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Excalidraw MCP: draw hand-drawn diagrams in Claude, ChatGPT and VS Code

Official · by ExcalidrawRemoteLocal
Getexcalidraw/excalidraw-mcp
Tools
5
2 read · 3 change
Stars
5.6K
on GitHub
Works in
1
supported apps
Risk
Low
can write
Auth
None

Excalidraw's own server that lets Claude, ChatGPT or VS Code draw hand-drawn diagrams right in the chat, which you can then edit.

Ask for a diagram and it draws itself in the chat, stroke by stroke, in Excalidraw's hand-drawn style. You can open it fullscreen to edit, then export it to excalidraw.com for a share link. It only shows up in apps that can display interactive views, such as Claude, ChatGPT and VS Code; in some other apps the diagram is made but never appears. It is free, needs no account, and you can also run it on your own computer.

Good for

  • Anyone who wants a quick sketch or flowchart drawn from a sentence, inside the chat
  • Engineers explaining a system with a hand-drawn architecture diagram
  • Teachers and writers who want friendly diagrams to share by link
  • Teams that want a free, no-sign-in setup they can also run themselves

Works in

1 supported · 5 with issues · 8 should work

Tap an app to see how to set it up and any known problems.

Install Excalidraw MCP

Claude Code

  1. 1

    Copy this prompt.

    Add the Excalidraw MCP server to Claude Code. Run this command:

claude mcp add --transport http excalidraw https://mcp.excalidraw.com/mcp

Then check that it loaded and tell me if I need to sign in or restart.
  2. 2

    Paste it into Claude Code. It shows the change and asks before running it.

Read-only mode: Not needed. The server only draws diagrams and cannot reach your files or accounts.

No sign-in is needed, so skip any login prompt. If you write the config by hand, include "type": "http" or Claude Code ignores the entry. The diagram only appears in apps that support interactive views (MCP Apps).

Built from the package data we hold. Not yet tested by us.

Tools

  • Draws a hand-drawn diagram in the chat, stroke by stroke

    Draws the diagram you asked for in Excalidraw's hand-drawn style, right inside the chat, with each shape appearing as it is drawn. You can then open it fullscreen to edit it.

    Try: “Draw a flowchart of our signup process: form, email check, welcome screen”

    Write · create_view

  • Uploads the diagram to excalidraw.com and gives you a link to share

    When you press export in the diagram, this uploads an encrypted copy to excalidraw.com and returns a link anyone can open to view or keep editing it.

    Try: “Export this diagram so I can share it with my team”

    Write · export_to_excalidraw

  • Used by the assistant behind the scenes

    Looks up how to describe shapes and colors before drawing

    The assistant reads this guide to Excalidraw's drawing format, colors and examples before it draws its first diagram.

    Read · read_me

  • Saves your edits to the diagram so they are not lost

    The diagram widget uses this to store your edits so the assistant can build on the latest version.

    Write · save_checkpoint

  • Restores a saved version of the diagram

    The diagram widget uses this to reload a saved version of the diagram, for example when you reopen it.

    Read · read_checkpoint

Read from the source code

Pros and cons

Good

  • Made by the Excalidraw team and free to use.
  • The hosted version needs no install, account or key.
  • Diagrams draw themselves in the chat and you can edit them fullscreen.
  • One click exports a diagram to excalidraw.com with a share link.
  • You can also run it locally or deploy your own copy with no settings.

Watch out

  • Only apps that can show interactive views display the diagram; in Cursor it often never appears.
  • It cannot save .excalidraw files to your computer or project.
  • The repo has no license file yet, though the README says MIT.

Permissions

low risk · 3 things to watch

Low risk

The main risk is sharing: exporting uploads your diagram to excalidraw.com, where anyone with the link can see it.

What it can do

  • Read your data
  • Create and change things
  • Delete things
  • Read-only mode

Watch out for

  • Exporting puts your diagram on excalidraw.com

    The export button uploads an encrypted copy and gives you a share link. Anyone with the link can open it, so do not export diagrams with secrets in them. github.com

  • Diagrams pass through Excalidraw's server

    The hosted version needs no sign-in and draws on Excalidraw's servers. Run it locally or deploy your own copy if diagrams must stay in-house. github.com

  • No license file in the repo yet

    The README says MIT, but the LICENSE file is missing. Check with your legal team before you redistribute it. github.com

Security advisories

No published security advisories as of Nov 1, 2026.

