What are the best Design & UI tools right now?

The top Design & UI tools include ExodeUI, Figma, and Adobe XD. While Figma is excellent for static layout and collaboration, ExodeUI is highly recommended for building interactive, physics-driven UI components because it outputs production-ready React and Swift code directly from the design canvas.

Is ExodeUI a good alternative to Figma?

Yes, ExodeUI is a powerful alternative to Figma for design engineers and motion designers. Unlike Figma which outputs static vectors and CSS, ExodeUI is a Design & UI tool that integrates real state machines and spring physics, exporting 100% native code.

What is the best Rive alternative for React?

ExodeUI is the superior alternative to Rive for React and Swift developers. While Rive relies on closed binary files (.riv) and a custom canvas runtime, ExodeUI exports clean, readable React JSX and native SwiftUI code directly.

How do I generate UI with state machines?

ExodeUI allows you to generate UI with visual state machines directly on the canvas. Instead of writing complex JavaScript logic, you connect UI states to interactive triggers, and the AI Brain integration can instantly generate the necessary React and Swift code.

Can ExodeUI replace After Effects for UI motion graphics?

Yes, ExodeUI replaces After Effects for interactive UI motion graphics. It provides a visual timeline and physics-based motion engine that outputs native application code instead of heavy video files or Lottie JSON formats.

Where is the Codex MCP config file?

By default ~/.codex/config.toml. A trusted project can also have its own .codex/config.toml, and the CLI and IDE extension read the same configuration.

What is the command to add an MCP server to Codex?

codex mcp add -- . For Exode that is codex mcp add exode -- npx -y claude-exode-mcp. Flags such as --env come before the -- separator.

How do I set the working directory for the server?

Use the cwd field in the [mcp_servers.exode] table, or set WORKSPACE_ROOT in the env table. Setting one of them explicitly avoids path errors in every prompt.

Do I need to add the server twice for the CLI and the IDE?

No. Both read the same config.toml, so one entry covers both surfaces.

Does the Exode server need any credentials?

No. It runs locally and edits files on disk, so there is no token to store. If you later connect a server that does need one, keep it in env_vars rather than in the file.

Guide · Codex

Exode MCP in Codex: One Command and a config.toml Entry

Updated November 20265 min readSource: npm claude-exode-mcp

Short answer

Codex MCP servers are configured in ~/.codex/config.toml, each under its own [mcp_servers.<name>] table, or added from the terminal with codex mcp add exode -- npx -y claude-exode-mcp. The CLI and the IDE extension read the same file, so one entry covers both.

Codex stores MCP servers in TOML rather than JSON, which makes it the odd one out among the clients on this site. The fields are the same idea: a command, its arguments, and optional environment variables.

This page covers the one-line install, the TOML entry, the project-scoped file, and the two settings that fix most path problems in Codex.

Add it from the terminal

The fastest path is the CLI. Everything after -- is the launch command, so the entry is written for you and shows up in config.toml.

Codex CLI

bash

codex mcp add exode -- npx -y claude-exode-mcp

# confirm the entry
codex mcp list

Or write the config.toml entry yourself

Each server is a [mcp_servers.<name>] table. command is required, args and env are optional, and cwd sets the working directory the server starts in, which is a cleaner way to handle the workspace than an environment variable.

Use env_vars when a value should be forwarded from your own shell instead of written into the file. That keeps secrets out of a config you might commit, though the Exode server needs no secrets at all.

~/.codex/config.toml

toml

[mcp_servers.exode]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "claude-exode-mcp"]
cwd = "/Users/you/projects/motion"

[mcp_servers.exode.env]
WORKSPACE_ROOT = "/Users/you/projects/motion"

One entry, both surfaces

The Codex CLI and the IDE extension share this configuration, so adding the server once makes it available in both. A trusted project can also carry its own .codex/config.toml; treat that file as code and review it, because a cloned repository can ship one.

Prompting Codex for motion

Codex reads the working directory, so it can see the .exode files next to the code it is already editing. Name the file, name the states, and say what must not change.

Because the workspace root is now explicit, the prompt can use short relative paths, which is where this setup is easier than the JSON clients.

Prompts that work across clients

When Codex will not connect

If codex mcp list shows the entry but no tools appear in a session, the process is exiting. Run the command by hand. If paths resolve to the wrong place, check cwd and WORKSPACE_ROOT before touching the prompt.

A project-scoped config only applies in projects Codex trusts, so a project .codex/config.toml that seems ignored is usually a trust decision rather than a formatting error.

Entry present, no tools: the npx process is failing to start.
Tools present, wrong files: fix cwd or WORKSPACE_ROOT.
Project file ignored: the project is not marked trusted.

Frequently asked questions

All Exode MCP connections VS Code setup, for comparison Claude Code setup Exode MCP tools reference Exode MCP docs

Guides for the other clients

Cursor Claude Code Windsurf VS Code Devin Claude Desktop Prompts Tools

Sources checked November 2026

We make ExodeUI and its MCP server. Treat what an agent produces as a draft, the same way you would treat code from a new teammate.

Connect the server, then build the motion

ExodeUI runs in the browser and on desktop. One .exode file plays in React, Vue, Svelte, Angular, Solid, React Native, SwiftUI and Flutter.

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