xmind-mcp

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that lets Claude read and write .xmind files. Use Claude to generate, edit, and analyze mind maps directly in XMind.

Features

• Read existing .xmind files as a structured JSON tree
• Create new mind maps from scratch
• Add, update, and delete nodes
• Supports basic node styles (background color, text color, branch color)
• Includes a Claude Code skill for guided mind map editing workflow

Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• Claude Code
• XMind (to view the generated files)

Installation

1. Install dependencies

pip install mcp

2. Register the MCP server

Add to ~/.mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "xmind-tools": {
      "command": "python3",
      "args": ["/path/to/xmind-mcp/server.py"]
    }
  }
}

3. (Optional) Install the skill

Copy skills/xmind-editor/ to your Claude Code skills directory:

cp -r skills/xmind-editor ~/.claude/skills/

Usage

Restart Claude Code after registration. Then ask Claude:

Help me create a mind map about AWS architecture, save to ~/Desktop/aws.xmind

Claude will plan the structure, confirm with you, then write the file. Open or reload the file in XMind to see the result.

Available Tools

Tool	Description
read_mindmap	Read an .xmind file as a JSON tree
write_mindmap	Write a full JSON tree to an .xmind file
add_node	Add a child node under a parent
update_node	Update a node's title or style
delete_node	Delete a node and its children

Node Format

{
  "id": "uuid",
  "title": "Node title",
  "style": {
    "bg": "#ffffff",
    "fg": "#000000",
    "branch": "#3498db"
  },
  "children": []
}

All style fields are optional. Colors are hex strings (#RRGGBB).

Colors

Field	Description	Example
bg	Node background color	#ff0000
fg	Text color	#ffffff
branch	Branch line color	#3498db
border_color	Border line color	#333333

Shape

Values sourced from official xmind-sdk-js and open source XMind implementations.

Field	Description	Values
shape	Node shape	roundedRect rect underline ellipserect

Branch and Border

Field	Description	Values
branch_style	Branch curve style	curve roundedElbow elbow straight arrowedCurve bight roundedfold
branch_pattern	Branch line pattern	solid dash handdrawn-dash none
border_color	Border line color	hex #RRGGBB
border_width	Border line width	"2pt" "0pt"
border_pattern	Border line pattern	solid dash handdrawn-dash none

Text

Field	Description	Example
bold	Bold	true
italic	Italic	true
strikethrough	Strikethrough	true
font_size	Font size	"14pt"

shape and branch_style values are prefixed automatically — use the short name only (e.g. "roundedRect", not "org.xmind.topicShape.roundedRect").

Example with styles

{
  "id": "root",
  "title": "My Project",
  "children": [
    {
      "id": "node-1",
      "title": "Critical",
      "style": {
        "bg": "#ff0000",
        "fg": "#ffffff",
        "branch": "#ff0000",
        "bold": true,
        "shape": "roundedRect"
      },
      "children": []
    },
    {
      "id": "node-2",
      "title": "Reference",
      "style": {
        "branch_pattern": "dash",
        "border_color": "#999999",
        "border_width": "1pt"
      },
      "children": []
    }
  ]
}

Development

pip install -e ".[dev]"
pytest tests/

License

MIT