Formio MCP vs Next AI Draw IO
A side-by-side look at the Formio MCP and Next AI Draw IO MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Formio MCP for developer tools work as a local process; choose Next AI Draw IO for developer tools as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Formio MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
hello, form_create, form_get.
Choose Next AI Draw IO when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You want tools like
get_drawing_guide, get_shape_library, start_session.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools | Developer Tools |
| Quality signal | 64/100 · Good | 67/100 · Great |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | API key required |
| Pricing | Not declared | BYOK (pay the provider) |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 8 | 36,341 |
| Directory activity | 3 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 21 | 16 |
| Full listing | View Formio MCP | View Next AI Draw IO |
Tools & capabilities
Formio MCP tools 21
helloSay hello — a connectivity check that confirms the server is running and reachable. Needs no Form.io project or credentials, so it is the first thing to try when other tools fail.form_createCreate a new form in the Form.io project mapped to the user's current working directory. IMPORTANT: Before calling this tool, use the formio-schema skill to construct a properly structured Form.io form JSON definition based on the user's requirements. The skill documents all component types, validation options, layout patterns, and conditional logic available in Form.io. New forms default to `revisions: 'original'` so form change history is preserved. NOT for: creating a draft revision of an existing form. When the user says "create/save a draft", "draft <change>", call form_update with `formId` and `draft: true` instead.form_getFetch a single form definition from the Form.io project mapped to the user's current working directory, by form ID or path. Pass `draft: true` to fetch the form's current in-flight draft instead of the published form.form_listList forms from the Form.io project mapped to the user's current working directory with optional filtering and pagination.form_revision_getFetch a single immutable form revision from the Form.io project mapped to the current working directory. `version` accepts either the revision `_vid` (e.g. "3") or the revision document `_id` (24-character hex). To revert the live form to this revision, pass its `form` body to `form_update` with a `note` like `Revert to v<vid>`.form_revisions_listList immutable published revision summaries for a single form in the Form.io project mapped to the current working directory. Returns compact revision metadata (_vid, _id, modified, user, _vnote) for the form identified by `formIdOrPath`. To inspect a specific revision body, call `form_revision_get` with the desired `_vid`. To revert the live form to a prior revision, pass that revision body to `form_update` with a `note` like `Revert to v<vid>`.form_updateUpdate an existing form in the Form.io project mapped to the user's current working directory. IMPORTANT: Before calling this tool, first use form_get to fetch the current form definition, then use the formio-schema skill to understand the schema so that you can apply the requested modifications (add, remove, or modify fields and settings), and finally call this tool with the complete updated form JSON. `draft`, `publish`, and `revert` are mutually exclusive — pass at most one. If `revisions` in the response differs from the stored value, the per-form revisions-mode gate prompted the USER and they chose.project_exportExport the complete template (roles, resources, forms, actions) of the Form.io project mapped to the user's current working directory as a portable JSON document. Use this to snapshot a project before importing changes.project_getReport which Form.io project the given working directory resolves to, which deployment hosts it, and which layer supplied each — the preflight to run before the first tool call that reads from or writes to a deployment. Answers from inside this server, using the same resolver every other tool uses, so what it reports is what the next call targets. There is no need to run any shell command to ask this. Branch on `status`. "ok" means both URLs resolved and you may proceed. "not-configured" means nothing is mapped for this directory: relay the message, ask the user for the single value it names, record it with project_set, and call this again. "base-url-unresolved" means the project IS recorded and only its deployment is missing — ask for the Base URL alone and do NOT re-ask for the Project URL. Reads only. It resolves and reports; project_set is what records a choice.project_importImport a template JSON into the existing Form.io project mapped to the user's current working directory, merging roles, resources, forms, and actions in one call. Use the formio-resource-planner skill to construct the template before calling this tool. WARNING: import merges into the existing project — use project_export first to snapshot.project_setSet the active Form.io project for the given working directory by recording its URL in ~/.formio/projects.json You MUST call this tool whenever the user asks to set, change, or switch the active Form.io project — do not merely acknowledge the request in text. Persisting the choice requires the tool call. The chosen URL is persisted to ~/.formio/projects.json keyed by the cwd argument when provided (or the MCP server process cwd otherwise). Pass the `cwd` argument whenever you know the user's current working directory — the