Open source MCP server generates tldraw diagrams of repo workflows for Codex
u/jrabbitxo built `codex-tldraw-mcp`, an open source stdio MCP server that scans repositories and writes tldraw product workflow diagrams as `.tldr` snapshot files on disk, designed specifically for Codex Desktop where live canvas MCP apps time out.
Score breakdown
The server provides a working diagram-generation path for Codex Desktop users who are blocked by the live-canvas timeout that prevents the official tldraw MCP App from functioning in that host.
- 01Built by u/jrabbitxo as an open source Codex stdio MCP server for generating tldraw workflow diagrams.
- 02Outputs `.tldr` snapshot files written to the repository being diagrammed — no live canvas or live collaboration.
- 03The official tldraw MCP App's live exec path timed out after 30 seconds in Codex Desktop, including read-only calls.
`codex-tldraw-mcp` is a local stdio MCP server built by u/jrabbitxo that scans repositories and produces tldraw product workflow diagrams saved as `.tldr` files. The project is explicitly snapshot-only: it does not control a live browser canvas or support live collaboration. Instead, it writes board files into the repository being diagrammed so that a tldraw-compatible viewer can open them later.
The motivation for the project stems from a specific incompatibility in Codex Desktop.
The motivation for the project stems from a specific incompatibility in Codex Desktop. While tool discovery worked and the tldraw search tool returned Editor API details, shape types, and helpers, the live execution path timed out after 30 seconds on every call — including a read-only call to count the current page shapes. The author concluded this was a host compatibility gap, noting that Codex can reliably call local stdio MCP tools and inspect generated files, but does not provide the same embedded interactive MCP App canvas path available in hosts such as Cursor. The server is described as the "Codex-first fallback" built in response to that limitation.
Installation is handled via `codex mcp add codex-tldraw -- npx -y codex-tldraw-mcp`, after which users can prompt Codex to use `codex-tldraw` and call `diagram_repo`. The repository includes a `.mcp.example.json` for manual stdio MCP configuration. The project is hosted at `github.com/jananadiw/codex-tldraw-mcp` under the MIT license and had 1 star and 0 open issues at the time of publication.
Key facts
- 01Built by u/jrabbitxo as an open source Codex stdio MCP server for generating tldraw workflow diagrams.
- 02Outputs `.tldr` snapshot files written to the repository being diagrammed — no live canvas or live collaboration.
- 03The official tldraw MCP App's live exec path timed out after 30 seconds in Codex Desktop, including read-only calls.
- 04The author attributed the failure to a host compatibility gap between Codex and the interactive MCP App canvas path used by hosts like Cursor.
- 05Installed via `codex mcp add codex-tldraw -- npx -y codex-tldraw-mcp` and invoked by asking Codex to call `diagram_repo`.
- 06Licensed under MIT; hosted at github.com/jananadiw/codex-tldraw-mcp.
Topics
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