Velocity DriversTool · Windows 95 / 98 / Me / 2000 · DOS · BSD 2-Clause
Remote control for retro Windows machines, built for AI-driven development and debugging. A small, runtime-free agent (about 500 KB) runs inside Windows 95, 98, Me or 2000, in an 86Box VM or on real hardware. A PowerShell CLI or an MCP server on a modern machine then builds, pushes, runs, screenshots and reboots it, one bounded command at a time.
It was written to speed up Velocity9x driver development, but nothing in it is specific to drivers: use it to develop, test or automate any software on a retro Windows machine.
Latest release 0.17.0, 12 Nov 2026.
Why
Retro Windows development has a brutal inner loop: build on a modern host, copy into the VM by hand, click around, squint at the screen, reboot, repeat. The agent turns each of those into one command with JSON output and a documented exit code, which is exactly the interface an AI coding agent needs. Point Claude Code, or any MCP client, at a Windows 98 VM and it can compile, deploy, run, read the output, look at the screen and prove a clean reboot without anyone touching the emulator.
edit source on the host
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build (Open Watcom or any Win32/Win16 toolchain)
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put / push-tree ......... CRC32-verified upload
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exec / shell ............ bounded run, streamed output, JSON
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get / screenshot ........ collect artifacts, look at the screen
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reboot + wait-desktop ... only when needed, with proof
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read the JSON, fix, repeatWhat it does
Win32 programs and COMMAND.COM commands with streamed stdout and stderr, byte limits, timeouts, cancellation and deterministic exit codes.
CRC32-verified, transactional upload and download, recursive tree push, and guest-side HTTP download for payloads up to 2 GiB.
24-bit screenshots, desktop-ready polling, and mouse and keyboard injection: clicks, drags, hotkeys, typed text and relative motion for games.
A verified reboot needs a disconnect, reconnect, the persisted resume token, a changed start counter and a ready desktop. A hard reset covers machines that hang on restart.
OS build, CPU, memory, drives, display adapter and mode, IP addresses, BIOS and loaded PnP devices.
An optional VNC server (V9XVNC.EXE, off by default) lets any VNC viewer watch and drive the machine; on Windows 2000 it follows the logon desktop too.
Optional LAN discovery over standard mDNS/DNS-SD, and a per-machine install ID that finds a guest again after its address changes.
Upgrades from the host with a hot swap and no reboot, or self-update from the tray with an Ed25519-signed, SHA-256-checked release.
AI remote control
mcp/v9x_mcp.py exposes the guest as Model Context Protocol tools over stdio. It is standard library only, needs Python 3.9 or later, and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. It speaks the agent's protocol directly, so no PowerShell is involved.
claude mcp add v9x -- python /path/to/repo/mcp/v9x_mcp.py
{
"mcpServers": {
"v9x": {
"command": "python",
"args": ["/path/to/repo/mcp/v9x_mcp.py"]
}
}
}Options: --host and --port (default 127.0.0.1:9869), --id to find a guest by its install ID over mDNS. A non-loopback host is refused unless you pass --allow-remote, because the guest protocol is unauthenticated. The repository's AGENTS.md is an operating manual written for AI agents.
v9x_execv9x_shellv9x_psv9x_killv9x_wait_processv9x_wait_faultv9x_windowsv9x_close_windowv9x_put_filev9x_get_filev9x_push_treev9x_list_dirv9x_statv9x_read_textv9x_hashv9x_wait_filev9x_mkdirv9x_deletev9x_downloadv9x_screenshotv9x_wait_desktopv9x_inputv9x_clickv9x_typev9x_keyv9x_movev9x_scrollv9x_displayv9x_vncv9x_pingv9x_infov9x_inventoryv9x_discoverv9x_reg_queryv9x_reg_writev9x_reboot_with_proofv9x_reset_with_proofv9x_shutdownv9x_updatev9x_relay_machinesv9x_chatv9x_noteFull reference: mcp/README.md. Some tools need a recent agent; the reference lists the version for each.
.\scripts\v9xctl.ps1 ping .\scripts\v9xctl.ps1 put -Source .\TEST.EXE -Destination C:\V9XREMOTE\JOBS\demo\TEST.EXE .\scripts\v9xctl.ps1 exec -Application C:\V9XREMOTE\JOBS\demo\TEST.EXE -Arguments "/quiet" .\scripts\v9xctl.ps1 screenshot -Destination .\desktop.bmp -Json .\scripts\v9xctl.ps1 input -Sequence "move 80,486; click left; type notepad; key ENTER" .\scripts\v9xctl.ps1 reboot -JobId demo-reboot -WaitSeconds 180 -Json
Exit code 0 is success; 20-23 are transport and protocol failures, 30-33 process failures. Every verb: docs/host-cli.md.
Compatibility
| Guest | Agent | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 95, 98, 98 SE, Me | V9XAGNT.EXE | The primary target. Starts before anyone logs on; every command, including the hard reset. |
| Windows 2000 | V9XAGNT.EXE (same binary) | Since 0.9.0. Starts at logon, so pair it with autologon; install SETUP.EXE as an administrator. |
| DOS | V9XAGNT.EXE (DOS/4GW build) | Command execution and verified file transfer over the same protocol and tools. |
| Windows NT 4.0, Windows XP | - | Untested. |
Host: the MCP server runs anywhere Python 3.9+ does; the PowerShell CLI needs Windows PowerShell 5.1. No Microsoft software is included: supply your own Windows media and licence.
Quick start
86box.cfg while 86Box is closed.V9XREMOTE.ISO from the release as a CD and run D:\SETUP.EXE in the guest. It asks for the few settings that matter, shows the machine's install ID and restarts Windows..\scripts\v9xctl.ps1 ping. {"Success":true,...} means an AI agent can now drive the guest.
Starting from nothing? docs/quickstart-86box.md walks a full 86Box setup. For a physical machine, see docs/physical-machine.md.
Prefer a GUI?
A desktop app for Windows and macOS that watches and drives a whole fleet of machines running this agent: dashboard, screenshots, console, files, registry, power, agent updates and a built-in VNC viewer, with mDNS discovery.
Remote help
From 0.12.0 an owner can lend a real machine to the developer over the Internet, with a chat window, a Pause switch in the tray, and every command signed with a key that exists only on the developer's PC. The MCP server drives a lent machine through the same tools by passing its machine id.
· 2:43
The test bench used for Velocity9x development: the machines and period PCI cards, and the V9x Remote Agent, the open-source remote-control tool that lets an AI coding agent drive a Windows 98 machine to automate and speed up testing.
Download
Guest package: copy to the retro machine and run SETUP.EXE.
Download · 114 KBHost bundle: the PowerShell CLI, MCP server, documentation and guest package.
Download · 427 KBThe same installer as a CD image, for a VM or a burned disc.
Download · 774 KBFree software under the BSD 2-Clause licence. Documentation: AI workflows, guest agent, protocol, DOS build, changelog.
