<!-- Generated by @imgly/plugin-repo-builder — do not edit this repo by hand. -->
<!-- mcp-name: ly.img/codesign -->
# CoDesign
**The design layer for the agent era.**
CoDesign gives your coding agent a real design engine. Generate, edit, and
automate _fully editable_ designs — print, social, and video — straight from
the chat, then export print-ready PDFs, images, mp4 video, and more. You steer, the agent
edits the same scene, and you keep control of the outcome.
It ships as an MCP server (plus a Claude Code plugin) that hands your agent
IMG.LY's CE.SDK CreativeEngine — the same production engine behind IMG.LY's
commercial SDKs. Every recipe below spawns the published npm package
`@imgly/codesign-mcp` over stdio; no separate install step — `npx` fetches it on first
use.
## What you can make
Ask your agent, in plain language:
- **Resize for every channel** — _"Take this Instagram post and make the
Story, LinkedIn and X versions."_
- **Make an image editable** (needs the free IMG.LY sign-in) — _"Split this
flat product photo into layers, put the product on our brand background and
make it editable."_
- **Restyle an existing PDF** — _"Import this datasheet.pdf as an editable
design, restyle it with our brand kit, and export A4 and web versions."_
- **Generate many from a CSV** — _"One speaker card per row in speakers.csv,
same template, all editable."_
- **Prepare for print** — _"Turn this flyer into an A4 print PDF with 3 mm
bleed and CMYK."_
- **Update an existing design** — _"Open last year's flyer.psd, swap the date
and venue, export again."_
- **Localize a design** — _"Translate this poster into German and re-fit the
layout so nothing overflows."_
- **Make a short video** (generated music and voiceover need the free IMG.LY
sign-in) — _"Turn this poster into a 15-second vertical reel: animate the
headline in, cut between the three product shots, and put a music bed and a
voiceover under it."_
- **Create a launch graphic** — _"Make the v2.0 launch graphic with our logo
and brand colors, in X, LinkedIn and OG-image sizes."_
- **Create App Store graphics** — _"Make the App Store screenshots and the
Play Store feature graphic from these five screen captures, on-brand, all
sizes."_
## How it works
Three layers, one product:
- **The plugin** — skills, slash commands, and an embedded design handbook your
agent draws on to design _well_ (brand, localize, resize, and quality-check
its own output). This is the piece you install.
- **The MCP server** (`@imgly/codesign-mcp`) — exposes the design tools (`edit`,
`preview`, `export`, `list`, `history`, …) over MCP, driven by tool calls
from any agent host.
- **The CE.SDK CreativeEngine** — IMG.LY's real, headless design engine that
does the actual layout, rendering, and export.
## Licensing
This repository — the Claude Code and Codex plugins, marketplace manifests,
skills and documentation — is released under the [MIT License](https://github.com/imgly/codesign/blob/HEAD/LICENSE).
The CoDesign engine itself, distributed as the npm package `@imgly/codesign-mcp`, is
proprietary software from IMG.LY and free to use locally. The full terms ship
inside the package as `LICENSE.md`.
## Why a real engine matters
Every other design agent draws on a web canvas — a quick fix that breaks on the
hard problems. CoDesign commands a production engine matured over years across
print, video, and social:
- **True print & color fidelity** — CMYK, bleed, and ICC profiles, not just
RGB screen output.
- **Deterministic output** — renders identically everywhere, independent of
browser or config.
- **Native performance** — a purpose-built engine that stays fast at scale and
under heavy assets.
- **Full compatibility** — imports InDesign, PSD, PowerPoint (PPTX), PDF, and
Lottie; exports print-ready PDF, image, video, and HTML.
## Requirements & known limitations
> **Read this first — the failure modes below are silent.**
- **Node.js ≥ 22.15 is required and is _not_ provided.** The server runs on your
system Node. With no Node (or Node < 22.15) on `PATH`, the host reports the
server as failed with no useful reason — typically `local: 0` and
`MCP error -32000`. Install Node 22.15+ first: <https://nodejs.org>.
- **Pin `@0.5.1` — every recipe names that exact version on purpose.** The
plugin ships the skills that version was built with, and a bare or dist-tagged
`npx` would pair them with a different server. Each release republishes this
repo with a new pin — update the plugin (or your recipe) to move forward.
- **Windows is not supported under bare `npx`.** Hosts that spawn `npx`
directly hit `spawn npx ENOENT`
([anthropics/claude-code#58510](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/58510)).
Use WSL for now; a native Windows launcher is coming.
## Install
### Claude Code
Install the plugin from the marketplace:
```bash
claude plugin marketplace add imgly/codesign
claude plugin install codesign@imgly-codesign
```
Or add the MCP server directly, without the plugin:
```bash
claude mcp add codesign -- npx -y @imgly/codesign-mcp@0.5.1 stdio
```
### Codex
Install the plugin from the marketplace:
```bash
codex plugin marketplace add imgly/codesign
codex plugin add codesign@imgly-codesign
```
Or add the MCP server directly, without the plugin:
```bash
codex mcp add codesign -- npx -y @imgly/codesign-mcp@0.5.1 stdio
```
### Antigravity CLI
Clone the repo and install the plugin folder:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/imgly/codesign
agy plugin install ./codesign/plugins/codesign
```
Or add the MCP server directly, without the plugin:
```bash
agy mcp add codesign -- npx -y @imgly/codesign-mcp@0.5.1 stdio
```
### Gemini CLI
Gemini CLI now serves Gemini Code Assist Standard/Enterprise and API-key
accounts; on a personal Google account, use Antigravity CLI above.
Install as an extension straight from the public repo:
```bash
gemini extensions install https://github.com/imgly/codesign
```
Or add the server manually to `~/.gemini/settings.json`:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"codesign": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@imgly/codesign-mcp@0.5.1",
"stdio"
]
}
}
}
```
### Other MCP hosts
Every other host spawns the same stdio server — only the config file and
the top-level key differ. Add this block to the host’s MCP config:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"codesign": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@imgly/codesign-mcp@0.5.1",
"stdio"
]
}
}
}
```
| Host | Config file | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cursor | `.cursor/mcp.json` | as-is |
| Windsurf | `~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json` | as-is |
| VS Code | `.vscode/mcp.json` | use the key `servers` instead of `mcpServers` |
| Zed | `settings.json` | use the `context_servers` shape below |
VS Code (`servers` key):
```json
{
"servers": {
"codesign": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@imgly/codesign-mcp@0.5.1",
"stdio"
]
}
}
}
```
Zed (`context_servers`):
```json
{
"context_servers": {
"codesign": {
"command": {
"path": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@imgly/codesign-mcp@0.5.1",
"stdio"
]
}
}
}
}
```
## Beyond your machine
CoDesign runs free on your machine today. When you need more — always-on
hosting, your own infrastructure (VPC / on-prem), or a fully bundled design
agent that lives in the canvas — the same building block graduates by changing
config, not vendors. No lock-in. Talk to us: <support@img.ly>.
## Support
Questions or issues: <support@img.ly>. This distribution is generated from
IMG.LY's source repository.
