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Tutorial: Installation

In this tutorial you'll install Panel Live Server so that the pls command is available in your terminal. By the end, pls --version will print the installed version.

What You'll Need

  • Python 3.12 or later
  • A package manager: pixi, uv, or pip (built into Python)

Install Panel Live Server

Initialize a project:

pixi init
pixi add python

Install:

pixi add --pypi "panel-live-server[pydata]"

Install the browser the screenshot tool needs:

pixi run pls install-browser

Find the pls path:

macOS / Linux:

pixi run which pls
# typically: /path/to/project/.pixi/envs/default/bin/pls

Windows:

pixi run where.exe pls
# typically: .pixi\envs\default\Library\bin\pls.exe

Install:

uv tool install "panel-live-server[pydata]"

Install the browser the screenshot tool needs:

pls install-browser

Find the pls path:

macOS / Linux:

which pls
# typically: /home/<user>/.local/bin/pls

Windows:

where.exe pls
# typically: %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin\pls.exe

Create and activate a virtual environment.

macOS / Linux:

python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate

Windows (PowerShell):

python -m venv venv
venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1

Windows (Command Prompt):

python -m venv venv
venv\Scripts\activate.bat

Install:

pip install "panel-live-server[pydata]"

Install the browser the screenshot tool needs:

pls install-browser

Find the pls path:

macOS / Linux:

which pls
# typically: /path/to/venv/bin/pls

Windows:

where.exe pls
# typically: .\venv\Scripts\pls.exe

The core install ships the HoloViz visualization stack — hvplot, holoviews, panel, and bokeh. The [pydata] extra adds the wider PyData ecosystem on top:

matplotlib · plotly · seaborn · altair · polars · duckdb · datashader · geoviews · plotnine · pyarrow · scikit-learn · and more

Only need the core server?

Install without extras if you only want to serve your own code and manage packages yourself: 

pixi add --pypi panel-live-server
uv tool install panel-live-server
pip install panel-live-server

Verify the installation

pls --version

You should see the installed version printed. If the command is not found, ensure your uv tools directory is on your PATH, run uv tool update-shell and restart your terminal.

Connect to your MCP client

From the project you want it in:

pls install vscode

VS Code reads MCP servers per project, so this writes .vscode/mcp.json in the directory you run it from, filling in the absolute path to pls for you.

To set it up by hand instead, add to .vscode/mcp.json (create if it doesn't exist):

{
  "servers": {
    "panel-live-server": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "/path/to/pls",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Use your absolute path

Replace "command": "/path/to/pls" with the path printed by which pls above, e.g. "command": "/home/user/.local/bin/pls"

pls install cursor

To set it up by hand instead, add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "panel-live-server": {
      "command": "/path/to/pls",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Use your absolute path

Replace "command": "/path/to/pls" with the path printed by which pls above, e.g. "command": "/home/user/.local/bin/pls"

Open Cursor Settings → MCP and verify the green dot. Use Agent mode in chat.

pls install claude

This writes the entry below into the config file for your OS, filling in the absolute path to the pls you just installed. Other servers already configured there are left alone, as are any flags an existing panel-live-server entry passed after mcp (a --prompts file, say), so re-running it is safe.

To set the config up by hand instead, edit the file for your OS:

  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
  • Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "panel-live-server": {
      "command": "/path/to/pls",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Use your absolute path

Replace "command": "/path/to/pls" with the path printed by which pls above, e.g. "command": "/home/user/.local/bin/pls"

Restart Claude Desktop.

