MCP server · Design tools
Markmap MCP server
by jinzcdev
Turn your Markdown notes into interactive mind maps, with optional PNG, JPG or SVG export.
This is a small helper that lets your AI turn Markdown text into a mind map you can open in your browser. Markdown is just plain text with simple symbols like # for headings and - for lists, and you probably already write it without knowing. It is handy if you take lots of notes and want to see them as a picture instead of a wall of text.
What is an MCP server? The 30-second version
On its own, your AI can only chat with you. An MCP server is a small helper program that gives your AI a new skill or a connection to another tool. This one gives your AI the skill of drawing mind maps: you hand it Markdown, and it builds an interactive map file for you. Everything happens on your own computer, so no account or internet service is involved.
What this MCP server does
You paste or point your AI at some Markdown notes and ask for a mind map. Your AI passes the text to this helper, which runs the markmap tool on your machine. The helper writes an HTML file, which is a web page you can open in any browser, and shows the notes as a branching map. If you ask for an image, it can also save a PNG, JPG or SVG picture. You then get back either the file path, the page itself in the chat, or both, depending on how it was set up.
Click to zoomWhat you can do with it
- Turn a Markdown outline into an interactive mind map page
- Export the same map as a PNG, JPG or SVG image
- Read a Markdown file from your computer and map it
- List the mind maps you made recently
- Open a saved mind map file again by its path
- Delete old mind map files to keep things tidy
- Preview a cleanup before actually deleting anything
Try asking your AI
- “Summarize this design doc as a mind map.”
- “Convert ./notes/architecture.md to a mind map.”
- “Generate a PNG mind map of this outline for the chat.”
- “Turn my meeting notes into a mind map and save it as an SVG.”
What it gives back to you
You get back a file path to the generated mind map, or the page itself shown in the chat, or both. For images you get the picture file, and for HTML you get a page you can open and explore. The map has zoom and collapse controls, plus buttons to export an image or copy the Markdown from inside the page. Lists of recent files come back as a simple table of names, sizes and dates.
Before you start
What you need
- Node.js version 20 or newer
- Playwright and Chromium if you want PNG, JPG or SVG images (the README shows two commands to install them)
- An MCP client such as Cursor or the Claude desktop app
Good to know
The cleanup tool really deletes files, so use the preview option first if you are not sure.
Install it with your AI
Add Markmap MCP server to your AI, no technical skills needed
You don't install anything by hand. You copy one prompt, paste it into an AI that can work on your computer, and it checks, installs and connects the server for you, asking you when it needs something.
Sign in to get the install prompt
Members get a ready-made prompt that lets the Claude desktop app check Markmap MCP server, install it and connect it for them, step by step. You don't need any technical skills: you copy, paste and answer a few questions. Your connected AI can also find and install any of the 4,066 MCP servers here for you.
Who it's for
Anyone who writes notes, plans or documents in Markdown and likes seeing ideas as a visual map, such as students, writers, planners and project leads.
