Next AI Draw IO vs Rive MCP
A side-by-side look at the Next AI Draw IO and Rive MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Next AI Draw IO for developer tools work as a local process; choose Rive MCP 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 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.
Choose Rive MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
riv_list, riv_inspect, riv_render_frame.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools | Developer Tools |
| Quality signal | 72/100 · Great | 65/100 · Great |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | API key required | Not declared |
| Pricing | BYOK (pay the provider) | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 36,391 | 22 |
| Directory activity | 3 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 16 | 32 |
| Full listing | View Next AI Draw IO | View Rive MCP |
Tools & capabilities
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
Rive MCP tools 32
riv_listRecursively find .riv files under a directory and report size and format version for each.riv_inspectExtract full metadata from a .riv file: artboards, animations (duration/fps/loop), state machines and their inputs (name/type/initial value). Uses the official Rive runtime. Also decodes Data Binding (ViewModel) structure when present — ViewModel definitions and their properties, ViewModelInstances with resolved property values (including enum/nested-viewmodel/list references), enums, converters, and DataBind wiring (which target object/property each bind writes to) — via direct binary parsing (returned as `dataBinding`, omitted when the file has none).riv_render_frameRender one frame of a .riv animation or state machine to PNG. Returns the image inline and saves it to disk.riv_render_gifRender a .riv animation (or state machine idle playback) to an animated GIF file for preview.riv_render_apngRender a .riv animation (or state machine playback) to an animated PNG (APNG). Unlike GIF this supports 24-bit color plus full alpha transparency, and GitHub READMEs animate it like a regular image. Frames are rendered with a transparent background by default.riv_play_state_machineRun a .riv state machine step by step: set/fire inputs, advance time, observe state transitions, and optionally capture frames. Returns a transition report.riv_generate_codeGenerate ready-to-use integration code (React/Vue/Svelte/plain JS/Flutter) for a .riv file, using its real artboard, state machine and input names.riv_dumpLow-level dump of a .riv file's object stream (typeKeys, property values, hierarchy). Useful for debugging and format research. Large files return a summary unless full=true.riv_lintStatic diagnostic pass over a .riv file: broken/out-of-range references, oversized embedded assets, state-machine states unreachable by any transition, unconditional self-transitions (infinite-loop risk), unused state-machine inputs, keyframe easing silently discarded on a track's last keyframe, plus motion-quality rules (all-linear robotic movement, teleporting objects, missing stagger on simultaneous fade-ins, one-sided scale animation). Complements riv_dump (which shows raw structure but doesn't judge it).riv_design_tokensDeterministically generate professional design tokens for a scene BEFORE calling riv_create: an OKLCH-harmonized palette (with WCAG contrast ratios), gradient pairs, Material-Motion-derived durations & easing roles, spacing/radius/stroke scales and a type scale. Call this first, then use ONLY the returned values in the scene spec — never invent raw hex colors or ad-hoc durations. Inputs: optional seed color, mood (calm|playful|elegant|tech|warm|natural), scheme (dark|light).riv_critiqueOne-call review bundle for the render→critique→revise loop. Returns (1) a FILMSTRIP image — N frames left→right across the duration, so motion is readable as a sequence, (2) an ONION-SKIN image — all frames ghost-overlaid so every mover leaves a visible trail (use it to check trajectories and travel direction vs the artwork's facing), (3) a MOTION REPORT — net displacement/rotation vector per animated object computed from the file data, (4) objective design metrics + lint findings, and (5) a fixed 7-axis scoring checklist (incl. spatial/directional coherence). LOOK at the images, score each axis 1-5, fix anything below 4 (riv_edit / regenerate), then re-run. Iterate at least twice before delivering any non-trivial scene.riv_import_svgConvert an SVG file (Figma/Illustrator export, icon, illustration) into Rive bezier path shapes — the professional way to get high-quality artwork instead of drawing with primitives. Writes a scene-fragment JSON (shapes with full cubic vertices, gradients, strokes) and returns a rendered preview. Use the fragment in riv_create via "imports". Supports path/rect/circle/ellipse/polygon/polyline/line, nested transforms, style attrs, linear/radial gradients. Not imported: <text> (use texts[] with a font), <image>, filters, masks.- +20 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.
Next AI Draw IO
{
"mcpServers": {
"next-ai-draw-io": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@next-ai-drawio/mcp-server@latest"
]
}
}
}
Rive MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"rive-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"rive-mcp-server"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Next AI Draw IO is categorized under Developer Tools and uses a local stdio subprocess. Rive MCP belongs to Developer Tools and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Next AI Draw IO for developer tools work and Rive MCP 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.
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. Rive 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 next-ai-draw-io and rive-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Next AI Draw IO has a quality signal of 72/100 (Great) with 3 views, 0 installs and 36,391 GitHub stars. Rive MCP has 65/100 (Great) with 1 views, 0 installs and 22 GitHub stars.