Using IconVectors with Claude / Anthropic

This page explains the recommended local setup for Claude Desktop, Claude Code, and Anthropic-oriented workflows.

Overview

IconVectors uses a local two-process model:

the desktop editor owns the document, user interface, rendering state, and local bridge,
the MCP helper speaks stdio MCP and forwards tool calls to the running editor.

For Claude products, the clean integration pattern is:

Start IconVectors yourself.
Let Claude Desktop or Claude Code launch the local MCP helper.
Keep the configured port aligned with the IconVectors bridge port.

Before you begin

Make sure these files are available for your platform.

Windows

Application files:

C:\Program Files\Axialis\IconVectors\IconVectors.exe
C:\Program Files\Axialis\IconVectors\IconVectorsMcp.exe

Optional helper files:

%APPDATA%\Axialis\IconVectors\MCP\iconvectors-mcp-tools.json
%APPDATA%\Axialis\IconVectors\MCP\iconvectors-mcp-command-reference.md
%APPDATA%\Axialis\IconVectors\MCP\claude-CLAUDE.md.template

macOS

Application bundle:

/Applications/IconVectors.app

Executables inside the bundle:

/Applications/IconVectors.app/Contents/MacOS/IconVectors
/Applications/IconVectors.app/Contents/MacOS/IconVectorsMcp

Optional helper files:

~/Library/Application Support/Axialis/IconVectors/MCP/iconvectors-mcp-tools.json
~/Library/Application Support/Axialis/IconVectors/MCP/iconvectors-mcp-command-reference.md
~/Library/Application Support/Axialis/IconVectors/MCP/claude-CLAUDE.md.template

You can open the helper-files folder directly from IconVectors with Help ‣ Open MCP Files Folder.

Start IconVectors

Start the editor first, then leave it running while Claude launches the MCP helper.

Windows:

& 'C:\Program Files\Axialis\IconVectors\IconVectors.exe'

macOS:

open /Applications/IconVectors.app

Do not normally start the editor with --mcp when using Claude. In the normal Claude workflow, Claude Desktop or Claude Code should be the process that launches the MCP helper.

Claude Desktop configuration

Claude Desktop reads local MCP servers from its application config.

Windows

Config file:

%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "iconvectors": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "C:\\Program Files\\Axialis\\IconVectors\\IconVectorsMcp.exe",
      "args": ["--port", "61337"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

macOS

Config file:

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "iconvectors": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "/Applications/IconVectors.app/Contents/MacOS/IconVectorsMcp",
      "args": ["--port", "61337"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Replace the path if IconVectors is installed elsewhere. After editing the file, completely restart Claude Desktop.

Claude Code configuration

Claude Code supports local stdio MCP servers directly.

Windows:

claude mcp add --transport stdio --scope user iconvectors -- "C:\Program Files\Axialis\IconVectors\IconVectorsMcp.exe" --port 61337

macOS:

claude mcp add --transport stdio --scope user iconvectors -- /Applications/IconVectors.app/Contents/MacOS/IconVectorsMcp --port 61337

Then verify it:

claude mcp list

If you changed the default bridge port through ICONVECTORS_MCP_PORT or application settings, use that same port everywhere above.

Verify the connection

Good first prompts:

Use IconVectors to call app.ping.
Use IconVectors to call app.getInfo.
Create a new 32x32 icon, use the current palette, draw a simple centered shape, and export it as SVG.

Optional: use CLAUDE.md

If you want Claude Code to prefer IconVectors for icon work, start from the installed template:

Windows: %APPDATA%\Axialis\IconVectors\MCP\claude-CLAUDE.md.template
macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Axialis/IconVectors/MCP/claude-CLAUDE.md.template

Copy it into your repository root as:

CLAUDE.md

Anthropic API / Claude web note

The current IconVectors MCP design is a local stdio server. That is a good fit for local tools such as Claude Desktop and Claude Code running on the same machine.

It is not directly usable with Anthropic’s hosted API connector, because that integration expects a public HTTP-accessible MCP server. If you need that model, place an HTTP wrapper or relay service in front of the local IconVectors bridge.

Troubleshooting

If Claude does not connect:

make sure IconVectors is already running,
make sure the configured port matches the port used by IconVectors,
make sure the MCP helper exists at the configured path,
restart Claude Desktop after editing its config,
use claude mcp list and /mcp inside Claude Code to confirm the server is visible,
on macOS, if you installed the app outside /Applications, update the helper path accordingly,
on macOS, confirm that the helper exists at IconVectors.app/Contents/MacOS/IconVectorsMcp,
on macOS, if Gatekeeper or signing policies block launch, reinstall a properly signed copy of the app.