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productivity

MCP-UI Widgets▌

ref-tools

by ref-tools

Explore MCP-UI Widgets, a React UI library offering timers, stopwatches, and unit converters for dynamic, customizable R

Demo: Provides MCP-UI components including timers, stopwatches, fact displays, and unit converters through templated HTML widgets that replace JavaScript configuration objects with user-provided parameters for dynamic content creation.

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Interactive HTML widgets instead of plain textWorks with MCP-UI compatible clients

best for

  • / Replacing quick Google searches for timers and conversions
  • / Breaking up text-heavy chat interfaces with visual widgets
  • / Adding interactive elements to AI assistant responses

capabilities

  • / Start customizable timers with audio alerts
  • / Run stopwatches that count up from zero
  • / Display facts in easy-to-read cards
  • / Convert between units with real-time calculations

what it does

Provides interactive HTML widgets for common tasks like timers, stopwatches, unit conversions, and fact displays that can be embedded in chat interfaces.

about

MCP-UI Widgets is a community-built MCP server published by ref-tools that provides AI assistants with tools and capabilities via the Model Context Protocol. Explore MCP-UI Widgets, a React UI library offering timers, stopwatches, and unit converters for dynamic, customizable R It is categorized under productivity. This server exposes 4 tools that AI clients can invoke during conversations and coding sessions.

how to install

You can install MCP-UI Widgets in your AI client of choice. Use the install panel on this page to get one-click setup for Cursor, Claude Desktop, VS Code, and other MCP-compatible clients. This server runs locally on your machine via the stdio transport. This server supports remote connections over HTTP, so no local installation is required.

license

Unlicense

MCP-UI Widgets is released under the Unlicense license. This is a permissive open-source license, meaning you can freely use, modify, and distribute the software.

readme

⚙️ Widget MCP

Add simple widgets to you LLM chat for common situations like timers, conversions and more.

widget-mcp

Demo video: https://youtu.be/4gfom42vHkc

Motivation

MCP-UI opens the door to breaking the text wall from chat UIs we've been using the last few years. The full extent of what's possible is

This project shows the floor of what's possible by providing a few simple widgets for common situations.

If you've ever google "convert X to Y" or "2 minute timer" and see the custom UI results, this should feel very familiar.

Current widgets

  • Timer - Editable timer with a chime.
  • Stopwatch - Timer that just counts up.
  • Conversion - Convert between set of units for which the LLM can write a formula.
  • Display Fact - When the answer is simple, just show it in an easy to read card.

Supported MCP Clients

MCP-UI is new and as of August 2025 is only supported by a few clients.

Smithery

Try widget-mcp in the Smithery playground. (TODO: pending Smithery deploy)

Goose

  1. Install Goose
  2. Click Extensions and Add custom extension
  3. Fill in name as Widgets and command npx widget-mcp
  4. Verify it's working by clicking Chat and prompting 2 minute timer

Goose Setup

Requests for widgets

Here's a few examples of widgets that could be fun to add.

  • Color Picker - Interactive color selection and palette tools. Could be parameterized to allow the LLM to suggest a color and let the user tweak and explore.
  • Calculator - Basic and scientific calculator functionality. Initial function seeded by LLM.
  • Dice Roller - Custom set of dice based on what you ask the agent for.

I'm sure you have some cool ideas!

Development

Adding new widgets should be very easy! All these widgets are HTML pages that can have variables injected (eg. values provided by the LLM). To add new widgets, add an template file to the html directory and a new tool to index.ts.

You can probably just prompt "Add a widget html and tool to do <somethingawesome>. Look at index.ts and timer.html for examples of how".

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Iterate on the html with hot-reloads
npm run dev:html

# Launch the MCP server with Smithery's web inspector
npm run dev:mcp

Links

  • MCP-UI - UI over MCP.
  • Smithery - Easiest way to find and try MCP servers.
  • Goose - Block's opensource MCP client.
  • PulseMCP - The best way to stay up-to-date on MCP.
  • Maintained by Ref. - Context for your coding agent.

FAQ

What is the MCP-UI Widgets MCP server?
MCP-UI Widgets is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server profile on explainx.ai. MCP lets AI hosts (e.g. Claude Desktop, Cursor) call tools and resources through a standard interface; this page summarizes categories, install hints, and community ratings.
How do MCP servers relate to agent skills?
Skills are reusable instruction packages (often SKILL.md); MCP servers expose live capabilities. Teams frequently combine both—skills for workflows, MCP for APIs and data. See explainx.ai/skills and explainx.ai/mcp-servers for parallel directories.
How are reviews shown for MCP-UI Widgets?
This profile displays 56 aggregated ratings (sample rows for discoverability plus signed-in user reviews). Average score is about 4.7 out of 5—verify behavior in your own environment before production use.

