Diagrams.so README
The full upstream README, mirrored here for reference. Install config, tool schemas, adoption signals, and an original overview live on the Diagrams.so listing page.
@diagrams-so/mcp
The Diagrams.so MCP server — generate, edit, and manage cloud architecture diagrams from any MCP client (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor). It's a thin stdio client over the public Diagrams.so API (/api/v2); every tool is one REST call.
Quick start
Needs Node ≥ 18. No API key to copy: you connect by approving in a browser.
Restart your client, then ask: "Generate an AWS 3-tier web app diagram and show me the warnings."
Run /mcp if you want to confirm all 23 tools registered first.
Using it a lot? Install once and the command gets shorter:
The server talks to production (
https://api.diagrams.so/api/v2) by default. Point it at a local or self-hosted API withDIAGRAMS_API_BASE.
Using Claude Desktop or Cursor instead of the CLI? See Add it to your MCP client. Prefer a one-click, no-terminal install? See One-click install (MCPB).
No terminal at all (Claude Desktop)
Add the server to your client config (below) with DIAGRAMS_LOGIN_EMAIL set to your email,
then just ask for a diagram. Because the machine isn't connected yet, the first tool call
emails you a one-time sign-in code and replies with a link. Open it, enter the code, press
Approve, and ask again. Nothing to install or type.
Generating a diagram from Claude
login only connects the machine. It never generates anything itself, so there is no
generate command to type in a terminal. You write the prompt in your assistant's normal
chat box and it calls the tools for you.
| Client | Where you type the prompt |
|---|---|
| Claude Code | the terminal chat, same place you ask anything else |
| Claude Desktop | the normal message box |
| Cursor | the chat or composer panel |
MCP servers load at startup, so restart your client after adding it. Then run /mcp and
confirm diagrams-so shows 23 tools.
Now just ask, in plain English:
Generate an AWS three-tier web app with an ALB, EC2 Auto Scaling and RDS Multi-AZ. Show me the design warnings, then export it as draw.io.
Behind that one sentence the assistant calls generate_diagram, then get_warnings, then
export_diagram. You never name a tool or write JSON.
More things worth asking, once you have a diagram:
The warnings mention no encryption in transit. Fix that one and show me the new score.
Add a CloudFront distribution in front of the ALB.
Re-export it as SVG so I can drop it in the README.
Each reply carries the credit cost and your remaining balance. Generating, editing, fixing and re-laying-out spend credits; reading, warnings and every export are free.
The .drawio file the assistant saves opens at app.diagrams.net or
in the desktop app, fully editable — it is real draw.io XML, not a picture.
Prefer not to use an assistant at all? diagrams.so/create has
the same thing as a web page: type the prompt in the box. No install, no login, no MCP.
Tools (23)
Create & change (mutating)
| Tool | What it does | Cost |
|---|---|---|
generate_diagram | Create a diagram from a prompt → id + draw.io XML + warnings + score | credits |
edit_diagram | Apply a natural-language change (new version) | credits |
fix_warning | Resolve one Well-Architected warning | credits |
relayout_diagram | AI re-arrange the layout (async; first 2/diagram free, then confirm) | credits* |
import_diagram | Import existing draw.io XML as a new diagram | free |
update_diagram | Rename / change visibility / replace XML | free |
revert_diagram | Revert to an earlier version | free |
delete_diagram | Soft-delete a diagram (destructive) | free |
fork_template | Copy a public/library diagram into your account (private) | free |
Read (free)
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
get_diagram | Fetch a diagram's XML + score |
list_diagrams | List your diagrams (cursor-paginated) |
get_warnings | Well-Architected findings for a diagram |
export_diagram | Raw drawio or svg file (free on every plan; free-plan SVG is watermarked) |
list_versions | Version history (with is_current) |
get_version | A specific version's XML + score |
get_relayout_status | Poll an async re-layout job |
search_gallery | Search public community + curated library diagrams |
enhance_prompt | Turn a rough idea into a detailed prompt |
clarify_prompt | Get clarifying questions for a vague prompt |
get_usage | Plan + credits + cost estimates |
get_usage_history | Itemized credit ledger per task (action, credits, diagram, surface) with filters + a live session tally |
whoami | Account, plan, scopes, live/test mode |
list_capabilities | Valid diagram types / providers / export formats |
Reads and exports are free; generate / edit / fix / relayout cost credits, and delete is destructive. relayout asks for confirm=true before it charges.
CLI
Commands
Installing the package puts diagrams-so on your PATH. The longer
diagrams-so-mcp name still works, and npx @diagrams-so/mcp <command> works
without installing anything.
