How do I install KaiBoard MCP?

Copy the stdio config for Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or VS Code on this page. It uses the publisher's install, not a PlugMCP proxy.

Does KaiBoard MCP need an API key?

The publisher lists these environment variables: KAIBOARD_TOKEN.

What transport does KaiBoard MCP use?

KaiBoard MCP runs locally over stdio.

When was KaiBoard MCP last checked?

Last checked 2026-11-09. Let AI agents draw on your local-first KaiBoard whiteboards (relay or local folder).

KaiBoard MCP server

Power your agent

Add this server

The publisher's own command. Not a PlugMCP endpoint.

Add to Cursor Add to VS Code Run on PlugMCP

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

Local command

npx -y @kaibuddy/[email protected]

Credentials from the publisher

KAIBOARD_TOKEN — Relay token from KaiBoard's "Agent co-draw" panel. Required for --relay mode; not needed for --dir mode.

Claude Code has no install link for a local command. Copy the command below and run it in a terminal.

shClaude Code

1KAIBOARD_TOKEN=<secret> claude mcp add io.github.chasenkai-kaiboard-mcp -- npx -y @kaibuddy/kaiboard-mcp@0.4.2

Run in a terminal.

jsonClaude Desktop

1{2  "mcpServers": {3    "io.github.chasenkai-kaiboard-mcp": {4      "command": "npx",5      "args": [6        "-y",7        "@kaibuddy/[email protected]"8      ],9      "env": {10        "KAIBOARD_TOKEN": "<secret>"11      }12    }13  }14}

claude_desktop_config.json

Local · npmPublisher installStep-by-step: add this in Claude

Remote URL or a command on your machine? How the two installs differ

Run on PlugMCP

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

A new server you create. It is not this listing's official endpoint. Use the publisher install when you want their URL and their credentials.

Launch

Server facts

Local

Transport: stdio
Version: 0.4.2
API key

Tools

No tool list yet. Remote servers get one after the first health check.

FAQ

Questions

KaiBoard MCP Server

English | 简体中文 · Protocol · Changelog

Let MCP-capable AI agents draw on your own KaiBoard whiteboards.

KaiBoard is a free, open-source, local-first whiteboard: your boards live on your own device, never in the cloud. This repo is the bridge that lets an agent read and edit those boards — the agent runs wherever your MCP client runs, and the canvas stays on your machine.

It contains two independently usable packages:

Package	Role
`@kaibuddy/kaiboard-mcp`	MCP server (stdio JSON-RPC 2.0) exposing the `kbfs_*` tools
`@kaibuddy/kaiboard-core`	Storage-agnostic command core (executor, element model, snapshots, Mermaid conversion)

What it does

@kaibuddy/kaiboard-mcp is a single package that serves two combinable modes through the same set of kbfs_* tools:

	`--relay` mode (recommended)	`--dir` mode
Backend	A running KaiBoard page	A local folder you choose
App must be open?	Yes (with "Agent co-draw" enabled in the app)	No
Typical use	The agent works on the user's live board, changes visible immediately	A workspace the agent owns offline
Data location	The user's own KaiBoard library	`<folder>/kaiboard-data/`

Both can be enabled at once:

kaiboard-mcp --relay --dir /path/to/workspace

Install

npm install -g @kaibuddy/kaiboard-mcp
# or run without installing
npx -y @kaibuddy/kaiboard-mcp

Requires Node.js >= 18.

Connect your MCP client

Recommended: --relay mode — drives the board you're looking at, with changes visible immediately. It needs a relay token, obtained from KaiBoard's "Agent co-draw" panel:

{
  "kaiboard": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y", "@kaibuddy/kaiboard-mcp", "--relay"],
    "env": { "KAIBOARD_TOKEN": "<your-token>" }
  }
}

--relay starts a built-in local relay on 127.0.0.1:8787 that talks to the KaiBoard page. The relay and the page must therefore be on the same machine, and the page has to stay open while the agent works.

