Buoy MCP Server

Catch design drift before it ships. AI coding tools are fast - but they don't know your design system. They'll write 3b82f6 when you have --color-primary. They'll use padding: 17px when your spacing scale is multiples of 4. It runs locally over stdio via the published package.

People who work with code review and design system and want it reachable from Claude, Cursor, VS Code, or another MCP client. The project is written in TypeScript.

VERIFIED ACTIVE

LAST COMMIT 2026-09-24 · ★ 19 · #23 OF 180 MAINTAINED DEVELOPER TOOLS · VERIFIED 2026-09-30

MIT · TypeScript servers · how we verify → /methodology

01 · Install Buoy

Claude Code

claude mcp add ahoybuoy-buoy -- npx -y @buoy-design/cli

Claude Desktop / Cursor / VS Code - add to config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ahoybuoy-buoy": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@buoy-design/cli"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Same JSON for Cursor. For VS Code, rename the top-level key from `mcpServers` to `servers`.

Using another client? Same JSON, different key

Claude Desktop · mcpServers

Cursor · mcpServers

VS Code · servers

Windsurf · mcpServers

Zed · context_servers

Cline · mcpServers

Roo Code · mcpServers

Continue · mcpServers

LibreChat · mcpServers

Gemini CLI · mcpServers

Codex CLI · mcp_servers

Full setup guides: every client.

02 · Evidence

Security posture

What to check before giving this server access to your agent - from the registry, GitHub, and our own probes. We don't score safety; we show what's verifiable.

runs as local process (stdio) - runs on your machine with your user's permissions

license MIT - declared in the repository

npm package @buoy-design/cli - the @buoy-design scope differs from the repo owner (ahoybuoy); confirm it's the project's official package

registry namespace io.github.ahoybuoy is GitHub-verified and matches the repo owner

03 · What Buoy can do

Prose above is summarized from the project's README and registry record - no invented capabilities.

Latest releases

v0.8.7 · 2026-09-24

buoy drift check --staged reports hardcoded values on the staged lines only, not every literal already in the staged files. · The Claude Code hook (buoy mcp hook) reports issues on lines that differ from HEAD only, so…

v0.8.6 · 2026-09-24

Buoy now checks whether the code says a value is deliberate before flagging it: · A comment on or directly above the line that explains it (workaround, alignment, because, per design, browser quirks) or marks known…

v0.8.5 · 2026-09-24

Example apps, demos, benchmarks, playgrounds, evals and create--app templates are no longer scanned for hardcoded values. test/, tests/, e2e/, cypress/ and playwright/ folders count as tests. · The stylesheet pass…

04 · Who maintains Buoy

buoy is maintained by ahoybuoy. It's the only MCP server we track from this author; the repo dates to Dec 2025.

05 · Facts

repository: github.com/ahoybuoy/buoy
category: developer tools - ranked #23 of 180 actively-maintained developer tools servers as of 2026-09-30.
release cadence: 10+ releases in the last 90 days (latest 2026-09-24)
registry: io.github.ahoybuoy/buoy (active, first published 2026-09-24 · 11 versions)
packages: npm:@buoy-design/cli

06 · Buoy FAQ

What is Buoy?

Is Buoy still maintained?

Yes - as of 2026-09-30, its last commit was 2026-09-24 and it shipped 10+ releases in the last 90 days. We re-verify nightly.

How do I install Buoy?

Run `npx -y @buoy-design/cli`. You can also paste the ready-made client config above.

Does Buoy run locally?

Yes - it's a stdio server: it runs on your machine (via npx) with your user's permissions. Your data stays local unless the server itself calls external APIs.

07 · Alternatives to Buoy

Alternatives to Buoy

Maintained developer tools servers if Buoy isn't the fit.

Pairs well with

Servers that cover what Buoy doesn't - only shown when the pairing reason fits the companion.

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