# Excalidraw MCP App Server
MCP server that streams hand-drawn Excalidraw diagrams with smooth viewport camera control and interactive fullscreen editing.
## Install
In [claude.ai](https://claude.ai):
1. Go to **Settings** → **Connectors** → **Add custom connector**
2. Server URL: `https://excalidraw-mcp-app.vercel.app/mcp`
3. Done — start using Excalidraw in your conversations
### Alternative: Local Server
**Option A: Download Extension**
1. Download `excalidraw-mcp-app.mcpb` from [Releases](https://github.com/antonpk1/excalidraw-mcp-app/releases)
2. Double-click to install in Claude Desktop
**Option B: Build from Source**
```bash
git clone https://github.com/antonpk1/excalidraw-mcp-app.git
cd excalidraw-mcp-app
npm install && npm run build
```
Add to `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"excalidraw": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/excalidraw-mcp-app/dist/index.js", "--stdio"]
}
}
}
```
Restart Claude Desktop.
## Usage
Example prompts:
- "Draw a cute cat using excalidraw"
- "Draw an architecture diagram showing a user connecting to an API server which talks to a database"
## Releasing a New Version
```bash
# 1. Make changes, commit, push
git add -A && git commit -m "..." && git push
# 2. Bump version in manifest.json and package.json
# 3. Rebuild
npm run build
# 4. Pack the .mcpb bundle
mcpb pack .
# 5. Create GitHub release with bundle attached
gh release create v0.2.0 excalidraw-mcp-app.mcpb --title "v0.2.0" --notes "What changed"
```
## What are MCP Apps and how can I build one?
Text responses can only go so far. Sometimes users need to interact with data, not just read about it. [MCP Apps](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/ext-apps/) is an official Model Context Protocol extension that lets servers return interactive HTML interfaces (data visualizations, forms, dashboards) that render directly in the chat.
- **Getting started for humans**: [documentation](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/extensions/apps)
- **Getting started for AIs**: [skill](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/ext-apps/blob/main/plugins/mcp-apps/skills/create-mcp-app/SKILL.md)
## Credits
Built with [Excalidraw](https://github.com/excalidraw/excalidraw) — a virtual whiteboard for sketching hand-drawn like diagrams.
## License
MIT
