ai-mldeveloper-tools

Penpot

montevive

by montevive

Integrate Penpot with electronic design automation software for browsing, retrieving, and exporting UI designs easily us

Integrates with Penpot's API to enable project browsing, file retrieval, object searching, and visual component export with automatic screenshot generation for converting UI designs into functional code.

github stars

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Both formats append explainx.ai attribution and the canonical URL for this MCP server listing.

Works with open-source Penpot platformAutomatic screenshot generationNatural language design search

best for

  • / UI/UX designers wanting AI feedback on designs
  • / Frontend developers converting designs to code
  • / Design teams managing component libraries
  • / Automating design workflow processes

capabilities

  • / Browse Penpot projects and design files
  • / Search for specific design objects and components
  • / Export visual components with automatic screenshots
  • / Analyze UI/UX designs with AI feedback
  • / Convert design elements into functional code
  • / Document design systems automatically

what it does

Connects AI assistants like Claude to Penpot design files, enabling automated analysis of UI/UX designs and conversion of visual components into functional code.

about

Penpot is a community-built MCP server published by montevive that provides AI assistants with tools and capabilities via the Model Context Protocol. Integrate Penpot with electronic design automation software for browsing, retrieving, and exporting UI designs easily us It is categorized under ai ml, developer tools.

how to install

You can install Penpot in your AI client of choice. Use the install panel on this page to get one-click setup for Cursor, Claude Desktop, VS Code, and other MCP-compatible clients. This server runs locally on your machine via the stdio transport.

license

MIT

Penpot is released under the MIT license. This is a permissive open-source license, meaning you can freely use, modify, and distribute the software.

readme

Penpot MCP Server 🎨🤖

<p align="center"> <img src="images/penpot-mcp.png" alt="Penpot MCP Logo" width="400"/> </p> <p align="center"> <strong>AI-Powered Design Workflow Automation</strong><br> Connect Claude AI and other LLMs to Penpot designs via Model Context Protocol </p> <p align="center"> <a href="https://github.com/montevive/penpot-mcp/blob/main/LICENSE"> <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-blue.svg" alt="License: MIT"> </a> <a href="https://www.python.org/downloads/"> <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/python-3.12%2B-blue" alt="Python Version"> </a> <a href="https://pypi.org/project/penpot-mcp/"> <img src="https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/penpot-mcp" alt="PyPI version"> </a> <a href="https://github.com/montevive/penpot-mcp/actions"> <img src="https://img.shields.io/github/workflow/status/montevive/penpot-mcp/CI" alt="Build Status"> </a> </p>

🚀 What is Penpot MCP?

Penpot MCP is a revolutionary Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that bridges the gap between AI language models and Penpot, the open-source design and prototyping platform. This integration enables AI assistants like Claude (in both Claude Desktop and Cursor IDE) to understand, analyze, and interact with your design files programmatically.

🎯 Key Benefits

  • 🤖 AI-Native Design Analysis: Let Claude AI analyze your UI/UX designs, provide feedback, and suggest improvements
  • ⚡ Automated Design Workflows: Streamline repetitive design tasks with AI-powered automation
  • 🔍 Intelligent Design Search: Find design components and patterns across your projects using natural language
  • 📊 Design System Management: Automatically document and maintain design systems with AI assistance
  • 🎨 Cross-Platform Integration: Works with any MCP-compatible AI assistant (Claude Desktop, Cursor IDE, etc.)

