Sketch Context MCP

Sketch Context MCP bridges the gap between design and code by letting AI‑powered IDEs such as Cursor, Cline, or Windsurf read, interpret, and manipulate Sketch design files in real time. The server parses both local documents and files stored on Sketch Cloud, exposing the entire document structure—including symbols, layers, and assets—through a lightweight Model Context Protocol interface. Developers can query for specific components, retrieve raw file contents, or even create new design elements directly from natural language commands issued within the IDE. This tight coupling turns static design files into dynamic, context‑aware resources that can be referenced, updated, and versioned as part of the software development workflow.

At its core, the MCP server offers a set of intuitive tools: returns full or partial Sketch data; enumerates reusable symbols; reflects the user’s current selection in Sketch; and creation tools such as or allow the IDE to generate new design artifacts on the fly. By leveraging WebSocket and Server‑Sent Events (SSE) for bidirectional communication, the server keeps Sketch and the IDE in sync—any change made in one side is immediately visible in the other. This real‑time feedback loop eliminates the need for manual exports or version checks, reducing friction when iterating on UI designs.

The plugin component provides an interactive UI within Sketch that handles connection setup, authentication (via Sketch API keys for cloud files), and visual feedback on the status of the MCP link. Once connected, developers can issue commands from the IDE’s prompt or code editor and see results reflected instantly in Sketch, whether that’s pulling a component’s metadata for documentation or injecting new text layers into a prototype. This workflow is especially valuable in design‑first teams, where designers and developers often struggle to keep their tools aligned; Sketch Context MCP gives them a single source of truth that both parties can query and modify.

Real‑world use cases include generating component libraries for a design system, automatically creating placeholder content during rapid prototyping, or auditing a Sketch file to ensure all required assets are present before handoff. For teams that rely on AI assistants like Claude or GPT, the MCP server turns Sketch files into structured context that can be queried and manipulated through natural language, enabling sophisticated design‑to‑code pipelines without custom scripting. The combination of comprehensive parsing, live synchronization, and a rich set of creation tools makes Sketch Context MCP a standout solution for integrating high‑fidelity design assets directly into modern AI‑augmented development environments.