Inspo vs Shadcn Ui MCP Server
A side-by-side look at the Inspo and Shadcn Ui MCP Server MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Inspo for developer tools work as a local process; choose Shadcn Ui MCP Server 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 Inspo when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
search_screens, get_screen, get_design_system.
Choose Shadcn Ui MCP Server 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 have the keys it needs:
MCP_TRANSPORT_MODE, MCP_PORT, MCP_HOST, MCP_CORS_ORIGINS, GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN, UI_LIBRARY. - You want tools like
get_component, get_component_demo, list_components.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools | Developer Tools |
| Quality signal | 69/100 · Great | 72/100 · Great |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | API key required |
| Pricing | Not declared | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | MCP_TRANSPORT_MODEMCP_PORTMCP_HOSTMCP_CORS_ORIGINSGITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKENUI_LIBRARY |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 904 | 3,064 |
| Directory activity | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 3 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 15 | 10 |
| Full listing | View Inspo | View Shadcn Ui MCP Server |
Tools & capabilities
Inspo tools 15
search_screensSearch the archive of real website screenshots. Returns screens with palette, fonts, components and image URLs.get_screenFetch the full record for one screen by slug - every viewport variant, palette, fonts, tech stack, designer credit.get_design_systemThe full DESIGN.md for one screen - real fonts, frequency-ranked palette, CSS variables, detected tech, colour roles, type ramp. Thin captured tokens are supplemented by a live fetch of the source; `live=false` skips that.find_similarA screen's nearest design neighbours - ranked by design-similarity embeddings where available, else by macrostructure / industry / style overlap. One result per site.compareCompare 2-4 captured sites across palette, typefaces, macrostructure, mode, style tags, type/spacing/radius scales and container width. Returns per-site breakdowns plus what they share - triangulates a house style from a few references.find_by_colorReal sites whose extracted palette sits near a hex colour (OKLAB distance, so 'close' means the same colour family, not just the same hue). Use when a brief names a brand colour.find_examples_for_macrostructureReal sites exemplifying one of the 19 named macrostructures. Call it at the macrostructure-pick step. Accepts slugs ('bento-grid') or display names ('Bento Grid').list_collectionsList every editor-curated issue. Use this for thematic browsing - e.g. all 'Editorial Layouts' or 'Dark Product Pages'.get_filtersEvery value the filters accept: styles, industries, macrostructures, modes, vibes, colors, page types, component types. Zero input. Call it when unsure - an out-of-vocabulary value errors.get_site_pagesA site's captured pages as an ordered flow (landing → pricing → features → ...) with titles, northstars and thumbnails - how a real product sequences its pages. No arguments returns the directory of flow-capable sites. Accepts a site or screen slug.find_componentsReal sites featuring a specific UI component (hero, pricing, features, cta, nav, footer, testimonial, logo-cloud, faq, stat), with a per-element crop where one exists. For copy-pasteable code use get_reference_jsx.get_collectionFetch one issue by slug, including the editor's blurb and ordered screen list.- +3 more on the listing page
Shadcn Ui MCP Server tools 10
get_componentGet the source code for a specific shadcn/ui v4 componentget_component_demoGet demo code illustrating how a shadcn/ui v4 component should be usedlist_componentsGet all available shadcn/ui v4 componentsget_component_metadataGet metadata for a specific shadcn/ui v4 componentget_directory_structureGet the directory structure of the shadcn-ui v4 repositoryget_blockGet source code for a specific shadcn/ui v4 block (e.g., calendar-01, dashboard-01)list_blocksGet all available shadcn/ui v4 blocks with categorizationapply_themeApply a TweakCN theme preset to the projectlist_themesList available tweakcn themesget_themeGet details of a specific tweakcn theme
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.
Inspo
{
"mcpServers": {
"inspo": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"inspo-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Shadcn Ui MCP Server
{
"mcpServers": {
"jpisnice-shadcn-ui-mcp-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@jpisnice/shadcn-ui-mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"MCP_TRANSPORT_MODE": "YOUR_MCP_TRANSPORT_MODE_HERE",
"MCP_PORT": "YOUR_MCP_PORT_HERE",
"MCP_HOST": "YOUR_MCP_HOST_HERE",
"MCP_CORS_ORIGINS": "YOUR_MCP_CORS_ORIGINS_HERE",
"GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "YOUR_GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN_HERE",
"UI_LIBRARY": "YOUR_UI_LIBRARY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Inspo is categorized under Developer Tools and uses a local stdio subprocess. Shadcn Ui MCP Server belongs to Developer Tools and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Inspo for developer tools work and Shadcn Ui MCP Server 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.
Inspo has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Shadcn Ui MCP Server is listed as free. 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 inspo and jpisnice-shadcn-ui-mcp-server as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Inspo has a quality signal of 69/100 (Great) with 1 views, 0 installs and 904 GitHub stars. Shadcn Ui MCP Server has 72/100 (Great) with 3 views, 0 installs and 3,064 GitHub stars.