Environment
| Var | Required | Default |
|---|---|---|
DIAGRAMS_API_KEY | ❌ | — (CI and headless only; login is the normal path) |
DIAGRAMS_API_BASE | ❌ | https://api.diagrams.so/api/v2 (production; override for local/self-hosted) |
DIAGRAMS_API_TIMEOUT_MS | ❌ | 450000 (per-request safety-net; sits above the API's full server-side timeout ladder) |
DIAGRAMS_BROWSER | ❌ | — (login opens your default browser; set e.g. Google Chrome when your Diagrams.so session lives in a non-default browser) |
DIAGRAMS_NO_BROWSER | ❌ | — (set to any value to stop login opening a browser; the URL is always printed) |
DIAGRAMS_NO_AUTO_LOGIN | ❌ | — (set to any value to disable in-tool connect; unauthenticated tools then just say to run login) |
DIAGRAMS_LOGIN_EMAIL | ❌ | — (address for in-tool connect: the one-time sign-in code is emailed there; without it, unauthenticated tools say to run login instead of starting a connect) |
Add it to your MCP client
The published package runs straight from npm, so there is no path to fill in and no key in the
config. Run npx @diagrams-so/mcp install to print these blocks for your client.
Claude Code (CLI)
Claude Desktop / Cursor (claude_desktop_config.json / mcp.json)
Connect either by running npx @diagrams-so/mcp login once, or, with DIAGRAMS_LOGIN_EMAIL
set, by asking for a diagram and following the link the first tool call gives you (the sign-in
code arrives by email). Set DIAGRAMS_API_KEY instead only for CI and headless machines,
where no browser can open.
Restart the client, then ask: "Generate an AWS 3-tier web app diagram and show me the warnings."
One-click install (MCPB)
Download diagrams-so.mcpb from the
latest release and drag it into
Claude Desktop. No terminal, and it no longer asks for an API key: install it, then connect on first
use by clicking the link the first tool call gives you.
Building the bundle yourself is a contributor step, see Developing locally.
Smithery
The server is listed at smithery.ai/servers/diagrams-so/mcp, which installs it for you and lists all 23 tools with their parameters:
Same package, same login step. It's the MCPB bundle Smithery installs, not the npm package, so the
version shown there follows releases rather than npm dist-tags.
Verify it works
Runs the full flow (connect → list tools → whoami → generate → warnings → fix → export → error handling).
Continuous integration & releases
| Workflow | Trigger | What it does |
|---|---|---|
CI (ci.yml) | every push / PR | npm ci + npm run build on Node 18/20/22, then a free smoke (scripts/ci-smoke.mjs) that launches the built server and asserts all 23 tools register. No API calls, no credits. |
Live smoke (live-smoke.yml) | nightly + manual | the full end-to-end flow (test-smoke.mjs) against the real API. Spends credits — runs only when the DIAGRAMS_API_KEY secret is set. |
Release (release.yml) | tag vX.Y.Z | build → npm prune --omit=dev → pack diagrams-so.mcpb → attach to a GitHub Release. Publishes to npm too if an NPM_TOKEN secret is set. |
Cut a release:
The tag must match package.json's version (the workflow enforces this). The
.mcpb bundle appears on the GitHub Release; manual workflow_dispatch produces
it as a downloadable artifact without publishing (handy for testing a bundle).
Repo secrets/variables (optional): DIAGRAMS_API_KEY (live smoke),
NPM_TOKEN (npm publish), DIAGRAMS_API_BASE variable (non-prod live-smoke target).
Notes
- stdout is the MCP channel — the server logs only to stderr.
- Errors come back as clean MCP tool errors carrying the API's
code, HTTP status, andrequest_id. - The server never talks to internal services or the database — only the public
/api/v2. - Long-running tools stay alive past client timeouts.
generate/edit/fix/relayout/enhance_prompt/clarify_promptemit anotifications/progressevery 10s while running, so MCP clients that reset their request timeout on progress (resetTimeoutOnProgress) won't abort a slow generation at the SDK's 60s default. If your client doesn't reset on progress, raise its per-call timeout for these tools.
Developing locally
Only needed if you are changing the server itself. Users should install from npm, see Quick start.
License and legal
- Code: Apache-2.0. See NOTICE.
- Service: this server is a client for the Diagrams.so API. Use of the API is governed by the Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy; the code license grants no rights to the API itself.
- Privacy: the server runs locally, connects only to
api.diagrams.so, and contains no telemetry. Credentials fromloginare stored at~/.diagrams-so/credentials.jsonwith owner-only permissions. See the Privacy Policy. - Billing: generate, edit, fix, re-layout, and fork operations cost credits; reads and exports are free. Test-mode keys bill your real credit balance.
- Trademarks: Diagrams.so and the Diagrams.so logo are trademarks of RedHold LLC. This license does not grant permission to use them, except to accurately describe the package's origin. See the Trademark Policy.
- Security: report vulnerabilities to security@diagrams.so per SECURITY.md.