🎥 Demo Video

Check out our demo video to see Penpot MCP in action:

Penpot MCP Demo

✨ Features

🔌 Core Capabilities

  • MCP Protocol Implementation: Full compliance with Model Context Protocol standards
  • Real-time Design Access: Direct integration with Penpot's API for live design data
  • Component Analysis: AI-powered analysis of design components and layouts
  • Export Automation: Programmatic export of design assets in multiple formats
  • Design Validation: Automated design system compliance checking

🛠️ Developer Tools

  • Command-line Utilities: Powerful CLI tools for design file analysis and validation
  • Python SDK: Comprehensive Python library for custom integrations
  • REST API: HTTP endpoints for web application integration
  • Extensible Architecture: Plugin system for custom AI workflows

🎨 AI Integration Features

  • Claude Desktop & Cursor Integration: Native support for Claude AI assistant in both Claude Desktop and Cursor IDE
  • Design Context Sharing: Provide design context to AI models for better responses
  • Visual Component Recognition: AI can "see" and understand design components
  • Natural Language Queries: Ask questions about your designs in plain English
  • IDE Integration: Seamless integration with modern development environments

💡 Use Cases

For Designers

  • Design Review Automation: Get instant AI feedback on accessibility, usability, and design principles
  • Component Documentation: Automatically generate documentation for design systems
  • Design Consistency Checks: Ensure brand guidelines compliance across projects
  • Asset Organization: AI-powered tagging and categorization of design components

For Developers

  • Design-to-Code Workflows: Bridge the gap between design and development with AI assistance
  • API Integration: Programmatic access to design data for custom tools and workflows
  • Automated Testing: Generate visual regression tests from design specifications
  • Design System Sync: Keep design tokens and code components in sync

For Product Teams

  • Design Analytics: Track design system adoption and component usage
  • Collaboration Enhancement: AI-powered design reviews and feedback collection
  • Workflow Optimization: Automate repetitive design operations and approvals
  • Cross-tool Integration: Connect Penpot with other tools in your design workflow

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.12+ (Latest Python recommended for optimal performance)
  • Penpot Account (Sign up free)
  • Claude Desktop or Cursor IDE (Optional, for AI integration)

Installation

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.12+
  • Penpot account credentials

Installation

Option 1: Install from PyPI

pip install penpot-mcp

Option 2: Using uv (recommended for modern Python development)

# Install directly with uvx (when published to PyPI)
uvx penpot-mcp

# For local development, use uvx with local path
uvx --from . penpot-mcp

# Or install in a project with uv
uv add penpot-mcp

Option 3: Install from source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/montevive/penpot-mcp.git
cd penpot-mcp

# Using uv (recommended)
uv sync
uv run penpot-mcp

# Or using traditional pip
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -e .

Configuration

Create a .env file based on env.example with your Penpot credentials:

PENPOT_API_URL=https://design.penpot.app/api
PENPOT_USERNAME=your_penpot_username
PENPOT_PASSWORD=your_penpot_password
PORT=5000
DEBUG=true

⚠️ CloudFlare Protection Notice: The Penpot cloud site (penpot.app) uses CloudFlare protection that may occasionally block API requests. If you encounter authentication errors or blocked requests:

  1. Open your web browser and navigate to https://design.penpot.app
  2. Log in to your Penpot account
  3. Complete any CloudFlare human verification challenges if prompted
  4. Once verified, the API requests should work normally for a period of time

Usage

Running the MCP Server

# Using uvx (when published to PyPI)
uvx penpot-mcp

# Using uvx for local development
uvx --from . penpot-mcp

# Using uv in a project (recommended for local development)
uv run penpot-mcp

# Using the entry point (if installed)
penpot-mcp

# Or using the module directly
python -m penpot_mcp.server.mcp_server

Debugging the MCP Server

To debug the MCP server, you can:

  1. Enable debug mode in your .env file by setting DEBUG=true
  2. Use the Penpot API CLI for testing API operations:
# Test API connection with debug output
python -m penpot_mcp.api.penpot_api --debug list-projects

# Get details for a specific project
python -m penpot_mcp.api.penpot_api --debug get-project --id YOUR_PROJECT_ID

# List files in a project
python -m penpot_mcp.api.penpot_api --debug list-files --project-id YOUR_PROJECT_ID

# Get file details
python -m penpot_mcp.api.penpot_api --debug get-file --file-id YOUR_FILE_ID

Command-line Tools

The package includes utility command-line tools:

