scaffold-addon-project
Scaffold a new Adobe Express add-on project based on sample templates
LABSCO SUMMARY
Two documentation modes, and the local one is why it keeps working.
GitHub mode gives you current examples straight from Adobe's sample repository; local mode parses those repositories once into a knowledge base that needs no token and no network. If you are building add-ons regularly, the local path is the one that does not stop working when you hit a rate limit. It is a community project, not an Adobe one.
What it is
A community MCP server for people building Adobe Express add-ons. It splits into developer tools — scaffolding a project from sample templates, fetching code examples, getting implementation guidance for a feature — and documentation tools that search the Adobe Express add-ons docs and the Spectrum Web Components repository. Documentation can come live from the GitHub API or from a knowledge base you build locally.
What you get
- A new add-on project scaffolded from the official sample templates rather than an invented skeleton
- Code examples for common add-on features, fetched dynamically from GitHub when in GitHub mode
- Implementation guidance for a specific feature you are adding
- The Adobe Express SDK and Spectrum Web Components documentation searched —
queryDocumentation - A switch between live GitHub lookups and a locally parsed knowledge base —
setKnowledgeSource - An installer that writes the VS Code and workspace configuration for you:
express-mcp-install,express-mcp-workspace,express-mcp-help
Requirements
Node.js v18 or newer, and npm install -g community-express-dev-mcp or a clone plus npm run build. GitHub mode is the default and wants a GitHub Personal Access Token in MCP_GITHUB_PAT — without one you will hit GitHub's rate limits. Local mode is the alternative: clone the two documentation repositories, run npm run parse-docs to produce dist/knowledge_base.json, and set KNOWLEDGE_SOURCE_MODE. For VS Code you also need version 1.99 or newer, the GitHub Copilot extension, and chat.mcp.enabled turned on.
Setup effort
One command plus credentials — npm install -g community-express-dev-mcp, then supply credentials
USE CASES
01
Starting an add-on without copying someone's folder
Scaffold from the official sample templates so the project structure matches what Adobe expects.
02
Getting a working example rather than a plausible one
Pull code examples for the feature you are adding straight from the samples repository instead of letting the model reconstruct the API.
03
Answering an SDK question mid-build
Search the Express SDK and Spectrum Web Components documentation from inside the editor.
04
Working offline or past a rate limit
Parse the documentation repositories into a local knowledge base once, then switch the server to local mode.
6 tools
Listed in project code.
get-code-example
Get code examples for common Adobe Express add-on features
implement-feature
Get implementation guidance for adding a feature to an Adobe Express add-on
getAssistantCapabilities
Get the current capabilities, status, and configuration of the Adobe Express & Spectrum Assistant.
setKnowledgeSource
Set the knowledge source mode for the assistant (github or local).
queryDocumentation
Query the Adobe Express SDK and Spectrum Web Components documentation.
BEFORE YOU INSTALL
What to know first
Tools you get
6 tools registered in the project's code.
Requires
- npm on PATH
- Node.js environment
- MCP_GITHUB_PAT in your environment
INSTALLATION
Connect your client
Server setup
TERMINAL
npm install -g community-express-dev-mcpMCP Clients
Claude Desktop
CLAUDE DESKTOP · JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"adobe-express": {
"command": "node",
"args": [
"<YOUR_PATH_TO_COMMUNITY_EXPRESS_DEV_MCP>/dist/src/index.js"
]
}
}
}The configuration on this page does not set MCP_GITHUB_PAT; the project's instructions put it in a .env file. Check which folder the server reads that file from before you rely on it.
VS Code — global
VS CODE — GLOBAL
express-mcp-installVS Code — workspace
VS CODE — WORKSPACE
express-mcp-workspace
