The invention discloses an automatic tool setting device for a numerical control external thread grinder. The automatic tool setting device can realize the thread tool setting motion by a machine tool numerical control system, a numerically controlled grinding carriage transverse motion mechanism, a planker longitudinal motion mechanism, a probe motion mechanism of the invention and embedded special software. A planker doing the motion in the Z-coordinate direction is mounted on a longitudinal guide rail at the rear part of a machine tool, and a grinding carriage doing the motion in the X-coordinate direction is mounted on a planker transverse guide rail. The probe motion mechanism consists of a support, a base, sliding blocks of a linear guide rail pair, the linear guide rails, a slidingplate, a support saddle, a probe with a multi-point sensor and an oil cylinder, and is used for completing the extension and the resetting motion of a probe; and the embedded special software sequentially implements a tool setting program. The device can automatically measure and calculate the coordinate value of the tool setting position of a threaded workpiece, automatically control the tool setting motion, leading the tool setting process to have no need of human intervention, be precise and fast, improve the tool setting precision and the efficiency of the external thread grinder, be conductive to safety protection and solve the deficiencies of manual tool setting.