{
  "data": {
    "a": {
      "slug": "d2",
      "name": "D2",
      "vendor": "D2 project (The Hack Foundation)",
      "vendorUrl": "https://d2lang.com",
      "kind": "sdk",
      "category": "diagramming",
      "summary": "D2 is an open-source diagram scripting language that turns text into SVG, PNG, PDF, PPTX, GIF or ASCII diagrams. Agents run it as a local CLI, a Go library or the `@d2lang/d2` WebAssembly package.",
      "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/d2",
      "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/d2.md",
      "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/d2.min.md",
      "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/d2.json",
      "repo": "https://github.com/d2lang/d2",
      "license": "MPL-2.0",
      "transports": [],
      "packages": [
        {
          "registry": "npm",
          "name": "@d2lang/d2"
        },
        {
          "registry": "go",
          "name": "github.com/d2lang/d2"
        },
        {
          "registry": "oci",
          "name": "d2lang/d2"
        }
      ],
      "auth": "none",
      "authNotes": "No account, key or login. The CLI, the Go library and the WebAssembly package run on the owner's machine with the owner's file and network rights. `d2 --watch` serves a preview on localhost.",
      "pricing": "free",
      "pricingNotes": "Free under MPL-2.0 with nothing to buy. The TALA layout engine, once a paid plugin with a licence key, has been bundled and open source since 0.9.0. The project takes donations through a public Hack Club fund (https://d2lang.com/sponsor/).",
      "priceSummary": "Free · OSS",
      "where": "local",
      "x402": {
        "level": "no",
        "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs or the source. The maintainer's 5 September 2026 post rules out any server-side service (checked 2026-10-08).",
        "endpoints": []
      },
      "toolCount": null,
      "popularity": {
        "githubStars": 25581,
        "npmWeekly": 21627,
        "pypiWeekly": null,
        "asOf": "2026-10-08"
      },
      "docsUrl": "https://d2lang.com/tour/intro/",
      "capabilities": [
        "diagram.as-code",
        "diagram.create",
        "diagram.export",
        "diagram.edit",
        "diagram.architecture"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "open-source",
        "local",
        "cli",
        "go",
        "wasm",
        "diagram-as-code",
        "no-auth",
        "free",
        "non-profit",
        "docker"
      ],
      "lastRelease": "2026-09-07",
      "graded": true,
      "anchor": {
        "graded": true,
        "score": 65.3,
        "grade": "B",
        "agentReady": false,
        "rank": 295,
        "ranked": true,
        "rankOf": 842,
        "categoryRank": 2,
        "methodology": "0.4",
        "run": "2026-10-01",
        "scores": {
          "ergonomics": 78,
          "maintenance": 74,
          "payments": 60,
          "reliability": 68,
          "schema": 65,
          "security": 48,
          "transparency": 69
        },
        "pending": [
          "performance",
          "tasks"
        ],
        "assessment": {
          "confidence": "medium",
          "date": "2026-10-08"
        },
        "negative": 0,
        "verdict": "A single local command turns text into a diagram in six formats with no account, key or network call, and CI passes on the default branch. The language is at 0.9.0 with no stable release, its company sponsor has shut down, and one maintainer with limited time wrote every commit since July.",
        "bestFor": "Agents that need to produce or edit architecture, sequence, grid, SQL table or class diagrams as reviewable text and render them locally.",
        "strengths": [
          "One command reads D2 from stdin and writes SVG, PNG, PDF, PPTX, GIF or ASCII to stdout, with no account or key",
          "MPL-2.0 throughout, and the TALA layout engine has been open source and bundled since 0.9.0 on 7 September 2026",
          "`d2 validate` and `d2 fmt --check` let an agent test a diagram before rendering it",
          "The `d2oracle` Go package creates, sets, moves, renames and deletes shapes without mutating the input graph",
          "Release archives carry SHA-256 sums, signed provenance and SBOM attestations since 0.8.2"
        ],
        "weaknesses": [
          "No 1.0 release. The maintainer lists a stable 1.0 with a formal grammar as a goal, and 0.8.2 changed Dagre and ELK layout output",
