Whimsical’s remote MCP connects AI assistants such as Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and Codex to one Whimsical workspace. It lets them search, read, create, organize, and edit content using your Whimsical permissions.

This article covers the remote MCP only. It is hosted by Whimsical, requires nothing to run locally, and is the recommended option for most people.

Before you startCopied!Link to this section

Your AI assistant chooses and combines tools for you. You normally describe the result you want rather than naming a tool. Tool names are useful when you want to understand what happened or give more precise instructions.

• Each remote MCP connection is bound to one workspace. Tools do not take a workspace_id.
• Read tools use the files you can access. Creating, editing, moving, renaming, copying, deleting, and commenting require the relevant workspace and file permissions.
• Locked objects cannot be edited through MCP. Content in the trash, or inside a trashed folder, cannot be edited either.

Find and understand contentCopied!Link to this section

search

Search file and folder titles or the content inside Whimsical files. Search can filter by file type and by created or updated date.

Example prompts:

file_tree

Browse the workspace hierarchy, including Private, Shared, teams, folders, files, and multipage files. Use it when you know where something is organized but not its exact title.

Example prompts:

fetch

Read a board, doc, folder, multipage file, or a specific Whimsical link. A link can point to a doc section, board object, or board position, so the assistant can read only the relevant part.

• Boards can be returned as structured content or a rendered image.
• Boards with more than 200 objects are returned one page at a time. The response tells the assistant how to fetch the next page.
• Docs can be read in markdown form, including mentions, Whimsical item references, highlights, line breaks, callouts, list start numbers, and comment markers.
• Workspace guests can read files shared with them, just as they can in the app.

how_to

Look up Whimsical-specific syntax, supported object types, colors, icons, font sizes, and formatting rules. Assistants usually call this automatically before creating complex content.

Create contentCopied!Link to this section

create_file

Create an empty board, doc, or folder. The new item can be created in a folder, team, multipage file, or doc.

It can also add a board, doc, or folder as a new page of an existing file. If the existing file is not already multipage, Whimsical converts it into a multipage file and keeps it as the first page.

Example prompts:

add_board_content

Add an auto-laid-out flowchart, mind map, sequence diagram, sticky-note cluster, table, or wireframe to an existing board. For individual shapes, text, connectors, or precise freeform placement, the assistant uses edit instead.

Example prompts:

add_doc_content

Append markdown to a doc. It supports headings, lists, links, code blocks, tables, mentions, Whimsical item references, highlights, and callouts.

Example prompts:

Edit boards and docsCopied!Link to this section

edit

Add, update, group, move, or delete individual objects on a board, and edit the blocks and tables in a doc.

• On boards, edit can work with shapes, text, connectors, icons, sticky notes, tables, groups, mind maps, and sequence diagrams.
• In docs, replace_text changes matching words in place while preserving surrounding comments, links, mentions, and formatting.
• For exact doc edits, fetch can return markdown that edit accepts again, including Whimsical-specific tags and comment markers.
• A failed multi-step edit tells the assistant if part of the request was saved. The assistant should fetch the file before retrying.

wireframe_edit

Change or reflow an existing wireframe. It can add, restyle, and rearrange wireframe elements, then run the layout again. Use this for an existing wireframe; add_board_content creates a new one.

auto_layout

Rearrange a flowchart and reroute its connectors. It supports common orientations and spacing options.

Organize filesCopied!Link to this section

copy

Duplicate a board, doc, folder, or multipage file. A copy can stay beside the original or go into a folder, team, multipage file, or doc, with a new title.

Copies are created immediately and filled in shortly afterward. Until the copy finishes, it cannot be read or edited.

rename

Rename a board, doc, folder, or multipage file. Locked files, items in the trash, and library content cannot be renamed.

move

Move a board, doc, folder, or multipage file to another folder, section, team, multipage file, or doc. Files can also be moved out of a doc. Moving into or out of a locked doc is refused.

delete

Move a file or folder to the trash, or delete supported objects from a board. Deleted files can be restored from Whimsical’s Trash.

Work with commentsCopied!Link to this section

comment_read

Read comment threads on a board or doc, including comments attached to a specific object, block, text selection, or table cell.

comment_edit

Create, reply to, edit, resolve, reopen, or delete comment threads. Comments can use markdown formatting.

How the tools work togetherCopied!Link to this section

Most requests use several tools in sequence. For example:

1. search finds the architecture board.
2. fetch reads the current diagram.
3. edit adds the cache and connectors.
4. auto_layout tidies the result.

1. file_tree finds the project folder.
2. create_file creates the doc there.
3. add_doc_content fills it with the brief.

Tips for better promptsCopied!Link to this section

• Name the format you want: flowchart, mind map, sequence diagram, wireframe, board, doc, or table.
• Reference existing files by title or paste their Whimsical links.
• Describe the content and desired outcome, not only the action.
• Ask your assistant for a summary of the tools available in its current connection:

Limits and compatibilityCopied!Link to this section

• Remote MCP allows up to 300 requests per minute and 3,600 per hour for a connection. If a limit is reached, the response says when requests can resume.
• If a call is interrupted, it may have saved changes. The response warns when this is possible; fetch the file before asking the assistant to try again.
• Files made from a template may need to be opened in Whimsical once before MCP can read or edit their contents.
• Older clients may remember retired tool names such as create, doc_create, generate_*, list_workspaces, or workspace_id. Reconnect or refresh the connector to receive the current tool list.

Your client may also show get_board_items and get_theme_data. These support interactive board previews and are normally called automatically; you do not need to prompt for them.