MATLABDisplayMode: desktop is ignored when MATLABSessionMode: auto spawns a new session

[JWinawer]

Setting MATLABDisplayMode to desktop in the extension config (confirmed correct in the settings JSON, and the matlab-mcp-server process itself relaunches with --matlab-display-mode desktop on its command line) does not change the MATLAB process it spawns -- the spawned MATLAB_maca64 process still includes -nodesktop on its command line.

Steps to reproduce:

1. Set MATLABDisplayMode: desktop in the extension's user config (with MATLABSessionMode: auto, the default).
2. Kill the currently-running MATLAB process spawned by the extension.
3. Call any tool (e.g. evaluate_matlab_code) to trigger a fresh session.
4. Inspect the newly-spawned MATLAB_maca64 process's command line (e.g. via ps aux on macOS).

Expected: MATLAB launches without -nodesktop, i.e. with a full interactive desktop, so figure windows persist normally for the user to view.

Actual: MATLAB still launches with -nodesktop regardless of the desktop setting. As a result, figures created via run_matlab_file or evaluate_matlab_code are captured as screenshots for the AI but are not reliably visible/persistent for the human user on screen (consistent with nodesktop mode's documented "capture outputs like figures" design in the v0.5.0 changelog, which should not apply when desktop mode is explicitly requested).

Environment:

• matlab-mcp-server version: v0.11.1 (issue also suspected present in v0.11.2)
• macOS, MATLAB R2026a
• MATLABSessionMode: auto

Workaround: none found short of MATLABSessionMode: existing with a manually-launched, manually-shared MATLAB session

[agoldsbo]

Thank you for creating an issue. To help us investigate, can you possibly provide the following:

• The AI application that you are using (e.g. Claude Code, Codex, ...)
• The MATLAB MCP Server segment of your config json

[JWinawer]

Sure. I am using Claude for Mac (in code mode). JSON settings below. Note that I changed the setting for "MATLABDisplayMode" to "desktop" because I was getting figure rendering failures when it was set to "nodesktop". { "isEnabled": true, "userConfig": { "BaseDir": "", "DisableTelemetry": false, "ExtensionFiles": [], "InitializeMATLABOnStartup": false, "LogLevel": "info", "MATLABDisplayMode": "desktop", "MATLABSessionMode": "auto", "PreferredLocalMATLABRoot": "/Applications/MATLAB_R2026a.app", "PreferredMATLABStartingDirectory": "/Users/jaw288/repos/Code/" } }

…

On Mon, Jul 13, 2026 at 4:43 AM Andrew Goldsborough < ***@***.***> wrote: *agoldsbo* left a comment (matlab/matlab-mcp-server#104) <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__github.com_matlab_matlab-2Dmcp-2Dserver_issues_104-23issuecomment-2D4956070310&d=DwMFaQ&c=slrrB7dE8n7gBJbeO0g-IQ&r=W4u2U_DhoNoJOD0UdsYQiqH56Bg3zFfOtNa0RCuuEIs&m=wmt9pAFG1hVL7nhJWVAEKpRX5vcwDPVsPBVa60ZSNalJjt3qpWCVF4KH4dRIg4fV&s=GkvFZf6jBxk1QJw_NV2s1TWLS7GVOmbjc0h5n1h8SEk&e=> Thank you for creating an issue. To help us investigate, can you possibly provide the following: - The AI application that you are using (e.g. Claude Code, Codex, ...) - The MATLAB MCP Server segment of your config json — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__github.com_matlab_matlab-2Dmcp-2Dserver_issues_104-3Femail-5Fsource-3Dnotifications-26email-5Ftoken-3DAAQFPXWW6WICIPOWTIBVEED5ESOJTA5CNFSNUABFM5UWIORPF5TWS5BNNB2WEL2JONZXKZKDN5WW2ZLOOQXTIOJVGYYDOMBTGEYKM4TFMFZW63VGMF2XI2DPOKSWK5TFNZ2KYZTPN52GK4S7MNWGSY3L-23issuecomment-2D4956070310&d=DwMFaQ&c=slrrB7dE8n7gBJbeO0g-IQ&r=W4u2U_DhoNoJOD0UdsYQiqH56Bg3zFfOtNa0RCuuEIs&m=wmt9pAFG1hVL7nhJWVAEKpRX5vcwDPVsPBVa60ZSNalJjt3qpWCVF4KH4dRIg4fV&s=oH-SMtmps5g-YHuobd1qUR4daOLQjBY9KayRyFk5svo&e=>, or unsubscribe <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__github.com_notifications_unsubscribe-2Dauth_AAQFPXR6IVRY4SUTQ6BD5X35ESOJTAVCNFSNUABGKJSXA33TNF2G64TZHMYTAOBRGMYDCMBSGA5US43TOVSTWNBYGY4TQMBYGQ4THILWAI&d=DwMFaQ&c=slrrB7dE8n7gBJbeO0g-IQ&r=W4u2U_DhoNoJOD0UdsYQiqH56Bg3zFfOtNa0RCuuEIs&m=wmt9pAFG1hVL7nhJWVAEKpRX5vcwDPVsPBVa60ZSNalJjt3qpWCVF4KH4dRIg4fV&s=zggV89AirBDK83wlFb1ab7s-GOvyhDf0CpYxExlRdow&e=> . You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

-- Jonathan Winawer, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology and Neural Science, New York University Director of Undergraduate Studies, Department of Psychology ***@***.*** Lab: https://wp.nyu.edu/winawerlab/ <http://psych.nyu.edu/winawer/> 6 Washington Place New York, NY, 10003 (212) 998-7922

[ybenouag]

Hello @JWinawer, thanks again for sharing your config and AI application.

Two more things would help us narrow this down:

1. When desktop mode is set, does the MATLAB desktop window fail to appear at all, or does it appear but figures fail to render or persist? You mentioned moving to desktop mode because figures were failing in nodesktop mode, so knowing exactly what you see (and what you expected) would help a lot.
2. Could you paste the output of ps -Ao pid,ppid,command | grep -i matlab while the spawned MATLAB is running, including both the server process and the MATLAB process with their parent PIDs?