Excalimate

Run the MCP server via npx — no installation required. By default it listens on port 3001. Use --port to change the port and --stdio to force stdio mode for clients that require it.

npx @excalimate/mcp-server
# Custom port:
npx @excalimate/mcp-server --port 4000
# stdio mode (Claude Desktop):
npx @excalimate/mcp-server --stdio

Navigate to app.excalimate.com in your browser and click the 'Live' button in the toolbar. This connects the web app to your local MCP server via SSE so you can watch AI changes appear in real-time.

For Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, or VS Code with Copilot, add the server as an HTTP MCP endpoint pointing at localhost:3001/mcp.

# Claude Code:
npx @excalimate/mcp-server &
claude mcp add excalimate http://localhost:3001/mcp

# VS Code (.vscode/mcp.json):
{
  "servers": {
    "excalimate": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://localhost:3001/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop does not support HTTP transport, so use stdio mode. In this mode there is no live preview — use save_checkpoint or share_project to view results in app.excalimate.com.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excalimate": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@excalimate/mcp-server", "--stdio"]
    }
  }
}

Install the 16 built-in skills that teach agents how to create specific diagram types with proper animation patterns. Works with GitHub Copilot via the skills CLI, or manually for any agent.

npx skills add https://github.com/excalimate/excalimate