server process cwd is fixed at spawn and may not match where the user actually is. Every Form.io tool resolves its project on each call, so a mapping written here needs no restart. It takes effect only where the mapping is the record that WINS, though: under a committed formio.json the mapping is the fallback if that file goes away, and this call reports the pair that actually resolves rather than the one it recorded. Read `ok` and `projectUrl` on the result rather than assuming the write governs. You normally pass only projectUrl. The base URL — which builds the portal-login URL and keys the cached token — is derived from it — https://api.form.io for a project on a form.io host, and the parent path for a project addressed as a sub-directory — so there is nothing to supply. Pass baseUrl ONLY when the server reports that it cannot be determined, which happens for a project URL that carries no path on a customer domain: there the deployment is a sibling sub-domain and nothing in the project URL names it. Do not ask the user for a base URL before the server says it needs one. This tool writes the machine-local mapping, which is keyed by absolute path and therefore does not survive a clone. To record the target with the code instead — versioned, visible in a diff, and shared with everyone who clones the repository — write a committed formio.json yourself, in the application's own folder: a JSON object holding {"projectUrl": "..."}, plus "baseUrl" only when it cannot be derived. This server reads that file and never writes it. Resolution is by scope, narrowest first, and precedence runs: a committed formio.json, then the working-directory mapping, then FORMIO_PROJECT_URL in the environment, which is the weakest of the three. So a mapping written here DOES override an environment value, and a committed file overrides both.role_createCreate a new role in the Form.io project mapped to the user's current working directory.- +9 more on the listing page
Next AI Draw IO tools 16
get_drawing_guideReturn the drawing guide: XML format, layout, edge routing, style and editing rules. start_session already returns it; call this only if the guide is no longer in your context. With topic, returns a short XML reference for tables, layers or groups.get_shape_libraryGet the style syntax and shape names of a draw.io icon library. Call this BEFORE drawing with cloud, network or other icon shapes, and use the exact names it returns; never guess them. Libraries: - Cloud: aws4, azure2, gcp2, alibaba_cloud, openstack, salesforce - Networking: cisco19, network, kubernetes, vvd, rack - Business: bpmn, lean_mapping - General: flowchart, basic, arrows2, infographic, sitemap - UI/Mockups: android, material_design - Enterprise: citrix, sap, mscae, atlassian - Engineering: fluidpower, electrical, pid, cabinets, floorplan - Icons: webiconsstart_sessionStart a new diagram session, or continue a saved one with session_id, and open the browser for real-time preview. Starts an embedded server and opens a browser window with draw.io. The browser will show diagram updates as they happen. The result includes the drawing guide; follow it when drawing.list_saved_diagramsList the diagrams saved by earlier sessions (auto-save files), newest first, with their pages. Continue one with start_session session_id=<id>; the file path also works with load_diagram.create_new_diagramCreate a NEW diagram, REPLACING the whole document: every page and any unsaved user changes (the previous state stays in History). To add a tab use add_page; to change cells use edit_diagram. Before using icon shapes (AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, Cisco...), call get_shape_library first. Follow the drawing guide returned by start_session (call get_drawing_guide if it is no longer in your context). Pass screenshot: true on the last call of a complex diagram to check the result. Accepted xml: 1) Only the mxCell elements of one page (recommended). The server adds <mxfile>, <mxGraphModel>, <root> and the root cells "0" and "1": <mxCell id="2" value="Shape" style="rounded=1;" x="40" y="40" w="120" h="60"/> 2) A bare <mxGraphModel> with <root> (one page). 3) A full <mxfile> with one or more <diagram> pages. Every page's <root> must start with <mxCell id="0"/><mxCell id="1" parent="0"/>. Rules: cells are siblings (never nested), ids are unique per page and start from "2", parent only for shapes inside a container, no XML comments, and shapes stay within x 0 to 800 and y 0 to 600. A style used by several cells is defined once with <mxStyle name="..." value="..."/> before the cells and used by name (see the drawing guide); html=1 and whiteSpace=wrap are added automatically. To clear the canvas to one blank page, send only the two root cells <mxCell id="0"/><mxCell id="1" parent="0"/>; the previous diagram stays in History.load_diagramLoad a .drawio diagram into the current session, REPLACING the entire diagram (all pages). To change an existing file, load it here, edit with edit_diagram, then export_diagram to the same path; never rewrite the file by hand. Provide ONE of two mutually exclusive sources: 'path' (the server reads the file from disk — you do NOT need to read the file yourself or pass its XML through create_new_diagram) or 'xml' (the raw file content you already have — from another tool, a repository read, or an API response — so no temporary file needs to be written first). Both accept plain XML and draw.io's compressed save format. .drawio.svg (Editable SVG, the format export_diagram writes) is accepted too; .png files (also draw.io's editable PNG) and plain .svg files cannot be loaded. After loading from 'path' (or from compressed 