TIA Portal Integration Overview
The TIA Portal Integration lets the AI Agent read directly from an open TIA Portal V21 project on the same machine — browsing blocks, reading SCL source code, inspecting hardware configuration, and even creating or modifying blocks.
What you can do
Section titled “What you can do”| Capability | Description |
|---|---|
| List blocks | See all FBs, FCs, OBs, and DBs in the project |
| Read block interface | View inputs, outputs, instance data, and local variables |
| Read block source | Get the full SCL or converted Ladder source of any block |
| Inspect hardware | Read the rack/slot configuration |
| Create blocks | AI can generate and import new SCL blocks |
| Rename and move | AI can rename blocks and move them between program folders |
Requirements
Section titled “Requirements”- TIA Portal V21 must be installed on the same machine as S7 PLC Buddy.
- A TIA Portal project must be open in TIA Portal before you connect.
- No special TIA Portal licence add-ons are needed — the standard Openness API (included with TIA Portal) is used.
Architecture
Section titled “Architecture”The TIA Portal integration works through a bundled MCP server — a small C# process that bridges S7 PLC Buddy to the TIA Portal Openness API via a local JSON-RPC channel.
- In the installed app, the MCP server starts automatically when you connect.
- The server communicates only on the local machine (no network traffic).
- TIA Portal must stay open for the duration of the session.
Connecting
Section titled “Connecting”- Open TIA Portal V21 and load your project.
- In S7 PLC Buddy, go to Settings → Connections → TIA Portal MCP.
- Click Connect. The status indicator turns green when the server attaches to the running TIA Portal instance.
If TIA Portal is not open, the connection will fail with a “portal not found” message. Open TIA Portal first, then retry.
Disconnecting
Section titled “Disconnecting”Click Disconnect in Settings → Connections → TIA Portal MCP. TIA Portal continues running normally — disconnecting does not close the project.
What the AI Agent can do with TIA Portal
Section titled “What the AI Agent can do with TIA Portal”Once connected, the AI Agent gains a full set of TIA Portal tools. See Block Browser for reading code, and Ladder Migration for the migration workflow.
Example questions:
- “List all blocks in this project.”
- “Read the source of FC_SafetyLogic and explain it.”
- “What I/O modules are on rack 0?”
- “Create a new Function Block called FB_NewControl with these inputs…”