Mermaid Live MCP Server

MCP server for generating [Mermaid](https://mermaid.js.org/) diagrams with live browser preview. Renders diagrams in real-time and supports SVG/PNG

Local serverstdio

What is the Mermaid Live MCP MCP server?

Most browser automation work still happens through a UI a human drives. Mermaid Live MCP MCP server moves it into the conversation instead. MCP server for generating Mermaid diagrams with live browser preview. Renders diagrams in real-time and supports SVG/PNG export.

The tools it exposes

The server publishes 6 tools. What each one is for:

  • generate_mermaid — Generate a diagram from Mermaid syntax and open a live preview in the browser
  • update_diagram — Replace a diagram's Mermaid syntax and re-render the live preview
  • list_diagrams — List all diagrams generated in the current session
  • export_diagram — Write a diagram's SVG to disk
  • Cursor — The Cursor tool exposed by this server
  • Windsurf — The Windsurf tool exposed by this server

Getting it running

The server ships on npm as mermaid-live-mcp, so your MCP client can launch it on demand — there is no separate build step. Add the server block to your client's configuration, restart it, and the tools register themselves.

How it compares

This sits in the browser automation group, where several servers overlap in what they claim to do but differ sharply once you actually set them up. Mermaid Live MCP's toolset — generate_mermaid, update_diagram, list_diagrams and 3 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by iishyfishyy; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

We check each listing at SyncDev against the project's documentation before it goes live — if something here drifts out of date, it is a bug worth reporting.

Things to watch

  • It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
  • Keep per-call confirmation enabled while you learn its behaviour; it is the cheapest safeguard you have.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
generate_mermaidGenerate a diagram from Mermaid syntax and open a live preview in the browser
update_diagramReplace a diagram's Mermaid syntax and re-render the live preview
list_diagramsList all diagrams generated in the current session
export_diagramWrite a diagram's SVG to disk
CursorThe Cursor tool exposed by this server.
WindsurfThe Windsurf tool exposed by this server.

How to install the Mermaid Live MCP MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mermaid": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mermaid-live-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.

Example prompts to try

  • Use Mermaid Live MCP to generate mermaid.
  • Use Mermaid Live MCP to update diagram.
  • Use Mermaid Live MCP to list diagrams.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Mermaid Live MCP to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 6 tools (generate_mermaid, update_diagram, list_diagrams, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Mermaid Live MCP directly.