# Generate a tree visualization of a Penpot file
penpot-tree path/to/penpot_file.json

# Validate a Penpot file against the schema
penpot-validate path/to/penpot_file.json

MCP Monitoring & Testing

MCP CLI Monitor

# Start your MCP server in one terminal
python -m penpot_mcp.server.mcp_server

# In another terminal, use mcp-cli to monitor and interact with your server
python -m mcp.cli monitor python -m penpot_mcp.server.mcp_server

# Or connect to an already running server on a specific port
python -m mcp.cli monitor --port 5000

MCP Inspector

# Start your MCP server in one terminal
python -m penpot_mcp.server.mcp_server

# In another terminal, run the MCP Inspector (requires Node.js)
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector

Using the Client

# Run the example client
penpot-client

MCP Resources & Tools

Resources

  • server://info - Server status and information
  • penpot://schema - Penpot API schema as JSON
  • penpot://tree-schema - Penpot object tree schema as JSON
  • rendered-component://{component_id} - Rendered component images
  • penpot://cached-files - List of cached Penpot files

Tools

  • list_projects - List all Penpot projects
  • get_project_files - Get files for a specific project
  • get_file - Retrieve a Penpot file by its ID and cache it
  • export_object - Export a Penpot object as an image
  • get_object_tree - Get the object tree structure for a Penpot object
  • search_object - Search for objects within a Penpot file by name

AI Integration

The Penpot MCP server can be integrated with AI assistants using the Model Context Protocol. It supports both Claude Desktop and Cursor IDE for seamless design workflow automation.

Claude Desktop Integration

For detailed Claude Desktop setup instructions, see CLAUDE_INTEGRATION.md.

Add the following configuration to your Claude Desktop config file (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json on Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "penpot": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["penpot-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "PENPOT_API_URL": "https://design.penpot.app/api",
        "PENPOT_USERNAME": "your_penpot_username",
        "PENPOT_PASSWORD": "your_penpot_password"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor IDE Integration

Cursor IDE supports MCP servers through its AI integration features. To configure Penpot MCP with Cursor:

  1. Install the MCP server (if not already installed):

    pip install penpot-mcp
    
  2. Configure Cursor settings by adding the MCP server to your Cursor configuration. Open Cursor settings and add:

    {
    
    

FAQ

What is the Penpot MCP server?
Penpot is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server profile on explainx.ai. MCP lets AI hosts (e.g. Claude Desktop, Cursor) call tools and resources through a standard interface; this page summarizes categories, install hints, and community ratings.
How do MCP servers relate to agent skills?
Skills are reusable instruction packages (often SKILL.md); MCP servers expose live capabilities. Teams frequently combine both—skills for workflows, MCP for APIs and data. See explainx.ai/skills and explainx.ai/mcp-servers for parallel directories.
How are reviews shown for Penpot?
This profile displays 74 aggregated ratings (sample rows for discoverability plus signed-in user reviews). Average score is about 4.6 out of 5—verify behavior in your own environment before production use.

Use Cases

Extended AI Capabilities

Add new capabilities to Claude beyond text generation

Example

Access external data sources, execute code, interact with tools and services

Transform Claude from chatbot to action-taking agent

Context Enhancement

Provide Claude with access to relevant context and data

Example

Load project documentation, access knowledge bases, query databases

Get more accurate, context-aware responses

Workflow Automation

Automate multi-step workflows combining AI and external tools

Example

Research → Summarize → Create document → Send notification

Complete complex tasks end-to-end without manual steps

Implementation Guide

Prerequisites

  • Claude Desktop 0.7.0+ or Cursor IDE with MCP support
  • Basic understanding of MCP architecture and capabilities
  • Access credentials for integrated services (if required)
  • Willingness to experiment and iterate on configuration

