tool in your solution root (or another chosen path):

powershell

dotnet tool install --tool-path ./.tools Telerik.WinForms.MCP

If updating:

powershell

dotnet tool update --tool-path ./.tools Telerik.WinForms.MCP

This creates the executable at ./.tools/telerik-winforms-assistant.exe.

Server Configuration

.NET 10 Configuration (.mcp.json)

Use these settings when configuring the server in your MCP client:

Setting	Value
Package Name	Telerik.WinForms.MCP
Type	stdio
Command	dnx
Arguments	Telerik.WinForms.MCP, --yes
Server Name	telerik-winforms-assistant (customizable)

.NET 8 / .NET 9 Configuration (.mcp.json)

Add a .mcp.json file to your solution root (or to %USERPROFILE% for global usage):

json

{
  "servers": {
    "telerik-winforms-assistant": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": ".\\.tools\\telerik-winforms-assistant.exe",
      "env": {
        "TELERIK_LICENSE_PATH": "THE_PATH_TO_YOUR_LICENSE_FILE"
      }
    }
  }
}

If you prefer embedding the license string directly:

json

"env": {
  "TELERIK_LICENSE": "YOUR_LICENSE_KEY"
}

Workspace-Specific Setup

Add a .mcp.json file to your solution (root) folder. Choose the variant that matches your target .NET runtime:

.NET 10 Example (using dnx)

json

{
  "servers": {
    "telerik-winforms-assistant": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "dnx",
      "args": ["Telerik.WinForms.MCP", "--yes"],
      "env": {
        "TELERIK_LICENSE_PATH": "THE_PATH_TO_YOUR_LICENSE_FILE"
      }
    }
  }
}

.NET 8 / .NET 9 Example

json

{
  "servers": {
    "telerik-winforms-assistant": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": ".\\.tools\\telerik-winforms-assistant.exe",
      "env": {
        "TELERIK_LICENSE_PATH": "THE_PATH_TO_YOUR_LICENSE_FILE"
      }
    }
  }
}

You may substitute TELERIK_LICENSE instead of TELERIK_LICENSE_PATH (see License Configuration section below for details and recommendations). The inputs array is optional and not required for current functionality.

After saving the file, restart Visual Studio and enable the telerik-winforms-assistant tool in the Copilot Chat window's tool selection dropdown.

Global Setup

To enable the server globally for all projects, add the .mcp.json file to your user directory (%USERPROFILE%, e.g., C:\Users\YourName\.mcp.json). The same distinction applies: use the executable path for .NET 8/9, or dnx for .NET 10.

License Configuration

Add your Telerik license key as an environment parameter in your mcp.json file using one of these options:

Option 1: License File Path (Recommended)

json

"env": {
    "TELERIK_LICENSE_PATH": "THE_PATH_TO_YOUR_LICENSE_FILE"
}

The THE_PATH_TO_YOUR_LICENSE_FILE should point to the telerik-license.txt file, which is usually located in the AppData folder. So, the field often will look like this: "TELERIK_LICENSE_PATH": "%appdata%/Telerik/telerik-license.txt"

Option 2: Direct License Key

json

"env": {
    "TELERIK_LICENSE": "YOUR_LICENSE_KEY_HERE"
}

Option 1 is recommended unless you're sharing settings across different systems. Remember to update your license key when necessary.

Visual Studio

For complete setup instructions, see Use MCP servers in Visual Studio.

Early Visual Studio 17.14 versions require the Copilot Chat window to be open when opening a solution for the MCP server to work properly.

Workspace-Specific Setup:

1. Add .mcp.json to your solution folder:

json

{
  "inputs": [],
  "servers": {
    "telerik-winforms-assistant": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@progress/telerik-winforms-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "TELERIK_LICENSE_PATH": "THE_PATH_TO_YOUR_LICENSE_FILE",
        // or
        "TELERIK_LICENSE": "YOUR_LICENSE_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

2. Restart Visual Studio.

3. Enable the telerik-winforms-assistant tool in the Copilot Chat window's tool selection dropdown.

   

Global Setup:

Add the .mcp.json file to your user directory (%USERPROFILE%, e.g., C:\Users\YourName\.mcp.json).

Troubleshooting

Known Issue: Hanging tool calls in Visual Studio

When using Telerik AI tools in Visual Studio, GitHub Copilot may:

• hang during tool invocation;
• show UI for a successful tool response, but actually fail silently;
• continue generation without waiting for parallel tool calls.

In these cases, the response may be generated but not provided to the Copilot Agent UI. This is a known issue in Visual Studio Copilot, not related to Telerik MCP servers or AI tools, and does not reproduce in VS Code. For more details, see the related Visual Studio Developer Community issue:
https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/t/Copilot-stopped-working-after-latest-upd/10936456

Microsoft has acknowledged the issue and marked it as Fixed - Pending Release. A future Visual Studio update is expected to resolve it.

Usage

To use the Telerik MCP Server:

1. Start your prompt with one of these triggers:

   • /telerik / @telerik / #telerik
   • /telerikwinforms / @telerikwinforms / #telerikwinforms
   • #telerik-winforms-assistant

2. Verify server activation by looking for these messages:

   • Visual Studio: Running telerik-winforms-assistant
   • Visual Studio Code: Running telerik-winforms-assistant
   • Cursor: Calling MCP tool telerik-winforms-assistant

3. Grant permissions when prompted (per session, workspace, or always).

4. Start fresh sessions for unrelated prompts to avoid context pollution.

5. Use in Chat(Ask) and Agent modes.

You can check the Output pane of Visual Studio for diagnostics information related to Copilot. To display the relevant information, select to show output from GitHub Copilot.

Improving Server Usage

To increase the likelihood of the Telerik MCP server being used, add custom instructions to your AI tool:

• GitHub Copilot custom instructions
• Cursor rules

Sample Prompts

The following examples demonstrate useful prompts for the Telerik WinForms MCP Server:

• "/telerik Generate a RadGridView with sorting and paging. Bind it to a Person model with a sample ViewModel."
• "/telerikwinforms Create a RadDropDownList showing a product list of 20 items. Include Product class and sample data."
• "/telerik Build a RadListView with sorting and filtering capabilities."

Number of Requests

A Telerik Subscription license is recommended in order to use the Telerik WinForms AI Coding Assistant without restrictions. Perpetual license holders and trial users can make a limited number of requests per year.

Local AI Model Integration

You can use the Telerik WinForms MCP server with local large language models (LLMs):

1. Run a local model, for example, through Ollama.
2. Use a bridge package like MCP-LLM Bridge.
3. Connect your local model to the Telerik MCP server.

This setup allows you to use the Telerik AI Coding Assistant without cloud-based AI models.

See Also

• AI Coding Assistant Overview