Huashu Design MCP — Use Cases, Install & Live Demo

Why use it

Key features

20 codified design principles (contrast, rhythm, modularity, …)
5-dimension review: layout / typography / color / motion / content
MP4 export via headless render for animated deliverables
High-fidelity prototype mode — pixel-perfect target fidelity
Works with any framework or plain HTML

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

ready

Install

Pick your client

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "huashu-design-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/alchaincyf/huashu-design",
        "~/.claude/skills/huashu-design"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "huashu-design-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/alchaincyf/huashu-design",
        "~/.claude/skills/huashu-design"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "huashu-design-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/alchaincyf/huashu-design",
        "~/.claude/skills/huashu-design"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "huashu-design-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/alchaincyf/huashu-design",
        "~/.claude/skills/huashu-design"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "huashu-design-skill",
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/alchaincyf/huashu-design",
        "~/.claude/skills/huashu-design"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "huashu-design-skill": {
      "command": {
        "path": "git",
        "args": [
          "clone",
          "https://github.com/alchaincyf/huashu-design",
          "~/.claude/skills/huashu-design"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add huashu-design-skill -- git clone https://github.com/alchaincyf/huashu-design ~/.claude/skills/huashu-design

One-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use Huashu Design

Rapidly prototype a product landing page in HTML

👤 Founders, designers preferring code over Figma ⏱ ~60 min intermediate

When to use: You have a brief and want a clickable, measurable prototype, not a static mock.

Prerequisites

Skill installed — git clone https://github.com/alchaincyf/huashu-design ~/.claude/skills/huashu-design

Flow

Anchor style

Use huashu-design. Brief: minimal B2B SaaS landing, Swiss-influenced, serif headings, one accent color. Generate layout plan following your 20 principles.✓ Copied

→ Layout plan cites specific principles applied
Build

Produce HTML/CSS. Single file. Responsive. No JS frameworks.✓ Copied

→ Single-file deliverable that passes basic a11y
5-dim review

Run the 5-dimension review on what you just shipped. Where does it fall short?✓ Copied

→ Critical self-review, not hype

Outcome: A prototype you can A/B test or iterate on without leaving code.

Pitfalls

Skill reverts to generic "hero + features + CTA" template — Pin the style ref (Swiss, Bauhaus, editorial) in every prompt

Combine with: filesystem

Build an animated explainer and export to MP4

👤 Devs/creators shipping a product video ⏱ ~120 min advanced

When to use: You want an 30-second explainer for your product but can't justify After Effects.

Flow

Storyboard

Use huashu-design. Storyboard a 30s explainer for my product: problem (8s) / solution (14s) / CTA (8s).✓ Copied

→ Frame-by-frame plan
Animate in HTML

Implement each scene as a CSS keyframe animation. Render as a single HTML with a timeline.✓ Copied

→ HTML plays cleanly in browser
Export

Render to 1080p MP4.✓ Copied

→ MP4 written to disk; duration matches

Outcome: A shippable MP4 explainer from a prompt, no video editing software.

Pitfalls

Fonts render differently in headless Chrome — Bundle web fonts; don't rely on system fonts

Combine with: filesystem · after-effects

Combinations

Pair with other MCPs for X10 leverage

huashu-design-skill + after-effects

Storyboard in HTML, finish in AE for broadcast quality

Draft in huashu-design; export frames for AE compositing.✓ Copied

huashu-design-skill + filesystem

Save iterations alongside the brief

Create /designs/landing-v1/ through v3/ and keep both.✓ Copied

Tools

What this MCP exposes

Tool	Inputs	When to call
plan_layout	brief, style_ref	Every new design
generate_html	plan	Build from plan
review_5d	html	Self-review after building
render_mp4	html, duration	Animated deliverable

Cost & Limits

What this costs to run

API quota: N/A
Tokens per call: High-fi designs produce a lot of HTML — keep scope tight
Monetary: Free
Tip: Generate in small passes: structure first, styling second, polish third

Security

Permissions, secrets, blast radius

Minimum scopes: filesystem-write

Credential storage: None

Data egress: None

Troubleshooting

Common errors and fixes

MP4 render fails (ffmpeg missing)

brew install ffmpeg — the skill uses it for frame stitching

Verify: `ffmpeg -version`

Design looks generic

You didn't pin a style reference — always name one (Swiss, Bauhaus, Pentagram, …)

Review gives happy feedback on bad design

Explicit prompt: "be critical; list what's wrong first"

Alternatives

Huashu Design vs others

Alternative	When to use it instead	Tradeoff
cc-frontend-skill	You want an opinionated voice rather than a methodology	Less structured review process
Figma	Team workflow requires Figma	Not code; not animatable the same way

More

Resources

📖 Read the official README on GitHub

🐙 Browse open issues

🔍 Browse all 400+ MCP servers and Skills