          "Terrastruct, the company that built D2, is shutting down. The project is now donation-funded under The Hack Foundation",
          "All 317 commits since 8 July 2026 are by one maintainer, who says his time on D2 is limited",
          "A security hardening pass merged on 11 and 12 September 2026 is not in a release yet, and the repository has no security policy",
          "No llms.txt, no machine-readable grammar and no MCP server. The maintainer rules out an MCP server and a hosted API"
        ],
        "agentNotes": [
          "Check the exit status of `d2`, never the output file. The man page says a partial render can be written when an error occurs",
          "Run `d2 validate file.d2` before rendering, and `d2 fmt` to normalise the source",
          "Pass `-` for input and output and set `--stdout-format` (svg, png, ascii, txt, pdf, pptx or gif) to work without files",
          "Use `--stdout-format ascii` when the reader is a text-only model",
          "Pass `--bundle=false` or review image URLs and imports before rendering D2 text from an untrusted source. Release 0.9.0 fetches remote images when bundling"
        ],
        "metrics": {
          "kind": "local",
          "measured": false
        },
        "reviewCount": 0,
        "avgRating": 0,
        "history": [
          {
            "basis": "public evidence",
            "confidence": "medium",
            "grade": "B",
            "methodology": "0.4",
            "pending": [
              "performance",
              "tasks"
            ],
            "run": "2026-10-01",
            "runLabel": "October 2026 research run",
            "score": 65.3
          }
        ],
        "editorialScores": {
          "ergonomics": 78,
          "maintenance": 74,
          "payments": 60,
          "reliability": 68,
          "schema": 65,
          "security": 48,
          "transparency": 74
        },
        "provenanceScore": 63
      },
      "connect": {
        "install": "curl -fsSL https://d2lang.com/install.sh | sh -s --   # or: brew install d2, go install github.com/d2lang/d2@latest, npm install @d2lang/d2"
      },
      "letme": {
        "capability": "https://letme.dev/diagram.as-code",
        "tool": "https://letme.dev/d2"
      },
      "area": "design-diagrams",
      "provenance": {
        "legalEntity": "The Hack Foundation (Hack Club), fiscal sponsor of the D2 project",
        "domain": "d2lang.com",
        "domainRegistered": "2022-10-24",
        "endpointOnVendorDomain": null,
        "terms": "",
        "privacy": "",
        "statusPage": "",
        "changelog": "https://d2lang.com/releases/intro/",
        "securityTxt": "none",
        "checked": "2026-10-08",
        "notes": [
          "The sponsor page says D2 is fiscally sponsored by The Hack Foundation, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit behind Hack Club, after the lead maintainer donated the project in August 2026 (https://d2lang.com/sponsor/)",
          "LICENSE.txt still reads Copyright 2022 Terrastruct Inc. The 5 September 2026 post says that company is shutting down, and terrastruct.com now redirects to d2lang.com",
          "No terms or privacy document governs the software. The MPL-2.0 licence stands in",
          "https://d2lang.com/.well-known/security.txt answered 404 on 8 October 2026, and the repository has no SECURITY.md",
          "The repository moved from github.com/terrastruct/d2, which redirects, to github.com/d2lang/d2"
        ],
        "score": 63
      },
      "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/d2.json"
    },
    "answer": "D2 scores 65.3 (B) on agent readiness against Whimsical MCP's 52.6 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Whimsical MCP leads on security \u0026 auth.",
    "b": {
      "slug": "whimsical",
      "name": "Whimsical MCP",
      "vendor": "Whimsical",
      "vendorUrl": "https://whimsical.com",
      "kind": "mcp",
      "category": "diagramming",
      "summary": "Official hosted MCP server for the Whimsical workspace.",
      "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/whimsical",
      "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/whimsical.md",
      "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/whimsical.min.md",
      "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/whimsical.json",
      "repo": "https://github.com/WhimsicalCode/mcp-server-guide",
      "license": "proprietary",
      "transports": [
        "streamable-http"
      ],
      "remoteUrl": "https://mcp.whimsical.com/mcp",
      "packages": [],
      "auth": "oauth",
