Shadcn MCP for Amazon Q Developer CLI

One MCP URL gives Amazon Q Developer CLI live tools to search, preview, and install every block, component, and icon on shadcn.io — no hallucinated props, no broken installs.

Install

Open ~/.aws/amazonq/mcp.json (create it if it doesn't exist) and add the shadcnio server:

Paste it in once signed in with an active shadcn.io Pro subscription — the config carries your personal token through the mcp-remote bridge, so treat the URL like an API key. Pro starts at $19/mo and includes MCP access across every editor plus 6,000+ production-ready blocks. Not Pro yet? See what you unlock →

Amazon Q Developer CLI supports STDIO-transport MCP servers. Since shadcn.io is a remote HTTP server, the config uses mcp-remote (published on npm) as a thin adapter that launches locally and proxies HTTP into STDIO frames Amazon Q can read.

Workspace-level config

Amazon Q also supports workspace-scoped config at .amazonq/mcp.json at the root of a repo. If both global (~/.aws/amazonq/mcp.json) and workspace files exist, workspace wins for servers with the same name. For teams, commit a sanitized version:

{
"mcpServers": {
  "shadcnio": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": [
      "-y",
      "mcp-remote",
      "https://www.shadcn.io/api/mcp?token=${SHADCNIO_TOKEN}"
    ]
  }
}
}

Each teammate exports SHADCNIO_TOKEN in their shell (or a git-ignored .env). A Team or Organization plan gives every workspace member their own Pro entitlement.

Install your first block

use shadcnio to install hero-announcement into my project

What Amazon Q actually does, in order:

1. search_items({ query: "hero-announcement" }) to confirm the slug resolves.
2. get_item({ name: "hero-announcement" }) for a cheap metadata peek.
3. get_install_command({ name: "hero-announcement" }) — returns a shadcn add https://www.shadcn.io/r/hero-announcement.json?token=… URL with your token already in the query string.
4. Runs it through the shell. Files land under components/ui/.

Name the server explicitly ("use shadcnio…") when multiple MCPs are configured.

The example above uses hero-announcement, a Pro block — the install runs once you're signed in with an active subscription.

Manage the connection

Inside an Amazon Q chat session, type /tools to see every tool the CLI has available, grouped by MCP server. /mcp shows the server registry and live status. Amazon Q reloads MCP config on CLI launch, so save the file and re-run q chat to pick up changes.

If your shadcn.io Pro subscription lapses, mcp-remote surfaces the 403 response in the CLI output. Resubscribing restores access on the next invocation.

FAQ