# PaperBanana MCP server

> Generate academic diagrams and statistical plots from text descriptions using a multi-agent pipeline.

- Listing: https://mcp.tc/i/paperbanana
- Connect: this is a local (stdio) server; install it on your machine (see Install). The listing link is a page, not an MCP endpoint.
- Type: local (stdio)
- Auth: no API key needed
- Category: [AI & Machine Learning](https://mcp.tc/c/ai-ml)
- Vendor: llmsresearch
- Repository: <https://github.com/llmsresearch/paperbanana>
- Package: pypi `paperbanana`

## About

PaperBanana is an open source, community implementation of the PaperBanana paper on automated academic illustration. It turns methodology text and captions into publication-style diagrams and statistical plots, using a pipeline of retriever, planner, stylist, visualizer and critic agents with iterative refinement. It also offers a CLI, a Python API, batch generation and a local Gradio web UI.

The MCP server runs locally over stdio from the PyPI package paperbanana, started with uvx. It needs Python 3.10 or newer and an API key for a supported provider: OpenAI or Azure OpenAI, Google Gemini, Atlas Cloud or OpenRouter. It is not affiliated with the original paper authors or Google Research.

## What it can do

- Generate methodology diagrams from text and a caption
- Create statistical plots from CSV or JSON data
- Refine output iteratively with a critic agent
- Optimize input text and captions before generation
- Run batch generation from a manifest file
- Use OpenAI, Azure, Gemini, Atlas Cloud or OpenRouter models

## Example prompts

- "Generate a diagram of my encoder-decoder method from this description"
- "Create a bar chart plot from results.csv for my paper"
- "Make an overview figure with the caption 'Our agent framework'"
- "Refine the last diagram using my feedback about layout"

## Install

### Claude Code

1. Run this in a terminal, in your project folder:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport stdio paperbanana -- uvx paperbanana
```

2. Start Claude Code and type `/mcp`. **paperbanana** should show as connected.

Add `--scope user` to make it available in every project.

### Claude Desktop

1. Open **Settings → Developer → Edit Config**. It opens `claude_desktop_config.json`. Add:

`claude_desktop_config.json`:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "paperbanana": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "paperbanana"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

2. Save the file and restart Claude Desktop.

Needs uv (Python) on your computer. The file lives in `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/` on macOS and `%APPDATA%\Claude\` on Windows.

### Cursor

[Add to Cursor](<https://cursor.com/install-mcp?name=paperbanana&config=eyJjb21tYW5kIjoidXZ4IiwiYXJncyI6WyJwYXBlcmJhbmFuYSJdfQ%3D%3D>) (opens Cursor)

Or add it by hand to `~/.cursor/mcp.json` (all projects) or `.cursor/mcp.json` (this project):

`mcp.json`:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "paperbanana": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "paperbanana"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

Needs uv (Python) on your computer.

### VS Code

[Install in VS Code](<https://vscode.dev/redirect/mcp/install?name=paperbanana&config=%7B%22type%22%3A%22stdio%22%2C%22command%22%3A%22uvx%22%2C%22args%22%3A%5B%22paperbanana%22%5D%7D>) (opens VS Code)

Or from a terminal:

```bash
code --add-mcp '{"name":"paperbanana","type":"stdio","command":"uvx","args":["paperbanana"]}'
```

Or commit it to the repo in `.vscode/mcp.json`:

`.vscode/mcp.json`:

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "paperbanana": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "paperbanana"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

Needs uv (Python) on your computer.

### Devin Desktop

1. Add it to `~/.config/devin/mcp_config.json` (macOS and Linux) or `%APPDATA%\devin\mcp_config.json` (Windows):

`mcp_config.json`:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "paperbanana": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "paperbanana"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

2. Refresh the MCP server list in Cascade.

Devin Desktop is the new name for Windsurf.

### Codex

```bash
codex mcp add paperbanana -- uvx paperbanana
```

Or edit `~/.codex/config.toml` directly:

`config.toml`:

```toml
[mcp_servers.paperbanana]
command = "uvx"
args = ["paperbanana"]
```

Needs uv (Python) on your computer.

### Gemini CLI

```bash
gemini mcp add paperbanana uvx paperbanana
```

This adds it to the current project. Add `-s user` to use it everywhere.

### Any client

Most clients that start local servers accept this shape:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "paperbanana": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "paperbanana"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

Zed puts servers under `context_servers` in its settings, with the same `command`, `args` and `env` fields.

Needs uv (Python) on your computer.

## Recent changes

- 2026-10-06 21:22 UTC: Tracking started: version 0.3.0. Source: automatic check.

More on the History tab, with descriptions before and after for the newest entries: https://mcp.tc/i/paperbanana#history (Atom feed: https://mcp.tc/i/paperbanana/history.xml). It records what mcp.tc's anonymous checks saw, every 3 hours where the tool list can be read without sign-in; it is not a security review.

## Details

- Server version: 0.3.0
- Last checked: 2026-10-05
- Listed: 2026-10-05
- Updated: 2026-10-05

---
Source: https://mcp.tc/i/paperbanana (mcp.tc is an independent directory, not affiliated with this server's publisher). Corrections: https://mcp.tc/report