|
### 🎨 Prompt → Canvas
Describe any UI in natural language. Watch it appear on the infinite canvas in real-time with streaming animation. Modify existing designs by selecting elements and chatting.
|
### 🤖 Concurrent Agent Teams
The orchestrator decomposes complex pages into spatial sub-tasks. Multiple AI agents work on different sections simultaneously — hero, features, footer — all streaming in parallel with per-member canvas indicators.
|
|
### 🧠 Multi-Model Intelligence
Automatically adapts to each model's capabilities. Claude gets full prompts with thinking; GPT-4o/Gemini disable thinking; smaller models (MiniMax, Qwen, Llama) get simplified prompts for reliable output.
|
### 🔌 MCP Server
One-click install into Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, OpenCode, Kiro, or Copilot CLIs. Design from your terminal — read, create, and modify `.op` files through any MCP-compatible agent.
|
|
### 🎨 Style Guides
Built-in style guide library with tag-based fuzzy matching. Apply visual styles (glassmorphism, brutalist, retro, etc.) to AI-generated designs. MCP tools for external agent access.
|
### 📦 Design-as-Code
`.op` files are JSON — human-readable, Git-friendly, diffable. Design variables generate CSS custom properties. Code export to React + Tailwind or HTML + CSS.
|
|
### 🖥️ Runs Everywhere
Web app + native desktop on macOS, Windows, and Linux via Electron. Auto-updates from GitHub Releases. `.op` file association — double-click to open.
|
### ⌨️ CLI — `op`
Control the design tool from your terminal. `op design`, `op insert` — batch design DSL, node manipulation. Pipe in from files or stdin. Works with desktop app or web server.
|
|
### 🎯 Multi-Platform Code Export
Export to React + Tailwind, HTML + CSS, Vue, Svelte, Flutter, SwiftUI, Jetpack Compose, React Native — all from one `.op` file. Design variables become CSS custom properties.
|
### 🧩 Embeddable SDK
`pen-engine` (headless) + `pen-react` (React UI SDK) — embed the design engine in your own app. DesignProvider, DesignCanvas, hooks, panels, and toolbar components out of the box.
|
|
### 🛡️ Design System Kit
Manage reusable UIKits with style switching and component composition. Import/export kits from `.pen` files. Built-in registry with MCP tools for external access.
|
|
## Install
**macOS (Homebrew):**
```bash
brew tap zseven-w/openpencil
brew install --cask openpencil
```
**Windows (Scoop):**
```powershell
scoop bucket add openpencil https://github.com/zseven-w/scoop-openpencil
scoop install openpencil
```
**Linux / Windows direct download:** [GitHub Releases](https://github.com/ZSeven-W/openpencil/releases) — `.exe` (Windows), `.AppImage` / `.deb` (Linux)
**CLI (`op`):**
```bash
npm install -g @zseven-w/openpencil
```
## Quick Start (Development)
```bash
# Install dependencies
bun install
# Start dev server at http://localhost:3000
bun --bun run dev
```
Or run as a desktop app:
```bash
bun run electron:dev
```
> **Prerequisites:** [Bun](https://bun.sh/) >= 1.0 and [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/) >= 18. Optional: [Zig](https://ziglang.org/) >= 0.14 for building `agent-native` from source (a prebuilt binary will be downloaded automatically if Zig is not installed).
### Docker
Multiple image variants are available — pick the one that fits your needs:
| Image | Size | Includes |
| ---------------------------- | ------- | -------------------- |
| `openpencil:latest` | ~226 MB | Web app only |
| `openpencil-claude:latest` | — | + Claude Code CLI |
| `openpencil-codex:latest` | — | + Codex CLI |
| `openpencil-opencode:latest` | — | + OpenCode CLI |
| `openpencil-copilot:latest` | — | + GitHub Copilot CLI |
| `openpencil-gemini:latest` | — | + Gemini CLI |
| `openpencil-full:latest` | ~1 GB | All CLI tools |
**Run (web only):**
```bash
docker run -d -p 3000:3000 ghcr.io/zseven-w/openpencil:latest
```
**Run with AI CLI (e.g. Claude Code):**
The AI chat relies on Claude CLI OAuth login. Use a Docker volume to persist the login session:
```bash
# Step 1 — Login (one-time)
docker volume create openpencil-claude-auth
docker run -it --rm \
-v openpencil-claude-auth:/root/.claude \
ghcr.io/zseven-w/openpencil-claude:latest claude login
# Step 2 — Start
docker run -d -p 3000:3000 \
-v openpencil-claude-auth:/root/.claude \
ghcr.io/zseven-w/openpencil-claude:latest
```
**Build locally:**
```bash
# Base (web only)
docker build --target base -t openpencil .
