Summary
For developers building iOS apps with the new Liquid Glass aesthetic, this server wraps Apple's icon tooling into 12 MCP tools that generate, modify, and render .icon bundles programmatically. You can create bundles from SVG or PNG glyphs, configure specular highlights and blur materials, set dark mode overrides, and export App Store marketing assets. It calls ictool under the hood for native rendering but also supports flat previews cross-platform. The CLI doubles as an MCP server, so you can script icon generation workflows or let Claude handle bundle creation, layer positioning, and glass effect tuning through natural language. Requires macOS and Icon Composer installed via Homebrew for full Liquid Glass rendering. Works with Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, and Windsurf.
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Icon Composer MCP
CLI and MCP server for creating images, icons, and logos with Liquid Glass effects (iOS 26+). Not affiliated with Apple .
Demo
Key Features
- Create
.iconbundles programmatically from PNG or SVG glyphs - Full Liquid Glass support: specular highlights, blur material, shadows, translucency
- Dark mode + appearance variants with per-appearance fill specializations
- AI-agent ready: 12 MCP tools + 3 workflow prompts with built-in instructions
Installation
Claude Code
claude mcp add icon-composer -- npx -y icon-composer-mcp
Claude Desktop
Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"icon-composer": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "icon-composer-mcp"]
}
}
}
Add to .cursor/mcp.json in your project root (or ~/.cursor/mcp.json for global):
{
"mcpServers": {
"icon-composer": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "icon-composer-mcp"]
}
}
}
The server will appear in Cursor Settings > MCP Servers. No restart required.
VS Code
Add to .vscode/mcp.json in your project root (or open Command Palette > MCP: Open User Configuration for global):
Note: VS Code uses
"servers"(not"mcpServers") and requires a"type"field.
{
"servers": {
"icon-composer": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "icon-composer-mcp"]
}
}
}
You'll see Start/Stop/Restart buttons inline in the editor. First launch will prompt a trust confirmation.
First, enable MCP in Windsurf Settings > Cascade > Model Context Protocol (MCP).
Then add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"icon-composer": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "icon-composer-mcp"]
}
}
}
Press the refresh button in Windsurf settings to load the server.
Other MCP clients
The server uses stdio transport. Most MCP clients use this config format:
{
"mcpServers": {
"icon-composer": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "icon-composer-mcp"]
}
}
}
Or run the server directly:
npx -y icon-composer-mcp
CLI only (no MCP)
npm install -g icon-composer-mcp
icon-composer --help
How It Works
- Provide a glyph — any PNG or SVG logo/image
- Create a
.iconbundle — sets background fill, layer scale, and glass effects - Apple's ictool renders Liquid Glass — specular highlights, shadows, depth, and translucency
- Export — preview PNGs, App Store marketing icon, or the
.iconbundle for Xcode
Requirements
- Node.js 18+
- macOS with Icon Composer for Liquid Glass rendering
brew install --cask icon-composer - Flat previews, bundle creation/editing, and marketing export work on any platform without Icon Composer
Run icon-composer doctor to check your setup.
CLI Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
create | Create a new .icon bundle from a foreground image |
add-layer | Add a layer to an existing bundle |
remove | Remove a layer or group |
inspect | Read and display bundle contents |
glass | Configure Liquid Glass effects on a group |
appearance | Set dark/tinted mode overrides |
fill | Set background fill (solid, gradient, automatic, none) |
position | Set layer/group scale and offset |
fx | Toggle all glass effects on/off |
preview | Export a preview PNG (Liquid Glass or flat) |
render | Render pixel-perfect Liquid Glass via ictool |
export-marketing | Export flat 1024x1024 PNG for App Store Connect (no alpha) |
doctor | Check system setup and dependencies |
Details
create — Create a new .icon bundle
icon-composer create <foreground_path> <output_dir> --bg-color <hex> [options]
| Option | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
--bg-color <hex> | required | Background color (e.g. "#0A66C2") |
--bundle-name <name> | AppIcon | Bundle name (without .icon extension) |
--dark-bg-color <hex> | — | Dark mode background color |
--glyph-scale <n> | 1.0 | Glyph scale (1.0 = standard ~65% of icon area) |
--specular / --no-specular | true | Specular highlight |
--shadow-kind <kind> | layer-color | Shadow type: neutral, layer-color, none |
--shadow-opacity <n> | 0.5 | Shadow opacity (0–1) |
--blur-material <n> | — | Blur material value (0–1) |
--translucency-enabled | false | Enable translucency gradient |
--translucency-value <n> | 0.4 | Translucency amount (0–1) |
Output: Creates <output_dir>/<bundle_name>.icon/ containing icon.json manifest and Assets/ directory.