Enable the connector in Cowork

To use the show tool from Cowork, open Customize → Connectors → panel-live-server and set its permission to Always Allow (runs without prompting) or Needs approval (asks before each call). If the connector is left disabled, the tool won't be available in Cowork.

pls install claude-code

Claude Code keeps its own MCP registry rather than a config file to edit, so this runs claude mcp add for you with the absolute path filled in. To run it yourself:

claude mcp add panel-live-server -- /path/to/pls mcp

Use your absolute path

Replace /path/to/pls with the path printed by which pls above, e.g. claude mcp add panel-live-server -- /home/user/.local/bin/pls mcp

If the server is already registered, remove it first with claude mcp remove panel-live-server.

pls install windsurf

That covers the Windsurf editor. If you run Cascade as a plugin inside another IDE, it reads a different file, so point the command at it:

pls install windsurf --config-path ~/.codeium/mcp_config.json

To set it up by hand instead, add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json (editor) or ~/.codeium/mcp_config.json (plugin):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "panel-live-server": {
      "command": "/path/to/pls",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Use your absolute path

Replace "command": "/path/to/pls" with the path printed by which pls above, e.g. "command": "/home/user/.local/bin/pls"

Open the MCP servers panel (hammer icon) in Cascade and confirm it's running.

pls install cline

Cline stores this separately from .vscode/mcp.json, so running pls install vscode does not configure Cline. One file serves every editor Cline runs in, VS Code, Insiders, Cursor, and VSCodium alike.

To set it up by hand instead, add to ~/.cline/data/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "panel-live-server": {
      "command": "/path/to/pls",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Use your absolute path

Replace "command": "/path/to/pls" with the path printed by which pls above, e.g. "command": "/home/user/.local/bin/pls"

Open Cline's MCP Servers panel and confirm panel-live-server is connected.

pls install jetbrains

This sets up Junie. JetBrains AI Assistant is a separate product with no config file to write: add the server there from Settings → Tools → AI Assistant → Model Context Protocol, using the same command and args shown below.

To set Junie up by hand instead, add to ~/.junie/mcp/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "panel-live-server": {
      "command": "/path/to/pls",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Use your absolute path

Replace "command": "/path/to/pls" with the path printed by which pls above, e.g. "command": "/home/user/.local/bin/pls"

Restart the IDE, or reopen Junie's MCP settings, for the change to take effect.

pls install gemini-cli

This writes into ~/.gemini/settings.json, leaving every other setting there (theme, auth, other servers) untouched. To set it up by hand instead, add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "panel-live-server": {
      "command": "/path/to/pls",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Use your absolute path

Replace "command": "/path/to/pls" with the path printed by which pls above, e.g. "command": "/home/user/.local/bin/pls"

Restart the Gemini CLI for the change to take effect.

pls install antigravity

To set it up by hand instead, add to ~/.gemini/antigravity/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "panel-live-server": {
      "command": "/path/to/pls",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Use your absolute path

Replace "command": "/path/to/pls" with the path printed by which pls above, e.g. "command": "/home/user/.local/bin/pls"

Two possible locations

Antigravity's own docs give this path as ~/.gemini/config/mcp_config.json, but the shipping build reads ~/.gemini/antigravity/mcp_config.json. The command writes whichever one your install already uses, so prefer it over editing by hand if you are unsure.

Open Manage MCP Servers in Antigravity and confirm it's connected.

pls install kiro

To set it up by hand instead, add to ~/.kiro/settings/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "panel-live-server": {
      "command": "/path/to/pls",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Use your absolute path

Replace "command": "/path/to/pls" with the path printed by which pls above, e.g. "command": "/home/user/.local/bin/pls"

Reload Kiro, or open the MCP panel, for the change to take effect.

pls install copilot

This is the standalone copilot CLI, not VS Code's Copilot Chat (which already reads .vscode/mcp.json, see the VS Code tab). To set it up by hand instead, add to ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "panel-live-server": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": "/path/to/pls",
      "args": ["mcp"],
      "tools": ["*"]
    }
  }
}

Use your absolute path

Replace "command": "/path/to/pls" with the path printed by which pls above, e.g. "command": "/home/user/.local/bin/pls"

Run /mcp show in the Copilot CLI to confirm panel-live-server is connected.

pls install kilo-code

Kilo Code packs the command and its arguments into one array under a mcp key, rather than separate command/args fields under mcpServers. To set it up by hand instead, add to ~/.config/kilo/kilo.jsonc:

