Shadcn UI v4 MCP Server vs 21st.dev Magic MCP

A side-by-side comparison of two Design & Media servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	Shadcn UI v4 MCP Server Give AI assistants full access to shadcn/ui v4 components, blocks, demos, and metadata across React, Svelte, Vue, and React Native. Unverified stdio (local) API key TypeScript	21st.dev Magic MCP Generate beautiful, modern UI components from natural-language descriptions inside your IDE. Unverified stdio (local) API key TypeScript
Category	Design & Media	Design & Media
Language	TypeScript	TypeScript
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	API key
GitHub stars	2.8k	5.2k
Last commit	1 month ago	4 months ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx @jpisnice/shadcn-ui-mcp-server`	`npx @21st-dev/cli@latest install <client> --api-key <key>`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Shadcn UI v4 MCP Server if you need the broadest set of tools.

Pick 21st.dev Magic MCP if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Add Shadcn UI v4 MCP Server

Install / run

npx @jpisnice/shadcn-ui-mcp-server

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "shadcn-ui-v4-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@jpisnice/shadcn-ui-mcp-server",
        "--github-api-key",
        "ghp_your_token_here"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Add 21st.dev Magic MCP

Install / run

npx @21st-dev/cli@latest install <client> --api-key <key>

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "21st-dev-magic-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@21st-dev/magic@latest",
        "API_KEY=\"your-api-key\""
      ]
    }
  }
}

FAQ

Shadcn UI v4 MCP Server or 21st.dev Magic MCP — which is better?

Pick Shadcn UI v4 MCP Server if you need the broadest set of tools. Pick 21st.dev Magic MCP if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Can I use both Shadcn UI v4 MCP Server and 21st.dev Magic MCP?

Yes — MCP clients let you enable multiple servers at once. Add both configs to your client's mcpServers and use whichever tool fits the task.

Do Shadcn UI v4 MCP Server and 21st.dev Magic MCP work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View Shadcn UI v4 MCP Server →View 21st.dev Magic MCP →More comparisons →