'xml'), call get_diagram before edit_diagram — you haven't seen the file's cell IDs yet. Plain-XML 'xml' content you supplied yourself is already known and can be edited immediately.edit_diagramEdit a specific page in the current diagram by ID-based operations (update/add/delete cells). All-or-nothing: if any operation fails, nothing is applied and every failure is listed. Freshness: the server remembers the last diagram state you have seen, and rejects this call only if the user edited the diagram in the browser since then. You do NOT need to call get_diagram before every edit: a rejected call changes nothing and includes the current XML of the page, so you can rebuild your operations and retry. Call get_diagram first only when you don't know the current diagram content (cell IDs, structure) — e.g. the diagram wasn't created in this conversation, or you're unsure your memory of it is accurate. Multi-page targeting: - page_id / page_name / page_index are optional; when all omitted, the FIRST page is targeted - Use list_pages to discover what pages exist Operations: - add: Add a new cell. Provide cell_id (new unique id within the page) and new_xml. One cell per operation. - update: Replace an existing cell by its id. Provide cell_id and complete new_xml. - delete: Remove a cell by its id. Only cell_id is needed. Its children and connected edges are deleted too, so give only a container's id. For add/update, new_xml is the complete mxCell (inside its <object> wrapper when it has custom data, see the drawing guide) in the compact form (a shape with x, y, w, h; an edge with source and target). No XML comments. Every " inside new_xml must be escaped as \" in the JSON. Example - Add a rectangle on the default (first) page: {"operations": [{"operation": "add", "cell_id": "rect-1", "new_xml": "<mxCell id=\"rect-1\" value=\"Hello\" style=\"rounded=1;\" x=\"100\" y=\"100\" w=\"120\" h=\"60\"/>"}]} Example - Delete a cell on the default page: {"operations": [{"operation": "delete", "cell_id": "rect-1"}]}get_diagramGet the current diagram XML (fetches latest from browser, including user's manual edits). Call this when you don't know the current diagram content (cell IDs, pages, structure) — e.g. before editing a diagram you didn't create in this conversation, or after edit_diagram was rejected because the user changed the diagram in the browser. Returns the full <mxfile> by default. If a page selector is provided, returns just that page's <mxGraphModel> embedded in a one-page <mxfile> wrapper.get_selectionReturn the cells the user has selected in the preview: their ids and labels, for edges the source and target ids, for shapes the position and size, and the page they are on. Call this when the user refers to what they selected ("this box", "these arrows", "the selected shapes"), then act on the ids with edit_diagram. Says when nothing is selected. Needs the preview tab to be open.screenshot_diagramRender the diagram in the preview and return it as a PNG image, so you can see your own result. Call this once after drawing or heavily editing a complex diagram, then fix overlaps and edges that cross shapes. Without a page selector it shows the page on screen; with one it renders that page without changing what the user sees. Needs the preview tab to be open.export_diagramExport the current diagram to a file. Supports .drawio (XML), .png, .svg, and .drawio.svg (an SVG with the diagram embedded, which draw.io and load_diagram can open again). The format is auto-detected from the file extension, or can be specified explicitly. Images get a 20 px margin; a PNG has a white background (or the page's own background color) unless transparent is true. Multi-page behaviour: - .drawio with NO page selector: writes the full <mxfile> (all pages). - .drawio with a page selector: writes a single-page <mxfile> containing only that page. - .png / .svg with NO page selector: exports the currently active page in the browser. - .png with a page selector: renders that page without changing what the user sees. - .svg / .drawio.svg with a page selector: temporarily loads that page into the browser, captures it, then restores the full document (the user sees a brief flicker).list_pagesList every page (tab) in the current diagram. Returns each page's id, name, 0-based index, and cell count. Use this to discover what pages exist before targeting one with edit_diagram, get_diagram, export_diagram, rename_page, or delete_page.- +4 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.
Formio MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"formio-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@formio/mcp@0.14.1"
]
}
}
}
Next AI Draw IO
{
"mcpServers": {
"next-ai-draw-io": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@next-ai-drawio/mcp-server@latest"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Formio MCP is categorized under Developer Tools and uses a local stdio subprocess. Next AI Draw IO belongs to Developer Tools and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Formio MCP for developer tools work and Next AI Draw IO for developer tools.
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.
Formio MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Next AI Draw IO is bring-your-own-key: usage is billed by the API provider you supply a key for. Auth: api key required. 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 formio-mcp and next-ai-draw-io as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Formio MCP has a quality signal of 64/100 (Good) with 3 views, 0 installs and 8 GitHub stars. Next AI Draw IO has 67/100 (Great) with 2 views, 0 installs and 36,341 GitHub stars.