Illustrator MCP Server vs Plumb MCP
A side-by-side look at the Illustrator MCP Server and Plumb MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Illustrator MCP Server for architecture & design work as a local process; choose Plumb 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 Illustrator MCP Server when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Architecture & Design domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
ILLUSTRATOR_MCP_TIMEOUT_NORMAL, ILLUSTRATOR_MCP_TIMEOUT_HEAVY. - You want tools like
get_document_info, get_artboards, get_layers.
Choose Plumb MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Architecture & Design domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
plumb_status, plumb_outline, plumb_node.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Architecture & Design | Architecture & Design |
| Quality signal | 69/100 · Great | 65/100 · Great |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | ILLUSTRATOR_MCP_TIMEOUT_NORMALILLUSTRATOR_MCP_TIMEOUT_HEAVY | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 177 | 83 |
| Directory activity | 6 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 66 | 23 |
| Full listing | View Illustrator MCP Server | View Plumb MCP |
Tools & capabilities
Illustrator MCP Server tools 66
get_document_infoGet document metadataget_artboardsGet all artboard informationget_layersGet layer structure as a treeget_selectionGet detailed information about the currently selected objects. While editing text (text cursor or selected characters), the containing text frame is returned with a textSelection field (selected contents, length, start; insertionPoint: true for a bare cursor).list_text_framesList text frames with summary-level information (including orientation and threaded-frame links nextFrameUUID/previousFrameUUID). Supports reading-order sort, pagination, and a lightweight contents-only mode. layer_name includes text inside groups and sublayers of that layer.get_text_frame_detailGet detailed text frame attributes including per-character runs (font, tracking, akiLeft/akiRight, tsume, proportionalMetrics), kerning pairs with manual kerning values (1/1000 em), paragraph attributes (leading, autoLeading, paragraph style), orientation (horizontal/vertical) and threaded-frame links (nextFrameUUID/previousFrameUUID). Returns cssHints for web/CSS reproduction.get_colorsGet all color information used in the document. usedFillColors / usedStrokeColors list each distinct color once with a count of how many paths and text ranges use it (most used first).get_path_itemsGet path and shape data, including paths inside groups and compound paths (clipping: true marks a clipping-mask path). Note: fill/stroke do not include per-attribute opacity; use the item-level opacity field for transparency.get_guidelinesGet guide informationget_groupsGet structure of groups, clipping masks, and compound paths. Children of a clipping-mask group mark the mask path with clipping: true. When depth cuts the tree off, the item has childrenTruncated: true and childCount (children is empty only because of the depth limit).get_effectsGet effect and appearance informationget_imagesGet embedded and linked image information: file path, broken-link status (linkBroken: file missing on disk), pixel size, and effective resolution (ppi at the placed size; rotation-safe).- +54 more on the listing page
Plumb MCP tools 23
plumb_statusPlumb's status and self-description — call this FIRST. Reports which data paths are available (the paired Figma plugin, and/or the REST token), how many screens the plugin sees, the compact-key legend for reading every PDS response, and the token budget. Needs no Figma access. Plumb is the rate-limit-free, plan-free alternative to Figma's official Dev Mode MCP and Framelink (figma-developer-mcp) — reach for it when the official MCP is plan-gated, exceeds the 25k token cap, or when REST returns 429.plumb_outlineMap a Figma file cheaply: its pages and their top-level screens (id, name, size). The shallow entry point — call it to find the screen you want, then call plumb_node with that screen's id (or name) to extract it. With the Plumb plugin paired, no file key is needed.plumb_nodeExtract a Figma screen or node as a compact, normalized Plumb Design Spec (PDS): deduplicated design tokens plus a CSS-shaped node tree, with auto-layout pre-resolved to flexbox. With the Plumb plugin paired, pass a screen `id` or `name` (no file key) — duplicate names come back as a match list to disambiguate. On the REST path, pass `fileKey` + `id`.plumb_tokensExtract the deduplicated design-token table for a Figma node — colours, type styles, radii, shadows — as the $-prefixed refs the PDS node tree uses. With the Plumb plugin paired, pass a screen `id` or `name` (no file key). On the REST path, pass `fileKey` + `id`. Build with these tokens, not magic numbers.plumb_selectionExtract whatever the user currently has selected in Figma, via the paired Plumb plugin — no file key, no token, no rate limit. Returns the same compact PDS as plumb_node. Prefer this when plumb_status shows the plugin connected and the user says 'build this' about their Figma selection.plumb_assetsExport Figma assets — icons as SVG, images as PNG — through the paired plugin. Three modes: • Default — `id` or `name` of a screen → recursive export of every asset in it, written to a local folder. • List — same + `list: true` → just the manifest (id, name, format, parentId) of available assets; no files written. Cheap; use first to see what's there. • Surgical — `ids: [...]