1# shadcn MCP Server
2 
3The CLI includes an MCP server that lets AI assistants search, browse, view, and install components from registries.
4 
5---
6 
7## Setup
8 
9```bash
10shadcn mcp        # start the MCP server (stdio)
11shadcn mcp init   # write config for your editor
12```
13 
14Editor config files:
15 
16| Editor | Config file |
17|--------|------------|
18| Claude Code | `.mcp.json` |
19| Cursor | `.cursor/mcp.json` |
20| VS Code | `.vscode/mcp.json` |
21| OpenCode | `opencode.json` |
22| Codex | `~/.codex/config.toml` (manual) |
23 
24---
25 
26## Tools
27 
28> **Tip:** MCP tools handle registry operations (search, view, install). For project configuration (aliases, framework, Tailwind version), use `npx shadcn@latest info` — there is no MCP equivalent.
29 
30### `shadcn:get_project_registries`
31 
32Returns registry names from `components.json`. Errors if no `components.json` exists.
33 
34**Input:** none
35 
36### `shadcn:list_items_in_registries`
37 
38Lists all items from one or more registries.
39 
40**Input:** `registries` (string[]), `limit` (number, optional), `offset` (number, optional)
41 
42### `shadcn:search_items_in_registries`
43 
44Fuzzy search across registries.
45 
46**Input:** `registries` (string[]), `query` (string), `limit` (number, optional), `offset` (number, optional)
47 
48### `shadcn:view_items_in_registries`
49 
50View item details including full file contents.
51 
52**Input:** `items` (string[]) — e.g. `["@shadcn/button", "@shadcn/card"]`
53 
54### `shadcn:get_item_examples_from_registries`
55 
56Find usage examples and demos with source code.
57 
58**Input:** `registries` (string[]), `query` (string) — e.g. `"accordion-demo"`, `"button example"`
59 
60### `shadcn:get_add_command_for_items`
61 
62Returns the CLI install command.
63 
64**Input:** `items` (string[]) — e.g. `["@shadcn/button"]`
65 
66### `shadcn:get_audit_checklist`
67 
68Returns a checklist for verifying components (imports, deps, lint, TypeScript).
69 
70**Input:** none
71 
72---
73 
74## Configuring Registries
75 
76Registries are set in `components.json`. The `@shadcn` registry is always built-in.
77 
78```json
79{
80  "registries": {
81    "@acme": "https://acme.com/r/{name}.json",
82    "@private": {
83      "url": "https://private.com/r/{name}.json",
84      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer ${MY_TOKEN}" }
85    }
86  }
87}
88```
89 
90- Names must start with `@`.
91- URLs must contain `{name}`.
92- `${VAR}` references are resolved from environment variables.
93 
94Community registry index: `https://ui.shadcn.com/r/registries.json`
95