--dir mode can also be used on its own (no app required — the agent works in a local folder):

{
  "kaiboard-mcp": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y", "@kaibuddy/kaiboard-mcp", "--dir", "/path/to/your/workspace"]
  }
}

Or combine them: "args": ["-y", "@kaibuddy/kaiboard-mcp", "--relay", "--dir", "/path/to/your/workspace"]

Restart your MCP client after changing the config so it picks up the new server.

Tools

tools/list returns 20 tools: 19 commands plus one capability declaration. ⚠️ marks a destructiveHint tool (may make hard-to-undo changes); the tools in the read-only group are readOnlyHint: true.

Tool	Purpose
Discovery — read-only
`kbfs_list_capabilities`	Runtime capabilities: available commands, storage modes, snapshot limit, server info
`kbfs_list_boards`	List boards and folders
`kbfs_list_trash`	List soft-deleted boards / folders (trash)
`kbfs_get_board`	Read a board's elements
`kbfs_get_screenshot`	Render a board to PNG so the agent can look at it (`--relay`; degrades gracefully under `--dir`)
Boards
`kbfs_create_board`	Create a board
`kbfs_replace_board` ⚠️	Replace a board's contents (auto-snapshot)
`kbfs_rename_board`	Rename a board
`kbfs_delete_board` ⚠️	Delete a board (soft delete, restorable in the app)
Folders
`kbfs_create_folder`	Create a folder
`kbfs_rename_folder`	Rename a folder
`kbfs_delete_folder` ⚠️	Delete a folder
Tree
`kbfs_move_node`	Move a board or folder into another folder
`kbfs_reorder_node`	Change ordering within a folder
`kbfs_restore_node`	Restore a board or folder from the trash
Elements
`kbfs_add_element`	Add elements
`kbfs_patch_element`	Patch element properties by id
`kbfs_delete_element` ⚠️	Delete elements by id
Content & metadata

CLI details, envelope format and error codes: see docs/PROTOCOL.md.

Elements and fill colors

Elements use the Excalidraw element format. fill is accepted as a shorthand for backgroundColor, and stroke for strokeColor:

{
  "type": "rectangle",
  "id": "r1",
  "x": 40, "y": 40, "width": 160, "height": 90,
  "fill": "#ffec99",
  "stroke": "#e8590c"
}

Data and privacy

Board data is never uploaded to any server. In --relay mode the relay listens on 127.0.0.1 only, for same-machine communication; in --dir mode the server reads and writes the local folder you specify.
No account, no sign-in.
On-disk layout (--dir mode): kaiboard-data/boards/<id>.json plus kaiboard-data/tree.json — a format KaiBoard can open directly.

Development

npm install
npm run typecheck   # type check
npm run build       # build both packages into their dist/
npm run e2e         # end-to-end (core + fs adapter / real stdio server)
npm run smoke       # real MCP client smoke test (initialize -> tools/call)

Third-party notices

Third-party components are referenced as optional peer dependencies (the license text ships inside each package):

Component	License	Role
`@excalidraw/excalidraw`	MIT	element types / canvas rendering (provided by the host)
`@excalidraw/mermaid-to-excalidraw`	MIT	Mermaid → element conversion (optional)

Build-time only: typescript (Apache-2.0), @types/node (MIT).

No upstream source code is vendored — every component is used as an ordinary npm dependency.

Versioning

Currently 0.4.x — the API may still change between minor versions. 1.0.0 will mark the stability commitment. See CHANGELOG.md for the current release.

License

MIT

Add this server

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

Server facts

Tools

Questions

How do I install KaiBoard MCP?

Does KaiBoard MCP need an API key?

What transport does KaiBoard MCP use?

When was KaiBoard MCP last checked?

Documentation

KaiBoard MCP Server

What it does

Install

Connect your MCP client

Tools

Elements and fill colors

Data and privacy

Development

Third-party notices

Versioning

License