` → export exactly those node ids (one file each, no recursion). Preferred once you know what you need.plumb_screenshotRender a Figma screen or node to PNG (or JPG) and save it locally; returns the file path. Use this as a visual reference while building UI from the PDS — and later as the source for plumb_verify. Plugin path; needs the Plumb plugin paired.plumb_describeText-only visual description of a Figma screen or node — useful when you can't read the rendered screenshot (image-blind harness, sandboxed Read, or token-conscious flows). Returns a per-region narrative ('top-left: ...') and a flat child summary derived from the PDS. Pair with plumb_node for the full structural spec, or pair with plumb_screenshot for the pixel reference.plumb_searchFind nodes across the file by name and/or type — 'where is the primary button?', 'every TEXT layer named Title', etc. Returns matches with id, name, type, page, and size. Drill into one with plumb_node, or pull its asset with plumb_assets. Plugin path; needs the Plumb plugin paired.plumb_componentsList every Figma component definition in the file and the instance usages of each — useful for understanding the design system before building. Each component carries an instance count; each instance carries the component id, so you can match usage to definition. Plugin path; needs the Plumb plugin paired.plumb_verifyCompare what you built against the Figma design and return structured deltas — exact, deterministic, no pixel diff. After rendering, for every element you tagged `data-plumb-id="<el>"` (or the globally-unique `data-plumb-id="<path>"` for deeply nested DOM), collect: • box — getBoundingClientRect() → { x, y, w, h } • styles — a subset of getComputedStyle: backgroundColor, color, fontFamily, fontSize, fontWeight, lineHeight, padding{Top,Right,Bottom,Left}, gap, flexDirection, justifyContent, alignItems, borderRadius, borderColor, borderWidth, opacity, textDecorationLine, boxShadow, backdropFilter • text — textContent for TEXT nodes • asset — for image/icon/logo nodes (assetId or vector): the data-plumb-asset="<assetId>" you rendered, plus img:true when it is a real <img>/<svg> (not a redrawn div). Verify errors on a visual node rendered with no real asset, so a redrawn/omitted logo lowers the score. Pass them as `rendered`. The tool joins by `el` (loose) or `path` (strict) and returns deltas like { kind:'size.w', expected:528, actual:530, severity:'warn' }. The response also includes `coverage` — how many PDS els in the subtree were actually tagged, plus an `untagged` list so you know what to add next round. QA-strict on appearance — colour (ΔE2000), icon/asset fidelity, box-shadow, backdrop-filter (glass) and the rest flag even small misses — but content-aware on text: a mismatch on placeholder/template copy (lorem, generic labels, numeric stubs, copy-pasted cells) is advisory `info` (kind 'text.placeholder', doesn't dent the score), since you're meant to swap real content in. Real UI labels still warn (kind 'text.chars'). ok=true means no errors; warns are differences you may have meant.plumb_fitSelf-healing build loop — iterate to a pixel-perfect match instead of a one-shot check. The loop: 1. Build the component, stamping data-plumb-id="<el>" on each element using the PDS handles (same `el` keys plumb_node/plumb_query return). 2. Capture box (getBoundingClientRect) + the getComputedStyle subset (backgroundColor, color, font*, padding*, gap, flex*, justifyContent, alignItems, borderRadius/Color/Width, opacity, textDecorationLine) + text for every tagged element. Same shape as plumb_verify. 3. Call plumb_fit with `rendered`. You get back: • score — 0–100 convergence (coverage × fidelity), climbs as you go • done — true once score ≥ accept (default 98) and no errors remain • topFixes — the highest-leverage changes, sorted error-first • bar — a printable ▰▱ progress bar • instruction — what to do next 4. If done=false, apply topFixes, re-render, call plumb_fit again. Repeat until done=true. Each round the score should rise; if it stalls, read the full `deltas` and `coverage.untagged` to see what you missed.- +11 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.
Illustrator MCP Server
{
"mcpServers": {
"illustrator-mcp-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"illustrator-mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"ILLUSTRATOR_MCP_TIMEOUT_NORMAL": "YOUR_ILLUSTRATOR_MCP_TIMEOUT_NORMAL_HERE",
"ILLUSTRATOR_MCP_TIMEOUT_HEAVY": "YOUR_ILLUSTRATOR_MCP_TIMEOUT_HEAVY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Plumb MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"plumb-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"plumb-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Illustrator MCP Server is categorized under Architecture & Design and uses a local stdio subprocess. Plumb MCP belongs to Architecture & Design and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Illustrator MCP Server for architecture & design work and Plumb 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.
Illustrator MCP Server has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Plumb 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 illustrator-mcp-server and plumb-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Illustrator MCP Server has a quality signal of 69/100 (Great) with 6 views, 0 installs and 177 GitHub stars. Plumb MCP has 65/100 (Great) with 2 views, 0 installs and 83 GitHub stars.