# With a specific CLI
docker build --target with-claude -t openpencil-claude .
# Full (all CLIs)
docker build --target full -t openpencil-full .
```
## AI-Native Design
**Prompt to UI**
- **Text-to-design** — describe a page, get it generated on canvas in real-time with SSE streaming animation
- **Orchestrator** — decomposes complex pages into spatial sub-tasks for parallel generation
- **Agent Teams** — concurrent team members with delegate tool, per-member canvas indicators, and fallback strategies
- **Design modification** — select elements, then describe changes in natural language
- **Vision input** — attach screenshots or mockups for reference-based design
- **Style Guides** — apply visual styles (glassmorphism, brutalist, retro, etc.) via tag-based fuzzy matching
- **Anti-slop** — cross-generation diversity tracking to avoid repetitive AI output
**Multi-Agent Support**
| Agent | Setup |
| --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Built-in (9+ providers)** | Select from provider presets with region switcher — Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, DeepSeek, and more |
| **Claude Code** | No config — uses Claude Agent SDK with local OAuth |
| **Codex CLI** | Connect in Agent Settings (`Cmd+,`) |
| **OpenCode** | Connect in Agent Settings (`Cmd+,`) |
| **GitHub Copilot** | `copilot login` then connect in Agent Settings (`Cmd+,`) |
| **Gemini CLI** | Connect in Agent Settings (`Cmd+,`) |
**Model Capability Profiles** — automatically adapts prompts, thinking mode, and timeouts per model tier. Full-tier models (Claude) get complete prompts; standard-tier (GPT-4o, Gemini, DeepSeek) disable thinking; basic-tier (MiniMax, Qwen, Llama, Mistral) get simplified nested-JSON prompts for maximum reliability.
**i18n** — Full interface localization in 15 languages: English, 简体中文, 繁體中文, 日本語, 한국어, Français, Español, Deutsch, Português, Русский, हिन्दी, Türkçe, ไทย, Tiếng Việt, Bahasa Indonesia.
**MCP Server**
- Built-in MCP server (`pen-mcp` package) — one-click install into Claude Code / Codex / Gemini / OpenCode / Kiro / Copilot CLIs
- Auto-detects Node.js — if not installed, falls back to HTTP transport and auto-starts the MCP HTTP server
- Design automation from terminal: read, create, and modify `.op` files via any MCP-compatible agent
- **Layered design workflow** — `design_skeleton` → `design_content` → `design_refine` for higher-fidelity multi-section designs
- **Segmented prompt retrieval** — load only the design knowledge you need (schema, layout, roles, icons, planning, etc.)
- **Style guide tools** — `get_style_guide_tags` and `get_style_guide` for applying visual styles via MCP
- Multi-page support — create, rename, reorder, and duplicate pages via MCP tools
**Code Generation**
- React + Tailwind CSS, HTML + CSS, CSS Variables
- Vue, Svelte, Flutter, SwiftUI, Jetpack Compose, React Native
## CLI — `op`
Install globally and control the design tool from your terminal:
```bash
npm install -g @zseven-w/openpencil
```
```bash
op start # Launch desktop app
op design @landing.txt # Batch design from file
op insert '{"type":"RECT"}' # Insert a node
op import:figma design.fig # Import Figma file
cat design.dsl | op design - # Pipe from stdin
```
Supports three input methods: inline string, `@filepath` (read from file), or `-` (read from stdin). Works with desktop app or web dev server. See [CLI README](./apps/cli/README.md) for full command reference.