add-layer — Add a layer to an existing bundle
icon-composer add-layer <bundle_path> <image_path> --name <name> [options]
| Option | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
--name <name> | required | Layer name |
--group-index <n> | 0 | Target group index |
--create-group | false | Create a new group for this layer |
--opacity <n> | 1.0 | Layer opacity (0–1) |
--scale <n> | 1.0 | Layer scale |
--offset-x <n> | 0 | X offset in points |
--offset-y <n> | 0 | Y offset in points |
--blend-mode <mode> | normal | Blend mode (e.g. multiply, screen, overlay) |
--glass / --no-glass | true | Participate in Liquid Glass effects |
Supported formats: .png, .jpg, .jpeg, .svg, .webp, .heic, .heif
remove — Remove a layer or group
icon-composer remove <bundle_path> --target <layer|group> --group-index <n> [--layer-index <n>]
inspect — Read and display bundle contents
icon-composer inspect <bundle_path>
Output: Prints the full manifest JSON and lists all assets with sizes.
glass — Configure Liquid Glass effects
icon-composer glass <bundle_path> [options]
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
--group-index <n> | Target group (default: 0) |
--specular / --no-specular | Specular highlight |
--blur-material <n> | Blur amount (0–1) |
--shadow-kind <kind> | neutral, layer-color, or none |
--shadow-opacity <n> | Shadow opacity (0–1) |
--translucency-enabled / --no-translucency-enabled | Translucency toggle |
--translucency-value <n> | Translucency amount (0–1) |
--opacity <n> | Group opacity (0–1) |
--blend-mode <mode> | Group blend mode |
--lighting <type> | combined or individual |
appearance — Set dark/tinted mode overrides
icon-composer appearance <bundle_path> --target <fill|group|layer> --appearance <dark|tinted> [options]
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
--target <type> | fill (background color), group (glass effects), or layer (individual layer) |
--appearance <mode> | dark or tinted |
--group-index <n> | Group index (for target=group or target=layer) |
--layer-index <n> | Layer index within the group (required when target=layer) |
--bg-color <hex> | Background color for this appearance |
--specular / --no-specular | Specular for this appearance |
--shadow-kind <kind> | Shadow type for this appearance |
--shadow-opacity <n> | Shadow opacity for this appearance |
--opacity <n> | Opacity for this appearance |
--blur-material <n> | Blur material value (0–1) for this appearance |
--translucency-enabled / --no-translucency-enabled | Translucency toggle for this appearance |
--translucency-value <n> | Translucency amount (0–1) for this appearance |
--hidden / --no-hidden | Hidden state for this appearance |
--blend-mode <mode> | Blend mode for this appearance (target=layer) |
--fill-color <hex> | Fill color for this appearance (target=layer) |
--position-scale <n> | Position scale for this appearance |
--position-offset-x <n> | Position X offset for this appearance |
--position-offset-y <n> | Position Y offset for this appearance |
fill — Set background fill
icon-composer fill <bundle_path> --type <solid|gradient|automatic|none> [options]
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
--type <type> | solid, gradient, automatic, or none |
--color <hex> | Primary color (for solid or gradient bottom) |
--color2 <hex> | Secondary color (gradient top) |
--gradient-angle <n> | Gradient angle in degrees (default: 0) |
position — Set layer/group scale and offset
icon-composer position <bundle_path> [options]
| Option | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
--target <type> | layer | layer or group |
--group-index <n> | 0 | Group index |
--layer-index <n> | — | Layer index (required for --target layer) |
--scale <n> | — | Scale factor (0.05–3.0) |
--offset-x <n> | — | X offset in points |
--offset-y <n> | — | Y offset in points |
fx — Toggle all glass effects
icon-composer fx <bundle_path> --enable|--disable
Enables or disables specular, shadow, blur, and translucency on every group at once.