{
  "mcp": {
    "panel-live-server": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": ["/path/to/pls", "mcp"],
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}

Use your absolute path

Replace /path/to/pls with the path printed by which pls above, e.g. "command": ["/home/user/.local/bin/pls", "mcp"]

Reload the window for the change to take effect.

pls install codex

Codex uses TOML, not JSON. To set it up by hand instead, add to ~/.codex/config.toml:

[mcp_servers.panel-live-server]
command = "/path/to/pls"
args = ["mcp"]

Use your absolute path

Replace /path/to/pls with the path printed by which pls above, e.g. command = "/home/user/.local/bin/pls"

Restart the Codex CLI for the change to take effect.

pls install mistral-vibe

Vibe also uses TOML, and lists servers as an array of tables identified by a name field rather than keyed by their own table name. To set it up by hand instead, add to ~/.vibe/config.toml:

[[mcp_servers]]
name = "panel-live-server"
transport = "stdio"
command = "/path/to/pls"
args = ["mcp"]

Use your absolute path

Replace /path/to/pls with the path printed by which pls above, e.g. command = "/home/user/.local/bin/pls"

Restart Vibe for the change to take effect.

claude.ai requires HTTP transport and a public URL. You can use any tunneling service (ngrok, Cloudflare, localhost.run, etc.); this example uses Cloudflare.

Terminal 1: start the MCP server:

/path/to/pls mcp --transport http --port 8001

Use your absolute path

Replace /path/to/pls with the path printed by which pls above, e.g. /home/user/.local/bin/pls mcp --transport http --port 8001

Terminal 2: tunnel for the MCP server:

cloudflared tunnel --url http://localhost:8001

Terminal 3: tunnel for the Panel server:

cloudflared tunnel --url http://localhost:5077

Stop Terminal 1, then set the Panel tunnel URL.

macOS / Linux:

export PANEL_LIVE_SERVER_EXTERNAL_URL=<url-from-terminal-3>

Windows (PowerShell):

$env:PANEL_LIVE_SERVER_EXTERNAL_URL="<url-from-terminal-3>"

And restart:

/path/to/pls mcp --transport http --port 8001

Then go to claude.ai → Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector and enter <url-from-terminal-2>/mcp as the URL.

Once connected, ask your AI: "Show me a scatter plot of this data using the show tool."

Without an AI assistant: use the REST API or the browser UI directly.

import requests

r = requests.post(
    "http://localhost:5077/api/snippet",
    json={
        "code": "import panel as pn\npn.widgets.IntSlider(name='x', start=0, end=100)",
        "name": "Slider",
        "method": "inline",
    }
)
print(r.json()["url"])  # http://localhost:5077/view?id=...

/path/to/pls serve
# Open http://localhost:5077/add in your browser

Add packages to the server environment

Panel Live Server executes your Python snippets using the packages installed in the environment you installed it into. It inherits that environment rather than defining its own, so you are free to add or upgrade anything you need there. To add a package:

pixi add --pypi my-package

For example, to add prophet:

pixi add --pypi prophet

Upgrading

To upgrade to the latest version: 

pixi upgrade panel-live-server


uv tool install --with my-package "panel-live-server[pydata]"

You can chain multiple --with flags:

uv tool install --with prophet --with xgboost "panel-live-server[pydata]"

Upgrading

To upgrade to the latest version: 

uv tool upgrade panel-live-server

Activate the environment you installed pls into, then install as usual:

pip install my-package

For example, to add prophet:

pip install prophet

Upgrading

To upgrade to the latest version: 

pip install --upgrade panel-live-server

Activate the environment you installed pls into, then install as usual:

conda activate my-env
conda install my-package

For example, to add prophet:

conda activate my-env
conda install prophet

Upgrading

To upgrade to the latest version: 

conda update panel-live-server

No server restart is needed, the package is available immediately the next time the server starts.

What You've Learned

  • Install Panel Live Server as a uv tool with the [pydata] extras
  • Verify the installation with pls --version
  • Add extra packages to the server environment with --with

Next Steps