The export is not the slug
ns-ui is a shadcn-compatible registry of 542 React components installed as plain source with no package and no lock-in, built on Tailwind v4, Motion and react-three-fiber. Its MCP server, @nikolas.sapa/ns-ui-mcp, runs over stdio and offers five tools: search_components, get_component, list_categories, install_command and get_conventions.
The README warns that gallery-coverflow-caustic.tsx exports CausticCoverflow, and importing the slug-cased name is the first thing that breaks after a copy-paste install. An MCP server that returns real signatures removes that class of mistake.
Two collections, no package
ns-ui has 542 React components you install by URL with the shadcn CLI. There is no package to depend on, so the code lands in components/ui and is yours to edit. Core holds 416 restrained, Geist-dark components, and loud holds 126 flashy ones.
Five MCP tools
For agents working across a whole session, the README points to an MCP server over the same catalog. It offers search_components, get_component with the full prop signature and real source, list_categories, install_command and get_conventions for the token and theming contract.
A catalog that is checked
A script drives every component through headless Chromium and fails it on console errors, blank renders, hover identical to resting state, missing accessible names or controls that Tab cannot reach. The committed screenshots make those claims auditable. See shadcn MCP for the stock server.
Use it with UiChemy
ns-ui targets React projects, a different stack from WordPress. If an agent prototypes a page, UiChemy AI to WordPress imports an AI build, and Composer writes real HTML, CSS and JS in Elementor or Gutenberg. Get Started at uichemy.com. See shadcn and shadcn UI MCP.
Connect ns-ui MCP Server for shadcn Compatible Components to your AI client
npx -y @nikolas.sapa/ns-ui-mcpRun the server
Use
npx -y @nikolas.sapa/ns-ui-mcp, the command given in the README. It speaks stdio, so your MCP client starts it as a local process.Use the per-client config
The README points to a connect page on the ns-ui site and to mcp/README.md in the repository for each client's configuration.
Work in a shadcn project
Installing a component needs a project with a components.json at its root. In an unconfigured directory the shadcn command waits at a prompt instead of failing.
Ask for a component
Describe the UI, let the agent search, then have it call get_component and install_command so it uses the right export and the exact add command.
Endpoints and ports
https://design.helpmarq.comBrowse components livehttps://design.helpmarq.com/connectPer-client MCP confighttps://design.helpmarq.com/llms.txtWhole catalog as plain texthttps://design.helpmarq.com/registry.jsonStandard shadcn registry indexWhat you can do with it
- 542 components in two collectionsCore has 416 production-facing components in a Geist-dark style, and loud has 126 deliberately flashy showcase pieces. Each is built around a single interaction.
- Install by URLAny shadcn-configured project can run an add command pointed at a component's registry JSON. It drops source at components/ui and installs the component's npm dependencies.
- Real source and propsget_component returns the full prop signature and real source, so the agent imports the right export name and passes valid props.
- Conventions on demandget_conventions returns the token and theming contract for the project.
- Plain-text catalog for agentsA single fetch of llms.txt returns every component, its props, the situation it suits and its exact install command, with a longer file adding behavioral descriptions.
- Gate with committed screenshotsComponents are blocked if hover matches the resting state, dark and light renders are identical, or an interactive control has no accessible name.
- CLI alongside the serverA thin CLI adds components and offers search, list, info and categories commands from a terminal.
- MIT licensedThe README states MIT. Because components are copied as source, there is no lock-in to a package version.
Tools it exposes
search_components
Searches the component catalog.
get_component
Returns a component's full prop signature and real source.
list_categories
Lists the catalog's categories.
install_command
Returns the install command for a component.
get_conventions
Returns the token and theming contract.
Frequently asked questions
What is the ns-ui MCP server?
It is @nikolas.sapa/ns-ui-mcp, an MCP server over the ns-ui catalog of 542 React components. It exposes search_components, get_component, list_categories, install_command and get_conventions so an agent can find, inspect and install components over a whole session.
How do I connect it?
Run npx -y @nikolas.sapa/ns-ui-mcp as a stdio server from your MCP client. The README says per-client configuration lives on the ns-ui connect page and in mcp/README.md, and it does not name specific clients.
Do I need the MCP server to use ns-ui?
No. Any shadcn-configured project can run the add command with a component's registry URL. Agents that can make an HTTP request can also fetch llms.txt, which lists every component with its props and exact install command in one plain-text file.
Which stack do the components use?
React 19 and Tailwind v4, with Motion and react-three-fiber for animation and 3D, according to the README badges and repository description. They are installed as source into components/ui rather than as a dependency.
Why does my import fail after installing?
The exported symbol is not always the slug. For example, gallery-coverflow-caustic.tsx exports CausticCoverflow. Open the installed file, run the CLI's info command, or let the get_component tool return the real signature before you write the import.
How are components quality checked?
A verification script runs each component in headless Chromium and fails blank renders, console errors, hover identical to default, identical dark and light renders, unnamed interactive controls and unreachable controls. The screenshots it produces are committed to the repository.
What does it cost?
The README states an MIT license and describes installing components as plain source with no package and no lock-in. It also mentions a saved library for signed-in users, but gives no pricing, so check the site for any account terms.