magic-mcp: Connect Coding Agents to 21st UI Tools

Overview

magic-mcp is the legacy package for Magic MCP, now maintained as a compatibility proxy for the unified 21st MCP service. It lets existing configurations keep connecting coding agents to 21st tools, while new setups are directed to the 21st CLI or HTTP MCP endpoint.

The service is aimed at developers working in editors and coding-agent environments who want to find React and Tailwind components, retrieve UI code, or use hosted generation when their account has access. This repository is most relevant when migrating an older Magic MCP setup or installing the agent plugin; it is not the current recommended installation path for new users.

Key Features

• Forwards MCP messages from the legacy package to the 21st MCP server.
• Preserves compatibility with existing @21st-dev/magic configurations.
• Supports historical API key argument formats and documented environment variables.
• Translates legacy Magic tool names to current 21st MCP tool names.
• Provides a plugin package for supported coding-agent environments.
• Can expose component search and retrieval, with generation tools dependent on account AI access.

Use Cases

• Developers with existing Magic MCP configs: keep an older client configuration working by supplying a new 21st API key.
• Frontend developers using coding agents: search for React or Tailwind UI components and retrieve code while working in an editor.
• Teams adopting the 21st plugin: connect a supported agent to 21st tools through the repository’s plugin packaging.
• Users without hosted AI access: search and retrieve components, then adapt them with their own coding agent.

Getting Started

For new installations, use the recommended CLI setup:

npx @21st-dev/cli@latest init --client cursor

For migration details, API key setup, and plugin instructions, see the repository README and 21st MCP setup.

Alternatives

• 21st: 21st.dev is a React component registry for publishing, discovering, and installing UI components, rather than an MCP proxy for accessing 21st tools from coding agents.

Considerations

• This package is a compatibility proxy, not the recommended new installation route. New users should start with the 21st CLI or the HTTP endpoint.
• Old Magic API keys were reset. A fresh key from 21st.dev is required.
• Hosted UI generation depends on account AI access. Component access alone does not grant it, and the availability of generation tools can vary by account.
• The proxy forwards requests to the 21st MCP service, so use of its tools depends on that service and an authenticated account.