DESIGNmd CLI

Zero context overhead

Search, download, and upload design systems from your terminal. Unlike MCP servers which consume context window tokens on every conversation, the CLI has zero overhead — it only uses tokens when you actually run a command.

Why CLI over MCP?

MCP Server

  • Tool definitions loaded into every conversation (~1-2K tokens)
  • AI discovers tools automatically
  • Structured JSON responses

CLI

  • Zero context window overhead
  • Only costs tokens when a command runs
  • Works with any AI tool that has shell access

Installation

Install globally with npm:

npm install -g designmd

Or run without installing using npx designmd

Set up your API key

You need a free API key to download and view design systems. Searching and browsing tags work without one. Create your API key, then set it in your shell: 

export DESIGNMD_API_KEY=dk_your-key-here

Add this to your ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc so it persists across sessions.

Commands

Search for design systems

designmd search "dark fintech"
designmd search --tag minimal --tag saas
designmd search --sort trending --limit 5

View a design system

Requires an API key.

designmd get shafius/neon-fintech
designmd get shafius/neon-fintech --json

Download a design system

Requires an API key.

# Save as DESIGN.md in the current directory
designmd download shafius/neon-fintech

# Save to a specific path
designmd download shafius/neon-fintech -o ./my-project/DESIGN.md

Upload a design system

Requires an API key.

designmd upload ./DESIGN.md --name "My Kit" --tags dark,saas,minimal

Browse tags

designmd tags

Setup per AI Coding Tool

Add one line to your project's config so your AI agent knows the CLI is available.

Claude Code

Add to your project's CLAUDE.md: 

# Design System
Use the `designmd` CLI to search and download design systems from designmd.ai.
Run `designmd --help` for available commands.

~20 tokens vs ~1-2K tokens with MCP. Claude Code will run CLI commands via shell when you ask about design systems.

Cursor

Add to your project's .cursorrules: 

# Design System
Use the `designmd` CLI to search and download design systems from designmd.ai.
Run `designmd --help` for available commands.

Antigravity

Add to your project's GEMINI.md: 

# Design System
Use the `designmd` CLI to search and download design systems from designmd.ai.
Run `designmd --help` for available commands.

JSON output

All commands support --json for structured output that AI agents can parse easily: 

designmd search "minimal" --json
designmd get shafius/neon-fintech --json

Prefer the auto-discovery of MCP?

Set up the MCP instead Explore