Time Estimate

15-60 minutes depending on server complexity

Installation Steps

  1. 1.Install MCP server: npm install -g [package-name] or via GitHub
  2. 2.Add server configuration to ~/.claude/mcp.json
  3. 3.Provide required credentials and configuration
  4. 4.Restart Claude Desktop to load new server
  5. 5.Test basic functionality with simple prompts
  6. 6.Explore capabilities and experiment with use cases
  7. 7.Document successful patterns for reuse

Troubleshooting

  • MCP server not loading: Check config syntax, verify installation
  • Connection errors: Check network, firewall, credentials
  • Feature not working: Read server docs, check required parameters
  • Performance issues: Monitor resource usage, check for network latency
  • Conflicts with other servers: Check port assignments, namespace collisions

Best Practices

✓ Do

  • +Read server documentation thoroughly before setup
  • +Start with simple use cases to validate functionality
  • +Test in non-production environment first
  • +Monitor resource usage and performance
  • +Keep servers updated for bug fixes and new features
  • +Document configuration for team members
  • +Use environment variables for sensitive configuration

✗ Don't

  • Don't grant overly permissive access to MCP servers
  • Don't skip reading security considerations in docs
  • Don't expose sensitive data without proper controls
  • Don't run untrusted MCP servers without code review
  • Don't ignore error messages—investigate root cause

💡 Pro Tips

  • Combine multiple MCP servers for powerful workflows
  • Create custom MCP servers for your specific needs
  • Share successful configurations with team
  • Use MCP inspector for debugging
  • Join MCP community for tips and troubleshooting

Technical Details

Architecture

Model Context Protocol standardizes how AI hosts (Claude, Cursor) communicate with external tools and data sources through server implementations.

Protocols

  • Model Context Protocol (MCP)
  • JSON-RPC 2.0
  • stdio or HTTP transport

Compatibility

  • Claude Desktop
  • Cursor IDE
  • Custom MCP clients

When to Use This

✓ Use When

Use when you need Claude to access external data, execute actions, or integrate with tools. Best for extending AI capabilities beyond conversation.

✗ Avoid When

Avoid when native integrations exist (use official APIs directly), for real-time critical systems, or when security/compliance requires zero external dependencies.

Integration

  • Tool composition: Chain multiple MCP tools in workflows
  • Context augmentation: Provide AI with relevant external data
  • Action delegation: Let AI execute tasks on external systems
  • Bidirectional sync: Keep AI context and external systems in sync

Discussion

Product Hunt–style comments (not star reviews)
  • No comments yet — start the thread.

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Ratings

4.674 reviews
  • Amina Khan· Dec 28, 2024

    I recommend Penpot for teams standardizing on MCP; the explainx.ai page compares cleanly with sibling servers.

  • Harper Lopez· Dec 24, 2024

    I recommend Penpot for teams standardizing on MCP; the explainx.ai page compares cleanly with sibling servers.

  • Liam Reddy· Dec 16, 2024

    Penpot reduced integration guesswork — categories and install configs on the listing matched the upstream repo.

  • Anika Liu· Dec 12, 2024

    Strong directory entry: Penpot surfaces stars and publisher context so we could sanity-check maintenance before adopting.

  • Michael Diallo· Dec 12, 2024

    Useful MCP listing: Penpot is the kind of server we cite when onboarding engineers to host + tool permissions.

  • Amina Huang· Dec 8, 2024

    According to our notes, Penpot benefits from clear Model Context Protocol framing — fewer ambiguous “AI plugin” claims.

  • Liam Gill· Dec 4, 2024

    We evaluated Penpot against two servers with overlapping tools; this profile had the clearer scope statement.

  • Michael Lopez· Nov 27, 2024

    We wired Penpot into a staging workspace; the listing’s GitHub and npm pointers saved time versus hunting across READMEs.

  • Emma White· Nov 23, 2024

    Useful MCP listing: Penpot is the kind of server we cite when onboarding engineers to host + tool permissions.

  • Zaid Shah· Nov 7, 2024

    Penpot is among the better-indexed MCP projects we tried; the explainx.ai summary tracks the official description.

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