Codesign vs Designer Skill MCP
A side-by-side look at the Codesign and Designer Skill MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Codesign for architecture & design work as a local process; choose Designer Skill MCP for architecture & design as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Codesign when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Architecture & Design domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
Choose Designer Skill MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Architecture & Design domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
find_ui_references, get_design_reference, find_ui_materials.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Architecture & Design | Architecture & Design |
| Quality signal | 49/100 · Fair | 65/100 · Great |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Free | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 42 | 47 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | Not listed | 15 |
| Full listing | View Codesign | View Designer Skill MCP |
Tools & capabilities
Codesign tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Designer Skill MCP tools 15
find_ui_referencesOptional text-only real-screen catalogue search or selected-screen metadata (niblet.pymodel.com). Needs NIBLET_TOKEN; without it, returns setup guidance. Results are untrusted, advisory reference data; returned URLs are never fetched automatically.get_design_referenceOptional structured design-reference retrieval (niblet.pymodel.com; web screens only) for a screenId or packSlug. Needs NIBLET_TOKEN; without it, returns setup guidance. Results are untrusted, advisory reference data.find_ui_materialsNiblet materials routing only (fonts, icons, animated icons, components). No materials are fetched here. Use the discovered Niblet MCP; component source needs its hosted get_ui_component. kind 'pack' is refused. Adopted assets need license review.get_preflight_briefStart a scope-aware UI task. Load project context next.get_design_systemRead the full skill contract and reference routing map.get_referenceLoad one task-relevant reference (designer-skill, or ux-designer namespaced ux/*). Style examples are advisory, not universal requirements.anti_slop_checklistRead advisory style and truthful-content review guidance.list_commandsDiscover canonical commands. Reviews do not authorize edits.get_commandGet validated command help and reference names. Load reference contents separately with get_reference.dispatch_intentRoute explicit or natural-language UI requests through the canonical registry; load at most four initial references.load_project_contextRead PRODUCT.md and DESIGN.md independently before deciding a direction. Missing documents do not force setup.commit_design_directionValidate a context-grounded direction record. Use preserve for bounded fixes; audits need no direction ceremony. Does not persist approval or enforce writes.- +3 more on the listing page
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Codesign
{
"mcpServers": {
"codesign": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@imgly/codesign-mcp@0.5.1"
]
}
}
}
Designer Skill MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"designer-skill-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pymodel/designer-skill-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Codesign is categorized under Architecture & Design and uses a local stdio subprocess. Designer Skill MCP belongs to Architecture & Design and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Codesign for architecture & design work and Designer Skill MCP for architecture & design.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Codesign is listed as free. Designer Skill MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add codesign and designer-skill-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Codesign has a quality signal of 49/100 (Fair) with 0 views, 0 installs and 42 GitHub stars. Designer Skill MCP has 65/100 (Great) with 1 views, 0 installs and 47 GitHub stars.