Overview
What is Vite React MCP?
Vite React MCP is a Vite plugin that creates an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server to help LLMs understand your React app’s component structure, states, and performance. It is designed for developers using Vite and React who want to give AI assistants live insight into their application.
How to use Vite React MCP?
Install it as a dev dependency with pnpm install vite-react-mcp -D and also install @babel/preset-react. Add ReactMCP() to your Vite config’s plugins array. For MCP integration, configure your client: in Cursor, create ./cursor/mcp.json with a url property pointing to http://localhost:3000/sse. In Claude Desktop, a workaround script is needed because it expects command‑based execution. You can also access the tools directly via window.__VITE_REACT_MCP_TOOLS__ in the browser console.
Key features of Vite React MCP
- Highlight a React component by its name on the page.
- Get component props, states, and contexts as JSON.
- Display the component tree of the current page in ASCII format.
- Report wasted re‑renders (unnecessary re‑renders) with a time filter.
- Works without the React DevTools extension.
Use cases of Vite React MCP
- Debug a complex component’s current props and state during a chat session.
- Identify and fix performance issues by listing unnecessary re‑renders.
- Let an LLM explore your app’s component hierarchy without reading the source code.
- Visually pinpoint a specific component on the page to verify its render state.
FAQ from Vite React MCP
What dependencies are required?
You need @babel/preset-react installed because the plugin traverses the AST to collect React component names.
How does it work without React DevTools?
It uses bippy to inject a __REACT_GLOBAL_DEVTOOLS_HOOK__ into the window, which provides access to React’s internal state without needing the DevTools extension.
What transport does the MCP server use?
The server exposes an HTTP endpoint via SSE at http://localhost:3000/sse (the same port as your Vite dev server).
Can I use this with Claude Desktop?
Yes, but it requires a custom bridge script because Claude Desktop expects command‑based execution, while this MCP server is HTTP‑based. See this discussion for details.
Does the component tree include all components by default?
No. By default it shows only self‑defined components. Pass allComponent: true to get the full tree.