**LLM Skill** — install the [OpenPencil Skill](https://github.com/ZSeven-W/openpencil-skill) plugin to teach AI agents (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, etc.) how to design with `op`.
## Features
**Canvas & Drawing**
- Infinite canvas with pan, zoom, smart alignment guides, and snapping
- Rectangle, Ellipse, Line, Polygon, Pen (Bezier), Frame, Text
- Boolean operations — union, subtract, intersect with contextual toolbar
- Icon picker (Iconify) and image import (PNG/JPEG/SVG/WebP/GIF)
- Auto-layout — vertical/horizontal with gap, padding, justify, align
- Multi-page documents with tab navigation
**Design System**
- Design variables — color, number, string tokens with `$variable` references
- Multi-theme support — multiple axes, each with variants (Light/Dark, Compact/Comfortable)
- Component system — reusable components with instances and overrides
- CSS sync — auto-generated custom properties, `var(--name)` in code output
- Reusable UIKits — import/export component kits from `.pen` files
**AI & Agents**
- Prompt-to-canvas with streaming generation and orchestrator-driven spatial decomposition
- Concurrent Agent Teams — multiple designers work on different sections in parallel with per-member canvas indicators
- Layered workflow — `design_skeleton` → `design_content` → `design_refine` with focused prompts per phase
- Style Guides — 50+ built-in styles (glassmorphism, brutalist, retro, etc.) with tag-based fuzzy matching, wired into planning and generation
- Multi-model capability profiles — auto-adapts thinking mode, effort, and prompt shape per model tier
- Built-in agent runtime (`agent-native`, Zig NAPI) + Anthropic, Claude Agent SDK, OpenCode, Codex, Copilot, Gemini providers
- Anthropic-format passthrough for Chinese LLM providers — Kimi, Zhipu, GLM, DouBao, Ark, Bailian/DashScope, ModelScope, Coding Plans
**Git Integration**
- Clone wizard with SSH / HTTPS auth and SSH key management
- Branch picker — create, switch, delete, merge, all from the git panel
- Pull / push cascades with auth retry and non-fast-forward handling
- Folder-mode three-way merge with on-disk `MERGE_HEAD` state tracking
- Conflict panel with per-node / per-field three-way cards, inline JSON editor, bulk actions, and inline diff block
- Remote settings and SSH keys UI; 15-locale i18n across the whole Git surface
**Export**
- Canvas export — PNG, JPEG, WEBP, PDF (`Cmd+Shift+P`)
- Code export — React + Tailwind, HTML + CSS, Vue, Svelte, Flutter, SwiftUI, Jetpack Compose, React Native
- Incremental MCP codegen pipeline — `codegen_plan`, `codegen_submit_chunk`, `codegen_assemble`, `codegen_clean`
**Figma Import**
- Import `.fig` files with layout, fills, strokes, effects, text, images, and vectors preserved
**Desktop App**
- Native macOS, Windows, and Linux via Electron
- `.op` file association — double-click to open, single-instance lock
- Auto-update from GitHub Releases
- Native application menu with Save As, Open Recent, and an unsaved-changes dialog on close
- Recent files persistence
## Tech Stack
| | |
| --------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Frontend** | React 19 · TanStack Start · Tailwind CSS v4 · shadcn/ui · i18next |
| **Canvas** | CanvasKit/Skia (WASM, GPU-accelerated) |
| **Engine** | pen-engine (headless) · pen-react (React UI SDK) |
| **State** | Zustand v5 |
| **Server** | Nitro |
| **Desktop** | Electron 35 |
| **CLI** | `op` — terminal control, batch design DSL |