preview — Export a preview PNG
icon-composer preview <bundle_path> <output_path> [options]
| Option | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
--size <n> | 1024 | Output size in pixels |
--appearance <mode> | — | dark or tinted |
--flat | false | Force flat rendering (skip Liquid Glass) |
--canvas-bg <preset> | — | light, dark, checkerboard, homescreen-light, homescreen-dark |
--apple-preset <name> | — | Apple wallpaper: sine-purple-orange, sine-gasflame, sine-magenta, sine-green-yellow, sine-purple-orange-black, sine-gray |
--canvas-bg-color <hex> | — | Custom background color |
--canvas-bg-image <path> | — | Custom background image |
--zoom <n> | 1.0 | Zoom level (icon size relative to canvas) |
Output: PNG file. Uses Liquid Glass rendering by default (falls back to flat if Icon Composer is not installed).
render — Render Liquid Glass via ictool
icon-composer render <bundle_path> <output_path> [options]
| Option | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
--platform <name> | iOS | iOS, macOS, or watchOS |
--rendition <name> | Default | Default, Dark, TintedLight, TintedDark, ClearLight, ClearDark |
--width <n> | 1024 | Output width |
--height <n> | 1024 | Output height |
--scale <n> | 1 | Scale factor (1x, 2x, 3x) |
--light-angle <n> | — | Light angle (0–360) |
--tint-color <n> | — | Tint hue (0–1) |
--tint-strength <n> | — | Tint strength (0–1) |
| Canvas options | — | Same as preview |
Requires: Icon Composer.app installed. Returns an error with install instructions if missing.
export-marketing — Export for App Store Connect
icon-composer export-marketing <bundle_path> <output_path> [--size <n>]
Output: Flat PNG with no alpha channel (avoids ITMS-90717 rejection). Default 1024x1024.
doctor — Check system setup
icon-composer doctor
Output: Reports Node version, platform, ictool path and version. Prints install instructions if Icon Composer is missing.
MCP Tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
create_icon | Create a .icon bundle from a foreground image and background color |
add_layer_to_icon | Add a new layer to an existing bundle |
remove_layer | Remove a layer or group, optionally clean up assets |
read_icon | Inspect bundle manifest and assets |
set_glass_effects | Configure specular, blur, shadow, translucency |
set_appearances | Set dark/tinted mode overrides |
set_fill | Set background fill |
set_layer_position | Adjust layer scale and offset |
toggle_fx | Enable/disable all glass effects at once |
export_preview | Render a preview PNG |
render_liquid_glass | Render via Apple's ictool (requires Icon Composer) |
export_marketing | Export flat opaque PNG for App Store Connect |
All tools return { content: [{ type: "text", text: "..." }], isError?: true }.
Details
create_icon
Create a .icon bundle from a foreground image.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
foreground_path | string | yes | — | Absolute path to PNG or SVG |
output_dir | string | yes | — | Output directory |
bundle_name | string | no | AppIcon | Bundle name |
bg_color | string | yes | — | Background hex color |
dark_bg_color | string | no | — | Dark mode background color |
glyph_scale | number | no | 1.0 | Glyph scale (0.1–2.0) |
specular | boolean | no | true | Specular highlight |
shadow_kind | enum | no | layer-color | neutral, layer-color, none |
shadow_opacity | number | no | 0.5 | Shadow opacity (0–1) |
blur_material | number | no | — | Blur amount (0–1) |
translucency_enabled | boolean | no | false | Enable translucency |
translucency_value | number | no | 0.4 | Translucency amount (0–1) |
add_layer_to_icon
add_layer_to_icon
Add a layer to an existing bundle.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
bundle_path | string | yes | — | Path to .icon bundle |
image_path | string | yes | — | Path to image file |
layer_name | string | yes | — | Layer name |
group_index | number | no | 0 | Target group |
create_group | boolean | no | false | Create new group |
opacity | number | no | 1.0 | Layer opacity (0–1) |
scale | number | no | 1.0 | Layer scale (0.1–2.0) |
offset_x | number | no | 0 | X offset |
offset_y | number | no | 0 | Y offset |
blend_mode | enum | no | normal | Blend mode |
glass | boolean | no | true | Glass participation |
remove_layer
remove_layer
Remove a layer or group. layer_index required when target=layer.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
bundle_path | string | yes | — |
target | enum | yes | — |
group_index | number | yes | — |
layer_index | number | no | — |
cleanup_assets | boolean | no | true |
read_icon
read_icon
Inspect a bundle. Returns full manifest JSON and asset list with sizes.