Use Cases▌

Extended AI Capabilities

Add new capabilities to Claude beyond text generation

Example

Access external data sources, execute code, interact with tools and services

✓

Transform Claude from chatbot to action-taking agent

Context Enhancement

Provide Claude with access to relevant context and data

Example

Load project documentation, access knowledge bases, query databases

✓

Get more accurate, context-aware responses

Workflow Automation

Automate multi-step workflows combining AI and external tools

Example

Research → Summarize → Create document → Send notification

✓

Complete complex tasks end-to-end without manual steps

Implementation Guide▌

Prerequisites

  • ›Claude Desktop 0.7.0+ or Cursor IDE with MCP support
  • ›Basic understanding of MCP architecture and capabilities
  • ›Access credentials for integrated services (if required)
  • ›Willingness to experiment and iterate on configuration

Time Estimate

15-60 minutes depending on server complexity

Installation Steps

  1. 1.Install MCP server: npm install -g [package-name] or via GitHub
  2. 2.Add server configuration to ~/.claude/mcp.json
  3. 3.Provide required credentials and configuration
  4. 4.Restart Claude Desktop to load new server
  5. 5.Test basic functionality with simple prompts
  6. 6.Explore capabilities and experiment with use cases
  7. 7.Document successful patterns for reuse

Troubleshooting

  • ⚠MCP server not loading: Check config syntax, verify installation
  • ⚠Connection errors: Check network, firewall, credentials
  • ⚠Feature not working: Read server docs, check required parameters
  • ⚠Performance issues: Monitor resource usage, check for network latency
  • ⚠Conflicts with other servers: Check port assignments, namespace collisions

Best Practices▌

✓ Do

  • +Read server documentation thoroughly before setup
  • +Start with simple use cases to validate functionality
  • +Test in non-production environment first
  • +Monitor resource usage and performance
  • +Keep servers updated for bug fixes and new features
  • +Document configuration for team members
  • +Use environment variables for sensitive configuration

✗ Don't

  • −Don't grant overly permissive access to MCP servers
  • −Don't skip reading security considerations in docs
  • −Don't expose sensitive data without proper controls
  • −Don't run untrusted MCP servers without code review
  • −Don't ignore error messages—investigate root cause

💡 Pro Tips

  • ★Combine multiple MCP servers for powerful workflows
  • ★Create custom MCP servers for your specific needs
  • ★Share successful configurations with team
  • ★Use MCP inspector for debugging
  • ★Join MCP community for tips and troubleshooting

Technical Details▌

Architecture

Model Context Protocol standardizes how AI hosts (Claude, Cursor) communicate with external tools and data sources through server implementations.

Protocols

  • Model Context Protocol (MCP)
  • JSON-RPC 2.0
  • stdio or HTTP transport

Compatibility

  • Claude Desktop
  • Cursor IDE
  • Custom MCP clients

When to Use This▌

✓ Use When

Use when you need Claude to access external data, execute actions, or integrate with tools. Best for extending AI capabilities beyond conversation.

✗ Avoid When

Avoid when native integrations exist (use official APIs directly), for real-time critical systems, or when security/compliance requires zero external dependencies.

Integration▌

  • →Tool composition: Chain multiple MCP tools in workflows
  • →Context augmentation: Provide AI with relevant external data
  • →Action delegation: Let AI execute tasks on external systems
  • →Bidirectional sync: Keep AI context and external systems in sync

Discussion

Product Hunt–style comments (not star reviews)
  • No comments yet — start the thread.

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Ratings

4.7★★★★★56 reviews
  • ★★★★★Carlos Jain· Dec 20, 2024

    Useful MCP listing: MCP-UI Widgets is the kind of server we cite when onboarding engineers to host + tool permissions.

  • ★★★★★Anaya Brown· Dec 12, 2024

    MCP-UI Widgets is a well-scoped MCP server in the explainx.ai directory — install snippets and categories matched our Claude Code setup.

  • ★★★★★Noor Tandon· Dec 8, 2024

    Strong directory entry: MCP-UI Widgets surfaces stars and publisher context so we could sanity-check maintenance before adopting.

  • ★★★★★Sofia Dixit· Dec 8, 2024

    I recommend MCP-UI Widgets for teams standardizing on MCP; the explainx.ai page compares cleanly with sibling servers.

  • ★★★★★Meera Park· Nov 27, 2024

    I recommend MCP-UI Widgets for teams standardizing on MCP; the explainx.ai page compares cleanly with sibling servers.

  • ★★★★★Hassan Mehta· Nov 27, 2024

    Strong directory entry: MCP-UI Widgets surfaces stars and publisher context so we could sanity-check maintenance before adopting.

  • ★★★★★Noah Perez· Nov 11, 2024

    According to our notes, MCP-UI Widgets benefits from clear Model Context Protocol framing — fewer ambiguous “AI plugin” claims.

  • ★★★★★Min Singh· Nov 3, 2024

    We wired MCP-UI Widgets into a staging workspace; the listing’s GitHub and npm pointers saved time versus hunting across READMEs.

  • ★★★★★Min Anderson· Oct 22, 2024

    According to our notes, MCP-UI Widgets benefits from clear Model Context Protocol framing — fewer ambiguous “AI plugin” claims.

  • ★★★★★Anaya Harris· Oct 18, 2024

    MCP-UI Widgets reduced integration guesswork — categories and install configs on the listing matched the upstream repo.

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