| **AI** | agent-native (Zig NAPI) · Anthropic SDK · Claude Agent SDK · OpenCode SDK · Copilot SDK |
| **Runtime** | Bun · Vite 7 |
| **Lint** | oxlint · oxfmt |
| **File format** | `.op` — JSON-based, human-readable, Git-friendly |
## Project Structure
```text
openpencil/
├── apps/
│ ├── web/ TanStack Start web app
│ │ ├── src/
│ │ │ ├── canvas/ CanvasKit/Skia engine — drawing, sync, layout
│ │ │ ├── components/ React UI — editor, panels, shared dialogs, icons
│ │ │ ├── services/ai/ AI chat, orchestrator, design generation, streaming
│ │ │ ├── services/codegen/ Code generation service wrappers
│ │ │ ├── stores/ Zustand — canvas, document, pages, history, AI
│ │ │ ├── hooks/ Keyboard shortcuts, file drop, Figma paste, MCP sync
│ │ │ ├── i18n/ Internationalization — 15 locales
│ │ │ └── uikit/ Reusable component kit system
│ │ └── server/
│ │ ├── api/ai/ Nitro API — streaming chat, agent, generation, image search
│ │ ├── api/mcp/ MCP HTTP transport endpoints
│ │ └── utils/ Claude, OpenCode, Codex, Copilot, Gemini CLI wrappers
│ ├── desktop/ Electron desktop app
│ │ ├── main.ts Window, Nitro fork, native menu, auto-updater
│ │ ├── ipc-handlers.ts Native file dialogs, theme sync, prefs IPC
│ │ └── preload.ts IPC bridge
│ └── cli/ CLI tool — `op` command
│ ├── src/commands/ Design, document, export, import, node, page, variable commands
│ ├── connection.ts WebSocket connection to running app
│ └── launcher.ts Auto-detect and launch desktop app or web server
├── packages/
│ ├── pen-types/ Type definitions for PenDocument model
│ ├── pen-core/ Document tree ops, layout engine, variables
│ ├── pen-engine/ Headless design engine — document, selection, history, viewport
│ ├── pen-react/ React UI SDK — provider, canvas, hooks, panels, toolbar
│ ├── pen-codegen/ Code generators (React, HTML, Vue, Flutter, ...)
│ ├── pen-figma/ Figma .fig file parser and converter
│ ├── pen-renderer/ Standalone CanvasKit/Skia renderer
│ ├── pen-mcp/ MCP server — tools, routes, document manager
│ ├── pen-sdk/ Umbrella SDK (re-exports all packages)
│ ├── pen-ai-skills/ AI prompt skill engine (phase-driven prompt loading)
│ └── agent-native/ Native AI agent runtime (Zig NAPI, multi-provider, teams)
└── .githooks/ Pre-commit version sync from branch name
```
## Keyboard Shortcuts
| Key | Action | | Key | Action |
| ----------- | ----------------- | --- | ------------- | ------------------------- |
| `V` | Select | | `Cmd+S` | Save |
| `R` | Rectangle | | `Cmd+Z` | Undo |
| `O` | Ellipse | | `Cmd+Shift+Z` | Redo |
| `L` | Line | | `Cmd+C/X/V/D` | Copy/Cut/Paste/Duplicate |
| `T` | Text | | `Cmd+G` | Group |
| `F` | Frame | | `Cmd+Shift+G` | Ungroup |
| `P` | Pen tool | | `Cmd+Shift+P` | Export (PNG/JPG/WEBP/PDF) |
| `H` | Hand (pan) | | `Cmd+Shift+C` | Code panel |
| `Del` | Delete | | `Cmd+Shift+V` | Variables panel |
| `[ / ]` | Reorder | | `Cmd+J` | AI chat |
| Arrows | Nudge 1px | | `Cmd+,` | Agent settings |
| `Cmd+Alt+U` | Boolean union | | `Cmd+Alt+S` | Boolean subtract |
| `Cmd+Alt+I` | Boolean intersect | | `Cmd+Shift+S` | Save As |
## Scripts
```bash
bun --bun run dev # Dev server (port 3000)
bun --bun run build # Production build
bun --bun run test # Run tests (Vitest)
npx tsc --noEmit # Type check
bun run lint # Lint (oxlint)
bun run format # Format (oxfmt)
bun run bump 
Thanks to **[MrQyun](https://github.com/mrqyun)** — want your name here too? **[Become a sponsor →](https://github.com/sponsors/ZSeven-W)**
## Community
Join our Discord
— Ask questions, share designs, suggest features.
## Star History