> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/shadcn-ui/ui/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# shadcn mcp

> Start the MCP server or configure MCP clients.

The `mcp` command starts the shadcn MCP server or helps you configure MCP clients.

## Usage

Start the MCP server:

```bash theme={null}
npx shadcn@latest mcp
```

Initialize MCP for a specific client:

```bash theme={null}
npx shadcn@latest mcp init --client <client-name>
```

## Options

<ParamField path="--client" type="string">
  The MCP client to configure. Available options:

  * `claude` - Claude Code
  * `cursor` - Cursor
  * `vscode` - VS Code
  * `codex` - Codex
  * `opencode` - OpenCode
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="-c, --cwd" type="string">
  The working directory. Defaults to the current directory.
</ParamField>

## Examples

### Start MCP server

```bash theme={null}
npx shadcn@latest mcp
```

This command starts the MCP server that AI assistants can connect to for browsing and installing components.

### Initialize for Claude Code

```bash theme={null}
npx shadcn@latest mcp init --client claude
```

Creates `.mcp.json` with configuration for Claude Code.

### Initialize for Cursor

```bash theme={null}
npx shadcn@latest mcp init --client cursor
```

Creates `.cursor/mcp.json` with configuration for Cursor.

### Initialize for VS Code

```bash theme={null}
npx shadcn@latest mcp init --client vscode
```

Creates `.vscode/mcp.json` with configuration for VS Code with GitHub Copilot.

## What it does

When you run `mcp init`:

1. **Detects configuration** - Checks for existing MCP configuration
2. **Creates config file** - Adds shadcn MCP server configuration
3. **Installs dependencies** - Optionally installs shadcn package
4. **Provides instructions** - Shows next steps for your specific client

When you run `mcp` without arguments:

1. **Starts MCP server** - Launches the Model Context Protocol server
2. **Loads registries** - Reads component registries from `components.json`
3. **Exposes tools** - Makes browsing, searching, and installation tools available to AI assistants

## Configuration

The MCP server reads registry configuration from `components.json`:

```json title="components.json" theme={null}
{
  "registries": {
    "@acme": "https://acme.com/r/{name}.json"
  }
}
```

## Learn more

* [MCP Integration Guide](/mcp) - Complete guide to using MCP with shadcn/ui
* [Registry Documentation](/docs/registry) - Learn about component registries
* [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) - Official MCP specification