Excalidraw MCP Server (Excalidraw)

Hand-drawn diagrams rendered with interactive viewport controls in your AI chat interface.

Data last scanned today · Reviewed today

39★ 5,042TypeScript

Overview

The Excalidraw MCP Server brings virtual whiteboard capabilities directly into supported AI clients. It leverages the MCP Apps extension to stream interactive HTML interfaces, allowing you to generate and view hand-drawn sketches or architecture diagrams without leaving your chat workspace. You can use this server by connecting to the remote instance or by running a local version via Node.js. It features integrated viewport camera control for navigating complex diagrams and supports direct creation through simple natural language prompts.

Our verdict

This server carries a high risk level with a security score of 39/100. The primary concerns are the lack of a defined license and the fact that it is a community-maintained project rather than an official Excalidraw release. Users should be cautious as the authentication methods and read-only support have not yet been editorially reviewed, and the codebase has not seen updates for over four months.

Supports interactive fullscreen diagram editing
Streamlined deployment options via Vercel
Limited supply-chain footprint with 11 direct dependencies
Large community footprint with over 5,000 stars

No license detected for legal usage
High security risk due to lack of editorial review
Inactivity for over 129 days suggests maintenance lag
Not an official product of the Excalidraw organization

Setup

Claude Desktop

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

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows), then restart Claude Desktop. Some servers require API keys or tokens as environment variables — check the project's README and add an "env" object if needed.

No read-only mode — running this grants full read/write access.
No built-in authentication — anyone with access to this config can invoke every tool it exposes.

Compatibility

Client	Local	Docker	Remote	Read-only
Claude Desktop
Cursor
VS Code
Windsurf
ChatGPT

Frequently asked questions

›What software is required to run the Excalidraw MCP server locally?

You need Node.js installed to build the project from source, and the server requires a client that supports MCP Apps, such as Claude Desktop.

›Can I host my own instance of the Excalidraw MCP server?

Yes, you can deploy your own instance by forking the repository and deploying it to Vercel without requiring any environment variables.

›How do I install the server in Claude Desktop if I prefer not to build from source?

You can download the pre-built 'excalidraw-mcp-app.mcpb' file from the GitHub releases page and double-click it to install.

›What is the official URL for the remote MCP server?

The recommended remote MCP server endpoint is https://mcp.excalidraw.com.

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