| Parameter | Type | Required |
|---|---|---|
bundle_path | string | yes |
set_glass_effects
set_glass_effects
Configure Liquid Glass on a group. All effect parameters are optional — only provided values are changed.
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
bundle_path | string | — | Path to bundle |
group_index | number | 0 | Target group |
specular | boolean | — | Specular toggle |
blur_material | number|null | — | Blur (0–1, null to disable) |
shadow_kind | enum | — | neutral, layer-color, none |
shadow_opacity | number | — | Shadow opacity (0–1) |
translucency_enabled | boolean | — | Translucency toggle |
translucency_value | number | — | Translucency amount (0–1) |
opacity | number | — | Group opacity (0–1) |
blend_mode | enum | — | Blend mode |
lighting | enum | — | combined or individual |
set_appearances
set_appearances
Set dark/tinted overrides for background fill, group effects, or individual layer properties.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
bundle_path | string | yes | Path to bundle |
target | enum | yes | fill, group, or layer |
appearance | enum | yes | dark or tinted |
group_index | number | no | Group index (for target=group or target=layer) |
layer_index | number | no | Layer index within the group (required when target=layer) |
bg_color | string | no | Background color for this appearance (target=fill) |
specular | boolean | no | Specular for this appearance (target=group) |
shadow_kind | enum | no | Shadow type (target=group) |
shadow_opacity | number | no | Shadow opacity (target=group) |
opacity | number | no | Opacity for this appearance (target=group or target=layer) |
blur_material | number|null | no | Blur material for this appearance (target=group) |
translucency_enabled | boolean | no | Enable translucency for this appearance (target=group) |
translucency_value | number | no | Translucency amount for this appearance (target=group) |
hidden | boolean | no | Hidden state for this appearance (target=group or target=layer) |
blend_mode | enum | no | Blend mode for this appearance (target=layer) |
fill_color | string | no | Fill color hex for this appearance (target=layer) |
position_scale | number | no | Position scale for this appearance (0.05–3.0) |
position_offset_x | number | no | Position X offset for this appearance |
position_offset_y | number | no | Position Y offset for this appearance |
set_fill
set_fill
Set background fill.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
bundle_path | string | yes | Path to bundle |
fill_type | enum | yes | solid, gradient, automatic, none |
color | string | no | Hex color (solid or gradient bottom) |
color2 | string | no | Gradient top color |
gradient_angle | number | no | Angle in degrees (default: 0) |
set_layer_position
set_layer_position
Adjust layer or group scale and offset.
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
bundle_path | string | — | Path to bundle |
target | enum | layer | layer or group |
group_index | number | 0 | Group index |
layer_index | number | — | Layer index (for target=layer) |
scale | number | — | Scale (0.05–3.0) |
offset_x | number | — | X offset |
offset_y | number | — | Y offset |
toggle_fx
toggle_fx
Enable or disable all glass effects on every group.
| Parameter | Type | Required |
|---|---|---|
bundle_path | string | yes |
enabled | boolean | yes |
export_preview
export_preview
Render a preview PNG. Uses Liquid Glass by default, falls back to flat.