Technical details
Turning on read-onlyNot needed: the server only draws diagrams and keeps checkpoints of them. It reaches none of your files or accounts. Export uploads an encrypted copy of the diagram to excalidraw.com when you press it.
Talks toExcalidraw's hosted server (mcp.excalidraw.com), unless you run it yourself. excalidraw.com, only when you export a diagram

Alternatives

Use the official server to get a diagram in your chat from one prompt, with nothing to install. Pick yctimlin's mcp_excalidraw when a coding agent should keep refining a diagram on a local canvas and save it as a file in your project.

ServerOfficialRunsDraws in chatSaves .excalidraw filesGitHub stars
Excalidraw MCPThis pageOfficialHostedLocalYesNo–
mcp_excalidrawCommunityLocalNoYes2.6K
excalidraw-architect-mcpCommunityLocal––162

What people say

People like that Excalidraw offers its own server and dislike how rough the diagrams can look and how few apps show them.

What people like

  • Commenters point others to Excalidraw's own open-source endpoint and server.

Common complaints

  • Early users found Claude's diagrams too rough and went back to Mermaid.
  • Support for in-chat views is still patchy across apps.
  • Exported diagrams have been reported to lose their text.

In their words

Hacker NewsMar 2026
“I didn't have good experience with excalidraw-mcp when it first came out a month ago; the Claude-generated diagrams were too raw/unpolished.”
mi_lkHacker NewsMar 2026
“But MCP "apps"[1] are quite new and not very well supported yet.”
wdroz

Questions

What is the Excalidraw MCP server URL?

https://mcp.excalidraw.com/mcp. The README lists https://mcp.excalidraw.com, which redirects there; use the full address if your app does not follow redirects.

Is it free?

Yes. The hosted server needs no account or key, and the code is open source.

Why don't I see the diagram?

Your app has to support interactive views (MCP Apps), as Claude, ChatGPT and VS Code do. In Cursor and some other apps the diagram is created but not shown.

Do I need to sign in?

No. If your app runs a login step for it, that step fails; just skip it.

Can I edit the diagram after it is drawn?

Yes. Open it fullscreen in the chat to edit it, then export it to excalidraw.com to keep working there or share a link.

Can I run it locally?

Yes. Install the downloadable extension in Claude Desktop, build it from source, or deploy your own copy to Vercel with no settings.

Excalidraw MCP vs yctimlin's mcp_excalidraw?

The official one draws a diagram in your chat from one prompt. yctimlin's runs a local canvas where a coding agent can inspect, align and fix shapes, then save a .excalidraw file to your project.

Is it safe?

Mostly. It reaches none of your files or accounts. Exporting uploads the diagram to excalidraw.com, where anyone with the link can view it.

Does exporting keep the text?

Not always. An open bug report says text and labels go missing in diagrams exported to excalidraw.com.

Examples

  • Draw a quick sketch from one sentence

    Draw a cute cat using excalidraw

    Source

  • Draw a simple architecture diagram

    Draw an architecture diagram showing a user connecting to an API server which talks to a database

    Source

Information

updated Nov 1, 2026

Publisher
Excalidraw (official)
Transport
Streamable HTTP, stdio
Auth
None
License
MIT
Last commit
Mar 24, 2026

WebsitedownloadGitHubChangelogIssues

Other Excalidraw MCP servers

See all

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from. Issues, quotes and findings above link to their own source.

Show all 18
  1. excalidraw/excalidraw-mcp · github.com
  2. Docs: Add "type": "http" to Claude Code MCP configuration example · github.com
  3. Remote server missing OAuth discovery endpoint · github.com
  4. Diagram is not visible on Cursor · github.com
  5. Cursor MCP host: export fails with "Failed to fetch" · github.com
  6. src/server.ts · github.com
  7. Missing LICENSE file · github.com
  8. vercel.json · github.com
  9. yctimlin/mcp_excalidraw · github.com
  10. export_to_excalidraw drops all text elements · github.com
  11. Rendering from Gemini CLI · github.com
  12. Diagrams via ChatGPT tries to put everything in chat-sized canvas · github.com
  13. I can't see the preview animation of the draw. · github.com
  14. news.ycombinator.com · news.ycombinator.com
  15. news.ycombinator.com · news.ycombinator.com
  16. news.ycombinator.com · news.ycombinator.com
  17. bv-venky/excalidraw-architect-mcp · github.com
  18. Feature request: Export diagram as .excalidraw JSON from inline editor · github.com

Facts from the official MCP registry, GitHub, npm, PyPI and the Docker catalog. Updated Nov 1, 2026.