Build MCP

What is Build MCP?

The Build MCP server gives your AI coding assistant direct access to the Avalonia documentation and expert development guidance. Instead of relying on training data that may be outdated or incomplete, your assistant can search guides, tutorials, and API references in real time, load Avalonia-specific coding rules, and use guided prompts for common workflows like creating new projects or recreating a UI from a screenshot.

Build MCP is free to use and requires no license key or local installation. It runs as a remote server, so setup takes only a few seconds in any MCP-compatible editor or CLI tool.

The server also provides migration tools that guide your assistant through upgrading to the latest Avalonia Developer Tools package and migrating WPF applications to Avalonia — either as a full native port or as a drop-in cross-platform deployment using Avalonia XPF.

For a general introduction to MCP, see AI Tools.

Available tools

The Build MCP server exposes eight tools to your AI assistant:

Documentation and rules

Tool	Description
search_avalonia_docs	Searches the full Avalonia documentation, including API references, tutorials, guides, and migration docs. Common topics like "styling", "binding", and "mvvm" are automatically routed to optimized queries for better results.
lookup_avalonia_api	Looks up a specific Avalonia class, property, method, or event in the API reference. Use this for targeted queries such as TextBlock, Window.Show, or StyledProperty.
get_avalonia_expert_rules	Returns a comprehensive set of Avalonia development rules covering AXAML syntax, the property system, styling, data binding, MVVM patterns, custom controls, layout, theming, assets, threading, and common mistakes to avoid. Call this at the start of a development session so your assistant writes correct, idiomatic Avalonia code.

Migration

Tool	Description
migrate_diagnostics	Provides step-by-step guidance for setting up or migrating to the current Avalonia Developer Tools package. Covers removing the deprecated Avalonia.Diagnostics package, installing AvaloniaUI.DiagnosticsSupport, updating Program.cs and App.axaml.cs, and replacing old API calls.
analyze_wpf_project	Entry point for migrating a WPF application to Avalonia. Scans the project for target framework, WPF references, third-party control suites (Telerik, DevExpress, Syncfusion, Infragistics, Actipro, SciChart, Xceed, ComponentOne), MVVM frameworks, and P/Invoke usage, then recommends either Avalonia XPF or a native Avalonia migration. Hands off to migrate_to_xpf or migrate_to_avalonia based on the recommendation.
migrate_to_xpf	Step-by-step guidance for migrating a WPF application to Avalonia using XPF (drop-in cross-platform with existing WPF code, XAML, and third-party controls preserved). Covers NuGet feed configuration, SDK switching, license key setup, handling version conflicts, and troubleshooting.
migrate_to_avalonia	Phased playbook for a full native Avalonia migration. Returns guiding principles (port-not-refactor, runnable baseline, vertical slices), Phase 0 validation, project setup, file migration, build/test/iterate guidance, and post-migration steps. Pulls focused mapping tables on demand via lookup_wpf_to_avalonia_mapping rather than dumping the full reference up-front.
lookup_wpf_to_avalonia_mapping	Returns a focused WPF→Avalonia mapping for a single topic, so the assistant only loads the table it needs while porting. Topics: namespaces, controls, custom-controls, properties, styling, bindings, templates, events, resources, layout, threading, windows, animations, mvvm, navigation, gotchas.

Available prompts

In addition to tools, the Build MCP server provides prompts that configure your assistant for specific workflows. MCP prompts are pre-written instructions that set up the assistant's context and behavior for a task.

note

Prompt support varies by client. Claude Desktop, Claude Code, and Cursor support MCP prompts. Other editors may not surface them in the UI. If your editor does not support prompts, you can achieve the same effect by asking your assistant to call the get_avalonia_expert_rules tool directly.

Prompt	Description
init	Initializes an Avalonia expert session for an existing project. Loads development rules, sets up concise response behavior, and configures the assistant to use the documentation tools for every technical question.
new	Guides you through creating a new Avalonia application. Covers template selection (avalonia.mvvm for desktop, avalonia.xplat for cross-platform), project creation with CommunityToolkit.Mvvm, compiled bindings setup, and developer tools installation. Accepts an optional app_name parameter.
recreate-ui	Sets up an iterative design workflow for recreating a UI from a screenshot or image. The assistant writes AXAML, previews it using the DevTools MCP attach-to-file tool, takes screenshots to compare against the target, and keeps refining until the result matches. Accepts an optional theme parameter (light or dark). Requires an Avalonia license for the DevTools MCP integration.

Setting up the MCP server

Build MCP uses a remote URL endpoint. Your editor connects to the server over HTTP, so there is nothing to install locally.

Choose your editor or CLI tool below:

VS Code

Option A: Command palette

1. Open the command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P).
2. Run MCP: Add Server.
3. Select HTTP as the server type.
4. Enter https://docs-mcp.avaloniaui.net/mcp as the URL.
5. Set the server name to avalonia-docs.
6. Choose whether to install the server for this workspace or globally.

Option B: Manual configuration

Add the following to .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace root:

.vscode/mcp.json

{
    "servers": {
        "avalonia-docs": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://docs-mcp.avaloniaui.net/mcp"
        }
    }
}

Visual Studio

Visual Studio 2022 (17.x and later) supports MCP servers through mcp.json configuration files.

