Workflows
There are four primary ways to use the Magic Patterns MCP tools.Prompt-based
Delegate creative work to Magic Patterns’ AI. Send a natural language prompt
and let the AI generate or update code.
Code-first
Write code directly into artifacts. Create a working branch, edit files, and
publish when done.
Design-system authoring
Build a reusable design system by writing components, styling, and rules
directly, then publish versioned releases.
Inspiration concepts
Publish a shareable set of side-by-side design concepts, then fill in or
revise each concept’s content as you explore directions.
Workflow A — Prompt-based
Starting from scratch:Workflow B — Code-first
Workflow C — Design-system authoring
Author a reusable design system (components, styling, and rules) by writing files directly. You write the code here — Magic Patterns does not generate it for you. Load thedesign_system_authoring_guide prompt first for the full file contract.
Workflow D — Inspiration concepts
Publish a shareablemagicpatterns.com/inspiration/<id> link that renders 4
design concepts side by side. The preferred flow declares placeholder concepts
first (so the link is publishable immediately), then streams each concept’s
content in one at a time.
Important Guidance
General Tools
Lists the design systems available to the authenticated user. Returns both built-in presets (e.g. Base, Shadcn, MUI) and any custom design systems.
Design Tools
Creates a new Magic Patterns design. This is the starting point for both workflows.
- With
prompt: Kicks off AI generation (long-running, 2–10 minutes). Pollget_design_statusevery 60s. - Without
prompt: Creates a blank design with scaffold files (App.tsx,index.tsx,index.css,tailwind.config.js). Returns immediately. - With
templateId: Forks an existing design first, then optionally applies the prompt to the fork.
Creates a new Magic Patterns slide deck and kicks off AI generation. A slide deck is a 16:9, full-bleed, one-slide-at-a-time React presentation where each slide maps to a screen in the canvas.Unlike
create_design, a prompt is required — there is no blank-deck path. Generation is long-running (2–10 minutes); poll get_design_status every 60s.Resolves a Magic Patterns URL to an editor ID.
Gets the current status of a design: whether AI generation is active, the active artifact ID, and available files.Always call this before starting new work on an existing design — the user may have changed state since you last checked. Also used to poll for completion after
create_design (with prompt) or send_prompt.When
isGenerating=true, wait at least 60 seconds before polling again. Generation can take up to 10 minutes.Sends a natural language prompt to the Magic Patterns AI for an existing design. Returns immediately with a request ID. The generation runs in the background.
Check
get_design_status first to ensure isGenerating=false before sending a prompt.Reads the recent chat item history for a design. Returns the last 10 items (user prompts, AI responses, artifact versions, edits). Use
skip to paginate backwards.Code contents are omitted to keep the response concise — use read_artifact_files to read full file contents.Lists the artifact version history for a design. Returns the most recent 20 versions.
Compiles an artifact’s source files and sets it as the active artifact for the design. This is the final step in the code-first workflow.
- Compiles all source files (bundling for preview)
- Sets the artifact as active (appears in editor and preview)
- Adds a version entry to the design timeline
Artifact Tools
Gets the active artifact for a design, including its ID and list of files.Always call this (or
get_design_status) to get the latest active artifact — do not rely on a previously cached artifact ID.Creates a new artifact by cloning an existing one. The new artifact becomes the active artifact.
Call this before making file changes with
write_artifact_files so the
user can revert to the previous artifact if needed. Always call
get_design_status or get_artifact first to get the current active artifact
ID.Reads the contents of one or more files from an artifact.
Always read files before making changes with
write_artifact_files so you
understand the current state.Creates or overwrites one or more files in an artifact. If a file exists, it is replaced. If it doesn’t exist, it is created.
This only saves source files — it does not compile or publish. Call
publish_artifact after finishing all file changes.Design System Tools
These tools let an agent author a Magic Patterns design system — a reusable, versioned collection of components, styling, and rules — by writing files directly. This is distinct from the design/artifact tools above: here you write the code, rather than delegating to Magic Patterns’ AI. A design system’s writable files follow this structure:components/<Name>/index.tsx— component source (PascalCase folder, named exports only)components/<Name>/<Name>.previews.tsx— preview definitions (required per component)components/<Name>/Context.md— AI/usage documentation (required per component)index.css— design system styles / Tailwind imports (editable, cannot be deleted)tailwind.config.js— Tailwind configuration (editable, cannot be deleted)rules/<slug>.md— design rules (rules/setup.mdis the special “Setup” rule)
index.tsx, library.ts, registry.ts, etc.) are stripped automatically if sent.
Resolves a design system’s active artifact and lists its files. Always call this first — design systems are collaborative, so the active artifact ID can change between calls. Never reuse a cached
artifactId.Reads the contents of one or more files from a design system’s active artifact.
Call
get_design_system first to discover available file names, and always
read files before editing them so you preserve current content.Creates a new, blank design system owned by you and returns its ID and editor URL. Seeds an empty initial version so you can immediately write files into it.
This creates a blank design system. Forking from an existing design system
is not supported through the MCP. After creating, load the
design_system_authoring_guide prompt and write files with
write_design_system_files.Creates or overwrites files in a design system. Incoming files are merged onto the existing artifact (existing files are preserved), then compiled and activated immediately.
This tool is permissive: it saves your files and returns
validationErrors without blocking, so you can build incrementally. Fix all
validation errors before calling publish_design_system, which is strict.Publishes the design system’s active artifact as a new immutable version.
This tool is strict: it refuses if the active artifact has validation
errors. Run
write_design_system_files and clear all validationErrors
first. A breaking change (e.g. a removed component or prop) bumps the major
version; otherwise the minor version is incremented.Inspiration Tools
These tools publish and manage a Magic Patterns inspiration document — a shareablemagicpatterns.com/inspiration/<id> link that renders 4 design
concepts (variants) side by side. Each concept is a self-contained sketch
of a UI direction.
Creates an inspiration document and returns a shareable URL. Declare each concept’s
name/description without html to publish the link immediately, then stream each concept in with inspiration_add_variant. You may also pass html inline to publish concepts fully in one call.Fills in one placeholder concept with its content. The concept renders live on the shared page as soon as its content arrives; the document flips to “ready” once every concept is filled.
Loads an inspiration document by its ID. Use this to read concepts back — for example, to implement a specific concept (“Implement Concept B from inspiration
<id>”).A concept is only usable once its
status is ready; a non-ready one has empty/partial html.Revises a single already-filled concept in place, replacing its content (and optionally its name/description). Use this to update a subset of concepts without touching the others.
Resets every concept back to an empty placeholder — dropping each concept’s content and its pre-created “Iterate” room. Use this to replace all concepts with a fresh set of directions.