Composer
About
🔌MCP server that gives AI coding agents a visual architecture canvas
Details
- Author
- OliverGrabner
- GitHub stars
- 4
- Downloads
- 402
- Categories
- Developer Tools, Other, Infrastructure, Database, AI
Jump to
- Create and modify interactive architecture diagrams from your IDE.
- Supports multiple node types: client, frontend, backend, database, cache, queue, storage, external.
- Supports edge protocols: REST, gRPC, GraphQL, WebSocket, TCP, UDP, async, event, internal.
- Real-time sync via WebSocket – changes appear instantly on the Composer canvas.
- Verify diagrams for missing endpoints, orphaned nodes, and other issues.
- Link nodes to files or folders in your codebase.
Setting up with Highlight
This MCP is not yet compatible with Highlight’s one-click setup. However, you can still use it with Highlight by following these steps:
- Download and install Highlight from highlightai.com/download
- Navigate to the plugins tab and select "Add Custom Plugin"
-
Configure the plugin with the settings below
Plugin Name
ComposerCommand (node, npx, python, etc.)Please refer to the README for specific instructions on how to obtain API keys or other required environment variables.
- Enable "Start Automatically" if you want the plugin to start when Highlight launches
From the repository
Connect your IDE by adding an MCP server using HTTP transport to https://mcp.usecomposer.com. For example, in Claude Code run claude mcp add --transport http composer https://mcp.usecomposer.com. Your browser will open for OAuth authorization on first use. Then use tools like create_diagram, upsert_node, upsert_edge, etc., via your AI coding agent.
Claude Desktop / Cursor
Paste into your MCP client config file to install this server.
{
"mcpServers": {
"composer": {
"composer": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://mcp.usecomposer.com"
}
}
}
}
McpServers
{
"composer": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://mcp.usecomposer.com"
}
}
<p align="center">

</p>
<p align="center">
<strong>Composer MCP Server</strong>
</p>
<p align="center">
Give your AI coding agent an architecture canvas.<br/>
Design, visualize, and evolve software architecture diagrams - right from your IDE.
</p>
<p align="center">
<a href="https://www.npmjs.com/package/@usecomposer/mcp"></a>
<a href="https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT"></a>
<a href="https://modelcontextprotocol.io"></a>
</p>
---
Composer is a visual system design tool that lets AI coding agents create and modify interactive architecture diagrams through MCP (Model Context Protocol). Your agent gets tools to add services, databases, queues, and connections, and you get a live canvas at usecomposer.com that updates in real-time.
Your IDE <--> MCP Server (this package) <--> Composer API <--> Your Diagram
Getting Started
Connect your IDE
Claude Code:
claude mcp add --transport http composer https://mcp.usecomposer.com
Cursor — create .cursor/mcp.json in your project root:
{
"mcpServers": {
"composer": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://mcp.usecomposer.com"
}
}
}
Your browser will open for authorization on first use.
<details>
<summary><strong>Claude Code</strong></summary>
claude mcp add --transport http composer https://mcp.usecomposer.com
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>Cursor</strong></summary>
Create .cursor/mcp.json in your project root:
{
"mcpServers": {
"composer": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://mcp.usecomposer.com"
}
}
}
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>Codex</strong></summary>
codex mcp add composer -- npx -y @usecomposer/mcp --stdio
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>VS Code (Copilot Chat)</strong></summary>
Create .vscode/mcp.json in your project root:
{
"servers": {
"composer": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://mcp.usecomposer.com"
}
}
}
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>VS Code (Cline)</strong></summary>
Open Cline sidebar > Settings (gear icon) > MCP Servers > Add Remote Server:
{
"mcpServers": {
"composer": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://mcp.usecomposer.com"
}
}
}
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>VS Code (Continue)</strong></summary>
Add to .continue/config.yaml:
mcpServers:
- name: composer
url: https://mcp.usecomposer.com
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>Windsurf</strong></summary>
Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"composer": {
"serverUrl": "https://mcp.usecomposer.com"
}
}
}
> Note: Windsurf uses "serverUrl" instead of "url".
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>OpenCode</strong></summary>
Create opencode.json in your project root:
{
"mcp": {
"composer": {
"type": "remote",
"url": "https://mcp.usecomposer.com"
}
}
}
</details>
Tools
Diagram Management
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| list_diagrams | List all your diagrams. Call this first to find which diagram to work on |
| create_diagram | Create a new diagram and auto-select it for this session |
| select_diagram | Select which diagram to work on for this session |
| rename_diagram | Rename the currently selected diagram |
> Note: Call list_diagrams then select_diagram (or create_diagram) before using other tools.
Read
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| get_graph | Get the full architecture diagram - all nodes and edges |
| get_node | Get details for a single node including connected edges |
| search_graph | Search nodes and edges by keyword |
| get_screenshot | Get a PNG thumbnail of the diagram from the last auto-save |
Write
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| upsert_node | Create or update a node (service, database, queue, etc.) |
| upsert_edge | Create or update a connection between two nodes |
| define_api | Define API endpoints on a backend service node |
| delete_element | Delete a node or edge from the diagram |
| link_path | Link a node to a file or folder in your codebase |
Plan & Verify
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| verify_diagram | Check for issues like missing endpoints or orphaned nodes |
| plan_import | Step-by-step workflow for importing an existing codebase |
| get_guide | Reference guide for node types, protocols, and best practices |
Node Types
client · frontend · backend · database · cache · queue · storage · external
Edge Protocols
REST · gRPC · GraphQL · WebSocket · TCP · UDP · async · event · internal
Example Prompts
Once connected, try asking your AI agent:
| Prompt | What it does |
|--------|-------------|
| "Import this codebase into Composer" | Scans your repo and builds the architecture diagram |
| "Create a new Composer diagram called Backend Architecture" | Creates and auto-selects a new diagram |
| "Add a Redis cache between the API and the database in Composer" | Adds a new node and edges to the diagram |
| "Add analytics monitoring to the Composer diagram" | Adds observability nodes and connections |
| "Update the APIs I defined in Composer" | Refreshes endpoint definitions on backend nodes |
| "Verify my Composer diagram" | Checks for missing endpoints, orphaned nodes, etc. |
| "Link each Composer node to its source code" | Associates diagram nodes with file paths |
How It Works
Authentication is handled via OAuth 2.1 — your browser opens for a one-time consent flow, and you're connected. Tool calls are proxied to the Composer API at mcp.usecomposer.com. Your diagram data lives on Composer's servers. The MCP server itself is stateless.
Changes made through MCP are immediately visible on the Composer canvas via real-time WebSocket sync.
Development
git clone https://github.com/olivergrabner/composer-mcp
cd composer-mcp
npm install
npm run dev # Watch mode (rebuilds on change)
npm run build # Production build
Links
- Composer - the visual architecture canvas
- MCP Protocol - Model Context Protocol spec
- Issues - bug reports and feature requests
License
MIT
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