code-shot

MCP server that renders source code as beautiful images. Perfect for AI agents to show code visually to humans on mobile devices, or for sharing syntax-highlighted snippets.

Tools

render_code

Render source code as SVG or PNG with full syntax highlighting.

render_diff

Render a git unified diff with color-coded additions/deletions.

Same options as render_code, plus:

Diff lines are highlighted with:

• @@ hunk headers → blue background

• + additions → green background (#1b4520 dark / #dafbe1 light)

• - deletions → red background (#4f1818 dark / #ffebe9 light)

Related MCP server: Code Screenshot Generator

Usage with Hermes

Add to ~/.hermes/config.yaml (local build):

mcp_servers:
  code-shot:
    command: "node"
    args: ["/path/to/code-shot/dist/index.js"]

Or from npm (after npm install -g code-shot or via npx):

mcp_servers:
  code-shot:
    command: "npx"
    args: ["-y", "code-shot"]

Configuration

Set defaults via ~/.code-shotrc (JSON):

{
  "theme": "nord",
  "show_line_numbers": true,
  "font_size": 14,
  "padding": 16
}

Also checked (in order): ~/.code-shotrc > ~/.code-shotrc.json > ~/.config/code-shot/config.json.

Tool call arguments override config file values.

Usage with Claude Code / Cursor

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "code-shot": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/code-shot/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Build

npm install
npm run build

Themes

18 bundled themes: github-dark, github-light, nord, one-dark-pro, one-light, dracula, dracula-soft, catppuccin-mocha, catppuccin-latte, material-theme, material-theme-lighter, min-dark, min-light, solarized-dark, solarized-light, vitesse-dark, vitesse-light.

How it works

1. Shiki tokenizes the code with full syntax highlighting (grammars for 40+ languages)

2. SVG renderer builds a pixel-perfect SVG with monospace positioning, window chrome, line numbers, and diff markers

3. Optional PNG via @resvg/resvg-js for platforms that don't support SVG natively

No browser, no DOM, no headless Chromium — pure math-based SVG generation.

License

MIT