Carbon MCP
Carbon MCP from IBM opens the Carbon Design System docs, components, icons and charts to an agent and audits code against the system
- 44 ★ on the repository
- Last commit
Extended access
Why this level
- Code snippets for code_audit are sent to a remote IBM server
- Sign-in goes through IBMid, and the token and session ID open access to the server
Install
- Works in
In your terminal, with SkillFoxx CLI
npx skillfoxx add mcp/carbon-mcpDetects the agents on your machine, shows the access level and pins the version.
Other ways to install
Access and checks
How we reviewExtended accessThe tool runs code or makes network calls and only reads external data.
- Code snippets for code_audit are sent to a remote IBM server
- Sign-in goes through IBMid, and the token and session ID open access to the server
This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
Carbon MCP is a remote MCP server for the Carbon design system, running on IBM Cloud. The agent gets current component examples, variants, props, tokens and guidelines from it instead of guessing from memory, and generates Carbon code in React and Web Components. The server has five tools. code_audit checks your code against Carbon: design tokens, component use, accessibility, layout. code_search finds React and Web Components code examples, icons and pictograms, up to full application files. docs_search searches the Carbon and IBM Products documentation. get_charts returns Carbon Charts examples for React, Angular, Vue, Svelte, Vanilla JS and HTML. labs_search finds examples and props of experimental Carbon Labs components. The repository also carries the Carbon Builder skill under Apache-2.0. The server supplies facts, and the skill tells the agent when to ask for them and how to turn the answers into working code, including charts for any supported framework.
Who it is for. Front-end developers and designers building Carbon interfaces in Cursor, Claude Code, Claude Desktop or IBM Bob.
Good fit when
- An agent builds a Carbon interface and needs real examples instead of invented props
- A finished component should be checked for tokens, accessibility and layout under Carbon rules
- A chart is needed in Angular or Svelte and the Carbon Charts examples sit in the docs
- A team wants one source of Carbon answers for designers, developers and managers
Not a fit when
- The project uses another design system: the server knows only Carbon and IBM Products
- You have no IBMid: sign-in goes through it or a token generated from it
- Code must not leave the company, and code_audit sends snippets to the IBM server
- You need offline access to docs with no network
Example request
Build a sign-in form in Carbon React with TextInput and Button, take examples from Carbon MCP and check the result with code_audit.MCP
- Transport
- http
- Authentication
- OAuth
Limitations
An IBMid is needed to sign in. If a client does not support OAuth discovery, use a token and session ID from the server's page.
The server is hosted by IBM and covered by the hosted service terms, kept in the repository as TERMS_OF_USE.md. Code snippets for code_audit go to that server.
Coverage grows over time: the docs show examples of indexed content, and the full list is on the Concepts page.
The repository holds no server code; it is the place for issues, feature requests and the Carbon Builder skill.
How to disable. Remove the server with `claude mcp remove carbon-mcp` or delete the carbon-mcp entry from mcp.json. The skill is removed by deleting the carbon-builder folder from the client's skills directory.
FAQ
How do I connect Carbon MCP to Cursor or Claude Code?
Add the remote server https://mcp.carbondesignsystem.com/mcp with the streamable-http transport and sign in with IBMid. Step-by-step instructions for each client are in the onboarding guide on carbondesignsystem.com.
Why the Carbon Builder skill if there is a server?
The server returns facts about Carbon, and the skill teaches the agent when to ask for them and how to build working code from the answers. Together they give a better result than either alone, as the docs say.
What does code_audit do?
It checks code against Carbon guidance: tokens, component use, accessibility, layout and best practices. For that, code snippets are sent to the IBM server.
How do I sign in if the client lacks OAuth?
Get a token and session ID on the server's page and put them into the config. Signing in with IBMid is still required.
Which Carbon packages are covered?
@carbon/react, @carbon/web-components, Carbon for IBM Products, icons and pictograms, @carbon/ai-chat, @carbon/charts and @carbon-labs. Coverage keeps growing, and the full list is on the Concepts page.
Discussion
No questions or reviews yet.
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Comparison with similar tools
Cards that share the main search query, and how they differ.
| Tool | Official | Authentication | Repository stars | Main difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon MCP (this card) | yes | OAuth | 44 | |
| Chakra UI MCP | yes | not required | 40,728 | Chakra UI components and docs |
| Shadcn UI MCP Server | no | key is optional | 3,098 | shadcn/ui components |
| Material UI agent skills | no | 99,334 | Material UI skills |
README in short
The README presents Carbon MCP as a hosted server that serves Carbon components, icons, charts and docs to AI agents. The connect section holds a minimal mcp.json and a client table, followed by the Carbon Builder skill install, a tool table and coverage by package.