2d-assets-mcp

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that generates advanced mock 2D PNG assets for games prototypes — directly from any MCP-compatible AI client such as Claude Desktop.

This MCP is engine-agnostic and works with any game engine that supports PNG import:

• Godot
• Unity
• Unreal Engine
• GameMaker
• Construct
• RPG Maker
• And many more...

Create placeholder sprites, UI elements, health bars, spritesheets, and more with full support for gradients, patterns, transparency, text rotation, and auto-scaling — all without opening an image editor.

Each generated PNG embeds rich JSON metadata (dimensions, color, shape, description) directly in its EXIF data, so AI models without vision can still understand what an asset contains.

Features

• Single asset generation — one tool call, one PNG, full visual configuration
• Batch + spritesheet mode — generate multiple assets or composite them into a single animation-strip spritesheet in one request
• Rich visual options — solid fills, linear/radial gradients, stripe/dot/grid pattern overlays, rounded corners, circles, opacity, and border control
• Progress/health bar fills — fillPercent + trackColor for partially-filled assets
• Auto-scaling text — labels fit the asset; override with explicit fontSize if needed
• Embedded JSON metadata — readable back via read_image_metadata without loading image pixels, ideal for non-vision AI workflows
• Filename dimensions — output files are named player_idle_128x128.png automatically to help models with no vision know the dimensions when using the asset

Generated Assets Examples

Here are some example assets generated by this MCP server:

Character Sprites & Animations

Hero Idle Animation (4 frames, 532×136)

4-frame idle animation spritesheet with breathing effect and progressive blue shades

UI Elements

Attack Button (128×48)

Button with red gradient, rounded corners, and "ATTACK" label

Health Bar (200×24)

Health bar at 75% fill with green color and dark gray track

Game Items

Gold Coin (32×32)

Circular coin with radial gradient, dot pattern overlay, and "COIN" label

Animation Spritesheets

Player Run Cycle (4 frames, 276×72)

4-frame run animation spritesheet with progressive blue shades

Tools Reference

This MCP server provides 3 tools for generating and reading 2D asset metadata.

1. generate_mock_asset

Generates a single PNG asset and writes it to disk. Supports gradients, patterns, transparency, text rotation, and embedded metadata.

Output filename format

The server automatically appends the dimensions to the filename before writing:

player_idle.png  →  player_idle_128x128.png

2. generate_mock_asset_batch

Generates multiple assets in one request. Supports individual PNGs or a single composed spritesheet.

Spritesheet layout

All assets are arranged in a single row (traditional animation strip). Each frame cell is sized to the largest asset in the batch; smaller assets are centered within their cell. The output filename includes the total sheet dimensions:

player_run.png  →  player_run_648x136.png

3. read_image_metadata

Reads the JSON metadata embedded in the EXIF ImageDescription field of any PNG generated by this server. Useful for AI models that lack vision — they can understand what an asset contains without decoding the image.

How metadata embedding works

Metadata is stored as a JSON string in the PNG's EXIF IFD0.ImageDescription field using the sharp library's withMetadata API.

Reading it back uses a deliberate bypass of standard TIFF byte-walking: instead of parsing the binary TIFF structure, the raw EXIF buffer is scanned as a UTF-8 string for the known "generator":"2d-assets-mcp" key, then the surrounding JSON object is extracted. This makes the reader immune to TIFF padding, byte-order variations, and unusual IFD layouts across different PNG writers.

Example response

{
  "generator": "2d-assets-mcp",
  "type": "asset",
  "name": "player_idle",
  "width": 128,
  "height": 128,
  "color": "#4A90E2",
  "shape": "rounded-rectangle",
  "fillMode": "linear-gradient",
  "fillPercent": 100,
  "trackColor": null,
  "pattern": "none",
  "description": "Player idle placeholder, blue rounded rectangle 128x128",
  "createdAt": "2025-01-15T10:30:00.000Z"
}

Spritesheet metadata fields (additional fields returned for spritesheet files)

{
  "generator": "2d-assets-mcp",
  "type": "spritesheet",
  "totalWidth": 648,
  "totalHeight": 136,
  "columns": 4,
  "rows": 1,
  "frameCount": 4,
  "frameWidth": 128,
  "frameHeight": 128,
  "margin": 8,
  "spacing": 8,
  "createdAt": "2025-01-15T10:30:00.000Z"
}

Usage Examples

Below are example prompts you can give Claude Desktop once the server is connected.

Single asset

"Create a 128×128 blue rounded-rectangle placeholder for my player character at C:\Users\me\project\assets\sprites\ (Windows) or /home/me/project/assets/sprites/ (Linux) or /Users/me/project/assets/sprites/ (macOS). Label it 'Player' and give it a radial gradient."

Health bar

"Generate a health bar PNG at 200×24 pixels, filled 65%, red fill color, dark gray track, at your project's UI folder. Call the file health_bar.png."

Spritesheet

"Create a 4-frame run cycle spritesheet for my player. Each frame should be 64×64, different shades of blue, labeled Frame 1 through Frame 4. Save it to your project's sprites folder."

Read metadata

"Read the metadata from your project's sprites folder, file player_idle_128x128.png."

Installation

Option 1 — Use directly with npx (no install required)

The fastest way to connect it to Claude Desktop:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "2d-assets": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "2d-assets-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Option 2 — Manual installation with package manager (npm, pnpm, yarn)

git clone https://github.com/crony-io/2d-assets-mcp.git
cd 2d-assets-mcp

# Choose your package manager:
pnpm install   # recommended
# or
npm install
# or
yarn install

# build
pnpm run build
# or
npm run build
# or
yarn run build

Option 3 — Install globally with npm or pnpm

This project works with any Node.js package manager. Choose your preferred one:

npm

npm install -g 2d-assets-mcp

pnpm

pnpm add -g 2d-assets-mcp

Then reference the installed binary:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "2d-assets": {
      "command": "2d-assets-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

Add to your Claude Code MCP settings:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "2d-assets-mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/2d-assets-mcp/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Devin

Add to your Devin MCP settings (mcp_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "2d-assets-mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/2d-assets-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "disabled": false
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Create .cursor/mcp.json in your project:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "2d-assets-mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/2d-assets-mcp/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop Configuration

Open your Claude Desktop config file and add the server under mcpServers.

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

Windows — %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Linux — ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Using npx (recommended — always runs latest version)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "2d-assets": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "2d-assets-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Using a global install

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "2d-assets": {
      "command": "2d-assets-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Development

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18 or later
• npm 9 or later or pnpm 8 or later (any package manager works)

Setup

git clone https://github.com/crony-io/2d-assets-mcp.git
cd 2d-assets-mcp
# Choose your package manager:
pnpm install   # recommended
# or
npm install
# or
yarn install

Scripts

Adding a new tool

1. Create src/tools/yourTool.ts and export a registerYourTool(server: McpServer) function
2. Import and call it in src/server.ts
3. Add any new Zod schemas to src/schemas.ts and types to src/types.ts

License

MIT — see LICENSE for full text.

Contributing

Issues and pull requests are welcome. Before opening a PR:

1. Run npm run check or pnpm check — zero errors required
2. Keep new tools in their own file under src/tools/
3. Export new types from src/types.ts and schemas from src/schemas.ts
4. Update this README's Tools Reference section for any new or changed parameters