How can I make MATLAB start on-demand with matlab-mcp-server instead of at Claude.ai startup?
Using matlab-mcp-server with Claude.ai as the MCP host, MATLAB starts every time a Claude.ai instance starts, even when no MATLAB tool will be used. Is there a way to make MATLAB start only when a tool needs it? This wastes resources in multi-tool environments.
Originally asked on GitHub: https://github.com/matlab/matlab-mcp-server/issues/4
1 answer
Status: fixed in v0.3.0; the issue was closed as COMPLETED.
A maintainer confirmed in the thread that v0.3.0 changes the MATLAB lifecycle so MATLAB starts on-demand only when a tool requires it, instead of launching every time an MCP host like Claude.ai starts. Upgrade matlab-mcp-server to v0.3.0 (linked in the thread: https://github.com/matlab/matlab-mcp-core-server/releases/tag/v0.3.0 (opens external site)) to get this behavior. The thread does not describe any configuration changes or flags for the new behavior — it is the default in that release.
For the earlier versions, the thread does not provide a workaround; it only states the feature was being developed. The maintainer asked users to report unexpected behavior or ideas via feedback after upgrading.
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