Guide · Mac · PRO

Use Pixora with Claude

Pixora on the Mac can run a small MCP server (Model Context Protocol). Claude Desktop and Claude Code connect to it and read and edits your projects as pixel data — every pixel, layer, palette and frame — instead of looking at screenshots. Edits appear on the canvas right away and can be undone with ⌘Z.

You need

Pixora for Mac (macOS 27 or later) with Pixora Pro
Claude Desktop or Claude Code, signed in with your Claude account (no API key needed)

First, turn on the connection in Pixora

Open Pixora → Settings (⌘,) → Connect AI Apps and switch on “Let AI apps edit my projects”. The status turns green and shows http://127.0.0.1:47123/mcp. The same switch is in the Pixora Pro window (click PRO in the toolbar).

Claude Desktop (1 minute)

Click Add to Claude Desktop

In Pixora, click Add to Claude Desktop. Pixora copies your token and opens the Pixora extension in Claude.
Install and paste the token

In Claude's window, click Install, paste the token (⌘V) into Pixora token, save, and make sure the extension is turned on.
Ask Claude

Start a new chat and ask, for example, “List my Pixora projects.” Claude uses the Pixora tools directly, without taking over your screen. Allow the tools when Claude asks the first time.

You can also download the extension and double-click it. Your token is in Pixora → Settings → Connect AI Apps → Show. If it changes (New Token), update it in Claude → Settings → Extensions → Pixora.

Claude Code (2 minutes)

Copy the command

Click Copy Claude Code Command. It looks like this, with your own secret token:
```
claude mcp add -s user --transport http pixora http://127.0.0.1:47123/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer pxr_…"
```
Paste it into Terminal and press Return. -s user makes Pixora available in every folder, not just the current one.
Check the connection
```
claude mcp list
```
You should see pixora … ✓ Connected. Inside a Claude Code session, /mcp shows the same.

Ask Claude to draw

Keep Pixora open (open the project if you want to watch it change live), start claude and try:

Open my Pixora project "Pixo" and give the cat a tiny wizard hat on a new layer.
Make a 6-frame idle animation of frame 1 (gentle bounce + blink) and set 10 fps.
In my "Dungeon" project, add a page "Items" with 16×16 plates for a coin, a key and a potion, and draw each one.
Recolor every frame of "Pixo" as a blue night version, keeping the shading.
Find stray single pixels in frame 3 and clean them up.

What Claude can do

Tool	What it does
`list_projects`	Your projects with size, frames and layers
`get_project`	The project's pages and the plates (sprites) on each
`get_plate`	One plate's palette, layers (visibility, opacity, lock) and frame timing
`create_plate`, `add_page`	New sprites and pages inside the same project — keep a whole game's assets together
`get_frame`	A frame as a color table plus one character grid per layer (optionally a PNG)
`edit_frame`	Rewrites whole layers in a frame, or adds new layers
`add_frames`	Appends animation frames
`set_pixels`	Touches up individual pixels
`add_layer`, `set_fps`	New layer on top, frame rate
`set_tag`	Name a run of frames as an animation ("idle", "walk") — exported with sprite sheets
`create_tilemap`, `set_tiles`	Build level maps from tile plates, on layers (incl. collision), with auto-tiling terrains
`create_project`	A new empty project (up to 512×512)
`export_png`	A frame as a crisp, scaled-up PNG

A project holds pages (like “Characters”, “Items”) and each page holds plates — separate sprites, like Figma frames. Drawing tools take a plate name; without it they use the first plate. Grid edits work on plates up to 64×64 (larger ones can use set_pixels). Locked layers are never changed.

Troubleshooting

“Failed to connect” in claude mcp list

Pixora must be running with the switch on. Check Settings → Connect AI Apps: the status should be green. If you changed the port, run claude mcp remove pixora and add the new command.

Claude Desktop controls the screen instead of using Pixora's tools

The extension isn't installed or is turned off. Check Claude → Settings → Extensions → Pixora, and start a new chat after turning it on.

“Pixora rejected the token” in Claude Desktop

The token changed. Copy it again in Pixora (Add to Claude Desktop) and paste it in Claude → Settings → Extensions → Pixora.

“Missing or wrong token” (401)

The token was regenerated. Run claude mcp remove pixora, then paste the newly copied command.

The status shows an error like “Address already in use”

Another app uses port 47123. Pick another port in Settings (for example 47124), then re-add the command.

“Connecting AI apps needs Pixora Pro”

Unlock Pro in Settings → AI Models → Pixora Pro (or use Restore Purchases).

Claude changed the wrong thing

Press ⌘Z in Pixora — every Claude edit is one undo step when the project is open.

Other MCP apps

Any app that supports MCP over HTTP can connect with the same address and header, for example in a JSON config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pixora": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:47123/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer pxr_…" }
    }
  }
}

For apps that only start local commands (stdio), the community bridge mcp-remote works: npx mcp-remote http://127.0.0.1:47123/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer pxr_…".

Privacy and safety

The server only listens on 127.0.0.1: nothing on your network or the internet can reach it.
Every request needs your secret token; websites can't use it from your browser.
Pixora sends nothing anywhere. What Claude reads is handled by Claude Code under Anthropic's terms.
Turn the switch off at any time to stop all connections.

iPhone and iPad can't host a connection for desktop apps; use the Mac version.

Use Pixora with Claude

First, turn on the connection in Pixora

Claude Desktop (1 minute)

Click Add to Claude Desktop

Install and paste the token

Ask Claude