Excalidraw MCP Server

Install

npx skillfoxx add mcp/excalidraw-mcp-server-cli-agent-skill

claude mcp add --transport stdio excalidraw -- npx -y mcp-excalidraw-server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excalidraw": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-excalidraw-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excalidraw": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-excalidraw-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

code --add-mcp '{"name":"excalidraw","type":"stdio","command":"npx","args":["-y","mcp-excalidraw-server"]}'

{
  "servers": {
    "excalidraw": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-excalidraw-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

codex mcp add excalidraw -- npx -y mcp-excalidraw-server

[mcp_servers.excalidraw]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "mcp-excalidraw-server"]

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excalidraw": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-excalidraw-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excalidraw": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-excalidraw-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excalidraw": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-excalidraw-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excalidraw": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-excalidraw-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcp": {
    "excalidraw": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": [
        "npx",
        "-y",
        "mcp-excalidraw-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "context_servers": {
    "excalidraw": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-excalidraw-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excalidraw": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-excalidraw-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

claude mcp add excalidraw --scope user -- npx -y mcp-excalidraw-server

This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.

What it does

The project runs a local Excalidraw canvas and lets the agent drive it element by element. Through 26 MCP tools or the same CLI commands the agent creates, reads, updates and deletes shapes, aligns and groups them, takes a screenshot and gets a text description of the scene to fix overlaps and labels. Diagrams export to .excalidraw and .excalidraw.md files that can be committed next to the code and opened on excalidraw.com or in the Obsidian plugin. It also converts from Mermaid, keeps named scene snapshots and can optionally upload an encrypted scene as a shareable link. The canvas runs locally on Node with no API keys and binds to 127.0.0.1 by default.

Who it is for. For developers and technical writers who need editable diagrams in the repo, built by the agent.

Example request

Draw an architecture diagram of this service on the Excalidraw canvas and save it to docs/architecture.excalidraw

Limitations

The canvas keeps elements in memory, so restarting the server clears the scene; use export or snapshot to persist it. Screenshots and Mermaid conversion require an open browser tab with the canvas. Node 20 or newer is required. The canvas server has no built-in authentication, so exposing it beyond 127.0.0.1 needs external access control. This is an independent project, not the official Excalidraw MCP. Licensed under MIT.

How to disable. Remove the excalidraw entry from your MCP client config, for example claude mcp remove excalidraw. If you installed the skill, delete the excalidraw-skill folder from the skills directory.

MCP

Transport

stdio

Authentication

not required

Security check

• Runs a local canvas server and opens a browser process for rendering and screenshots
• Reads and writes diagram files in the project, and on share uploads an encrypted scene to excalidraw.com

README in short

The README presents mcp-excalidraw-server as a live Excalidraw canvas for agents with three ways to drive it: a skill and CLI for coding agents, an MCP server with 26 tools over stdio, and a REST API for custom frameworks. The core runs locally on Node 20 or newer without API keys, and the canvas starts itself on the first drawing command. The agent can see the scene via describe and screenshot, align and group elements, take snapshots and export .excalidraw files, including the Obsidian plugin format. Version 2.0 adds MCP protocol 2026-07-28, byte-stable exports and correct label rendering. Licensed under MIT.

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