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
bundle_path | string | — | Path to bundle |
output_path | string | — | Output PNG path |
size | number | 1024 | Output size (16–2048) |
appearance | enum | — | dark or tinted |
flat | boolean | false | Force flat rendering |
canvas_bg | enum | — | Preset background |
apple_preset | enum | — | Apple wallpaper preset |
canvas_bg_color | string | — | Custom background hex |
canvas_bg_image | string | — | Background image path |
zoom | number | 1.0 | Zoom level (0.1–3.0) |
return_image | boolean | true | Return rendered image inline as base64 |
render_liquid_glass
render_liquid_glass
Pixel-perfect Liquid Glass via Apple's ictool. Requires Icon Composer.app.
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
bundle_path | string | — | Path to bundle |
output_path | string | — | Output PNG path |
platform | enum | iOS | iOS, macOS, watchOS |
rendition | enum | Default | Default, Dark, TintedLight, TintedDark, ClearLight, ClearDark |
width | number | 1024 | Output width (16–2048) |
height | number | 1024 | Output height (16–2048) |
scale | number | 1 | Scale factor (1–3) |
light_angle | number | — | Light angle (0–360) |
tint_color | number | — | Tint hue (0–1) |
tint_strength | number | — | Tint strength (0–1) |
| Canvas options | — | — | Same as export_preview |
return_image | boolean | true | Return rendered image inline as base64 |
export_marketing
export_marketing
Flat marketing PNG for App Store Connect. No glass effects, no alpha channel.
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
bundle_path | string | — | Path to bundle |
output_path | string | — | Output PNG path |
size | number | 1024 | Output size (16–2048) |
return_image | boolean | true | Return rendered image inline as base64 |
MCP Prompts
| Prompt | Parameters | Description |
|---|---|---|
create-app-icon | image_path, output_dir, brand_color, dark_color? | Guided workflow: create icon from a logo, preview, iterate, export |
add-dark-mode | bundle_path, dark_color | Add dark mode to an existing icon with before/after preview |
export-for-app-store | bundle_path, output_dir | Export marketing PNG + preview for App Store submission |
Example Workflows
Create a branded icon
# Create with brand color
icon-composer create logo.svg ./out --bg-color "#0A66C2"
# Add dark mode
icon-composer appearance ./out/AppIcon.icon --target fill --appearance dark --bg-color "#0D1B2A"
# Configure glass effects
icon-composer glass ./out/AppIcon.icon --specular --shadow-kind layer-color --blur-material 0.3
# Preview
icon-composer preview ./out/AppIcon.icon preview.png
Export for App Store
# Marketing icon (flat, no alpha, 1024x1024)
icon-composer export-marketing ./out/AppIcon.icon marketing.png
# The .icon bundle goes into your Xcode project's asset catalog
Multi-layer icon with glass
# Create base icon
icon-composer create background.svg ./out --bg-color "#1C1C2E"
# Add foreground layers
icon-composer add-layer ./out/AppIcon.icon glyph.svg --name glyph --opacity 0.8
icon-composer add-layer ./out/AppIcon.icon badge.svg --name badge --create-group
# Configure glass per group
icon-composer glass ./out/AppIcon.icon --group-index 0 --specular --blur-material 0.3
icon-composer glass ./out/AppIcon.icon --group-index 1 --specular --shadow-kind neutral
# Render Liquid Glass
icon-composer render ./out/AppIcon.icon glass-preview.png
Limitations
- Liquid Glass rendering requires macOS with Apple's Icon Composer.app installed. Flat rendering works everywhere.
- ClearLight/ClearDark renditions render against gray. Apple's glass transparency requires Metal GPU, not available via CLI.
Architecture
src/lib/ Pure library (bundle, manifest, render, ictool)
src/lib/ops-*.ts Operations layer (MCP result format)
src/cli.ts CLI (Commander.js, 14 commands)
src/server.ts MCP server (thin wrapper, 12 tools + 3 prompts)
Contributing
# Install dependencies
bun install
# Run tests
bun test # 175 unit tests
npm run test:mcp # 16 MCP integration tests
# Build
bun run build
# Visual test gallery
bun src/cli.ts visual-test --out ./gallery
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UpdatedApr 6, 2026