Add the following to .vscode/mcp.json in your solution directory:

.vscode/mcp.json

{
    "servers": {
        "avalonia-docs": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://docs-mcp.avaloniaui.net/mcp"
        }
    }
}

tip

Visual Studio reads from the same .vscode/mcp.json path as VS Code. If you already configured it for VS Code, it works in Visual Studio automatically.

Rider

JetBrains Rider supports MCP servers through the AI Assistant plugin and the GitHub Copilot plugin.

Option A: Settings UI

1. Open Settings > Tools > AI Assistant > MCP Servers.
2. Click Add and select Streamable HTTP as the transport type.
3. Enter https://docs-mcp.avaloniaui.net/mcp as the URL.
4. Set the server name to avalonia-docs.

Option B: Manual configuration

Create or edit .idea/mcp.json in your project directory:

.idea/mcp.json

{
    "servers": {
        "avalonia-docs": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://docs-mcp.avaloniaui.net/mcp"
        }
    }
}

Cursor

Add the following to .cursor/mcp.json in your project directory, or to ~/.cursor/mcp.json for global configuration:

.cursor/mcp.json

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "avalonia-docs": {
            "url": "https://docs-mcp.avaloniaui.net/mcp"
        }
    }
}

Windsurf

Add the following to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "avalonia-docs": {
            "serverUrl": "https://docs-mcp.avaloniaui.net/mcp"
        }
    }
}

Claude Code

Run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add --transport http avalonia-docs https://docs-mcp.avaloniaui.net/mcp

To verify it was added:

claude mcp list

Claude Desktop

1. Go to Customize → Connectors.
2. Click the + button at the top of the window, then Add custom connector.
3. In the "Name" field, input "avalonia-docs".
4. In the "Remote MCP server URL" field, input https://docs-mcp.avaloniaui.net/mcp.
5. Click Add.
6. You may need to restart Claude Desktop.

Gemini CLI

Add the following to ~/.gemini/settings.json (or the project-level .gemini/settings.json):

~/.gemini/settings.json

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "avalonia-docs": {
            "httpUrl": "https://docs-mcp.avaloniaui.net/mcp"
        }
    }
}

Verify the connection

After configuring the MCP server, verify it is working:

1. Check the server is listed. Open your editor's MCP panel or status indicator and confirm avalonia-docs appears as a connected server. In VS Code, run MCP: List Servers from the command palette.
2. Test with a prompt. Ask your AI assistant:

"Search the Avalonia docs for how to set up data binding."

If the assistant returns documentation results with source links, setup is complete.

Troubleshooting

MCP server does not appear in the editor

• Restart your editor after adding or modifying the MCP configuration file. Most editors require a restart to detect new MCP servers.
• Check the config file location. Each editor expects the configuration in a specific path. See the setup instructions for your editor above.
• Validate your JSON. A syntax error in the configuration file (missing comma, trailing comma, unmatched brace) will silently prevent the server from loading.

Server appears but tools are not available

• Confirm your editor supports HTTP transport. Some older editor versions only support STDIO-based MCP servers. Update your editor to the latest version.
• Check network connectivity. The server is hosted at docs-mcp.avaloniaui.net. Verify you can reach this domain from your network.

Results seem outdated

The Build MCP server indexes the published Avalonia documentation. If you notice outdated content, the documentation site may not have been updated yet. Check docs.avaloniaui.net directly to confirm.

Usage examples

Describe what you want to accomplish in natural language. The AI assistant calls the MCP tools automatically:

Searching documentation:

"Search the Avalonia docs for how to use TreeView with data binding."

Looking up API types:

"Look up the Avalonia TextBlock control in the API reference."

Loading expert rules at the start of a session:

"Load the Avalonia expert rules so you can help me build my app correctly."

Creating a new project (using the new prompt):

"Create a new Avalonia desktop app called WeatherTracker."

Recreating a UI from a screenshot (using the recreate-ui prompt):

"Recreate this UI in Avalonia. Use the light theme."

This prompt works best when combined with the DevTools MCP, which provides the attach-to-file tool for live XAML previewing. The assistant writes AXAML, previews it, takes screenshots, and iterates until the result matches your target design. DevTools MCP requires an Avalonia license.

Migrating a WPF application:

"Analyze my WPF project and recommend the best migration path to Avalonia."

The assistant calls analyze_wpf_project to scan your project for target framework, WPF references, third-party control suites (Telerik, DevExpress, Syncfusion, Infragistics, Actipro, SciChart, Xceed, ComponentOne), MVVM frameworks, and platform-specific code. Based on what it finds, it recommends one of two paths and hands off to the matching tool:

• Avalonia XPF — drop-in cross-platform with your existing WPF code, XAML, and third-party controls preserved. The assistant calls migrate_to_xpf to walk you through NuGet config, SDK switching, and license setup.
• Native Avalonia — full migration to modern Avalonia controls and themes. The assistant calls migrate_to_avalonia for the phased playbook, then pulls focused per-topic mapping tables (controls, properties, styling, bindings, events, templates, gotchas, etc.) via lookup_wpf_to_avalonia_mapping as it ports each file. This keeps context focused — the assistant only loads the mapping it needs for the section it's working on.

Setting up Avalonia Developer Tools:

"Help me set up the latest Avalonia Developer Tools in my project."

The assistant calls the migrate_diagnostics tool to guide you through installing AvaloniaUI.DiagnosticsSupport and removing the deprecated Avalonia.Diagnostics package if present.

See also

• AI Tools overview
• DevTools MCP
• Parcel MCP