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

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Usage

Start the MCP server: 
npx shadcn@latest mcp
Initialize MCP for a specific client: 
npx shadcn@latest mcp init --client <client-name>

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Options

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--client
string
The MCP client to configure. Available options:
  • claude - Claude Code
  • cursor - Cursor
  • vscode - VS Code
  • codex - Codex
  • opencode - OpenCode
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-c, --cwd
string
The working directory. Defaults to the current directory.

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Examples

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Start MCP server

npx shadcn@latest mcp
This command starts the MCP server that AI assistants can connect to for browsing and installing components.

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Initialize for Claude Code

npx shadcn@latest mcp init --client claude
Creates .mcp.json with configuration for Claude Code.

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Initialize for Cursor

npx shadcn@latest mcp init --client cursor
Creates .cursor/mcp.json with configuration for Cursor.

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Initialize for VS Code

npx shadcn@latest mcp init --client vscode
Creates .vscode/mcp.json with configuration for VS Code with GitHub Copilot.

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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

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Configuration

The MCP server reads registry configuration from components.json:
components.json
{
  "registries": {
    "@acme": "https://acme.com/r/{name}.json"
  }
}

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