Visio MCP Server

Are you a solution architect looking to build high‑quality architecture diagrams or evolve existing ones to reflect recent changes? We’ve got you covered.

The Visio MCP (Model Context Protocol) Server exposes Microsoft Visio diagram operations as tools, enabling you to generate production‑grade architecture diagrams from text descriptions, images, and documents.

By directly controlling Microsoft Visio, this MCP server supports not only initial diagram generation but also iterative refinement and evolution. You can continuously improve and adapt diagrams until they meet the highest quality standards.

The Visio MCP Server is designed for use with GitHub Copilot CLI and VS Code Agent Mode, but it can also be integrated with other LLM-based systems.

Demo

Features

• Azure service icons — 206 Azure services from official Visio stencils (auto-discovered)
• Architecture helpers — tier bands, containers, connectors with style-guide compliance
• Shape operations — add, modify, remove, connect, and list shapes
• Multi-page support — add pages, switch between them
• Export — PNG, SVG, JPG output

Prerequisites

• Microsoft Visio Professional (installed and licensed)
• Python 3.11+
• Azure Visio stencils — download from Microsoft Azure Architecture Icons and extract to your My Shapes folder

Installation

cd visio-mcp
pip install -r requirements.txt

Configuration

Add to your Copilot CLI MCP config (~/.copilot/mcp-config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "visio": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["C:\\path\\to\\visio-mcp\\server.py"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Whitelisting All Visio Tools

By default, Copilot CLI prompts for approval on each MCP tool call. To auto-approve all Visio MCP tools while keeping other tools at normal approval prompts, launch with:

copilot --allow-tool "visio"

To whitelist a specific tool only:

copilot --allow-tool "visio(add_azure_shape)"

To persist across sessions, add to ~/.copilot/config.json:

{
  "allowedTools": ["visio"]
}

Available Tools

Tool	Description
create_diagram	Create a new Visio diagram (landscape, 11×8.5 in)
save_diagram	Save to .vsdx file
close_diagram	Close without saving
list_open_diagrams	List all open documents
add_shape	Add basic shapes (rectangle, ellipse, diamond, etc.)
add_azure_shape	Add Azure service icons from official stencils
remove_shape	Remove a shape by ID
modify_shape	Change text, position, size, or color
list_shapes	List all shapes on the active page
connect_shapes	Connect two shapes with styled connectors
remove_connection	Remove a connector
add_container	Add a grouping boundary rectangle
add_tier_band	Add a full-width horizontal tier band
add_text_label	Add a floating text label
list_azure_services	List all 206 available Azure service keys
list_stencil_masters	List masters in a specific stencil
open_stencil	Open an Azure stencil by name
add_page	Add a new page
set_active_page	Switch to a page by index
list_pages	List all pages
export_page	Export page as image (PNG, SVG, JPG)

Azure Stencil Discovery

The server automatically discovers Azure stencils by querying Visio's COM properties:

1. Visio.Application.MyShapesPath — user stencils folder
2. Visio.Application.GetBuiltInStencilFile() — built-in content directory
3. Visio.Application.Path — install location
4. Windows Shell CSIDL_PERSONAL — real Documents folder (handles OneDrive redirect)

Discovered stencil directories are registered in Visio's StencilPaths for native COM resolution. No hardcoded paths.

Style Guide

All shapes and connectors are automatically styled per STYLE_GUIDE.md:

• Shapes: rounded corners (0.06 in), 15% transparent fills
• Connectors: filled triangle arrowheads, 1 pt weight, 7 pt label font
• Containers: dashed border, 60% transparent, 9 pt label
• Tier bands: 70% transparent, bold 8 pt label

Example

Create a 3-tier Azure architecture with Front Door, VM Scale Sets in 2 availability zones, and Azure SQL with replication

The server will create a professional Visio diagram with proper Azure icons, tier bands, containers, and styled connectors.

See also

Also you can explore other MCP for simpiar tasks that generates architecture in different formats:

Project	Type	Description	Link
draw.io MCP (official)	MCP Server	Official draw.io Model Context Protocol server. Opens and generates diagrams directly in the draw.io editor. Supports native XML, CSV, and Mermaid inputs.	https://github.com/jgraph/drawio-mcp
drawio-mcp-server	MCP Server	Community MCP server providing full programmatic control over draw.io diagrams, including creation, inspection, modification, and iterative refinement via an embedded editor.	https://github.com/lgazo/drawio-mcp-server
draw_architecture_mcp	MCP Server	Architecture‑focused MCP server for generating and maintaining draw.io diagrams from structured models (e.g. YAML). Well suited for large infrastructure and network diagrams.	https://github.com/dwgeneral/draw_architecture_mcp
Excalidraw MCP	MCP Server	MCP server for generating and evolving hand‑drawn‑style diagrams using Excalidraw, often paired with draw.io MCPs for different visual styles.	https://github.com/excalidraw/excalidraw-mcp
Mermaid	Diagram DSL	Text‑based diagram language commonly used as an intermediate format for MCP‑driven diagram generation (including draw.io imports).	https://mermaid.js.org

License

MIT