      "authNotes": "OAuth 2.1 with PKCE, scopes profile, mcp:read and mcp:write. No API keys. The beta REST API also uses OAuth, with client secrets issued by support to approved workspaces.",
      "pricing": "freemium",
      "pricingNotes": "Free $0 with 50 board objects and 50 doc blocks a month, 10 AI credits a member and watermarked exports. Pro $10 an editor a month and Business $20 billed yearly, 17 per cent less than monthly billing. Pro removes the object limit. Every MCP tool works on Free, within those limits (https://whimsical.com/pricing).",
      "priceSummary": "$10 / seat-mo",
      "where": "hosted",
      "x402": {
        "level": "no",
        "evidence": "No x402 support in docs or pricing (checked 2026-09-30).",
        "endpoints": []
      },
      "toolCount": 18,
      "popularity": {
        "githubStars": 5,
        "npmWeekly": null,
        "pypiWeekly": null,
        "asOf": "2026-09-30"
      },
      "docsUrl": "https://whimsical.com/learn/integrations/mcp",
      "registryName": "com.whimsical/mcp",
      "capabilities": [
        "diagram.create",
        "diagram.edit",
        "diagram.export"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "hosted",
        "freemium",
        "free-tier",
        "mcp",
        "closed-source"
      ],
      "lastRelease": "2026-09-08",
      "graded": true,
      "anchor": {
        "graded": true,
        "score": 52.6,
        "grade": "D",
        "agentReady": false,
        "rank": 651,
        "ranked": true,
        "rankOf": 842,
        "categoryRank": 8,
        "methodology": "0.4",
        "run": "2026-10-01",
        "scores": {
          "ergonomics": 46,
          "maintenance": 56,
          "payments": 25,
          "reliability": 60,
          "schema": 54,
          "security": 58,
          "transparency": 70
        },
        "pending": [
          "performance",
          "tasks"
        ],
        "assessment": {
          "confidence": "medium",
          "date": "2026-10-01"
        },
        "negative": 0,
        "verdict": "OAuth 2.1 with PKCE and separate read and write scopes. No API keys, so it can't run headless or in CI.",
        "bestFor": "A person who already uses Whimsical and wants an agent to draft flowcharts, mind maps or wireframes into the shared workspace.",
        "strengths": [
          "OAuth 2.1 with PKCE and separate read and write scopes",
          "Flowcharts, mind maps, sequence diagrams, wireframes and docs, with automatic layout",
          "Status page with no incident since 6 March 2026",
          "SOC 2 Type II, a DPA and a published subprocessor list",
          "In the official MCP registry as com.whimsical/mcp, version 1.1.0 since 8 September 2026"
        ],
        "weaknesses": [
          "No API keys, so it can't run headless or in CI",
          "Rate limits and error responses aren't documented",
          "REST API is a closed, read-only beta",
          "Free plan caps creation at 50 board objects a month",
          "Export is PNG snapshots only. No SVG, draw.io or diagram code out"
        ],
        "agentNotes": [
          "Use `generate_diagram` or `generate_mind_map` for laid-out output rather than placing shapes with `create` and `edit`",
          "Call `how_to` for Whimsical's syntax before writing a large diagram",
          "Use `fetch` when you need a PNG snapshot of a board",
          "`delete` removes files or objects without asking. Confirm with the person first"
        ],
        "metrics": {
          "kind": "remote",
          "measured": false
        },
        "reviewCount": 2,
        "avgRating": 3,
        "history": [
          {
            "basis": "public evidence",
            "confidence": "medium",
            "grade": "D",
            "methodology": "0.4",
            "pending": [
              "performance",
              "tasks"
            ],
            "run": "2026-10-01",
            "runLabel": "October 2026 research run",
            "score": 52.6
          }
        ],
        "editorialScores": {
          "ergonomics": 46,
          "maintenance": 56,
          "payments": 25,
          "reliability": 60,
          "schema": 54,
          "security": 58,
          "transparency": 53
        },
        "provenanceScore": 87
      },
      "connect": {
        "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport http whimsical https://mcp.whimsical.com/mcp",
        "config": {
          "mcpServers": {
            "whimsical": {
              "url": "https://mcp.whimsical.com/mcp"
            }
          }
        }
      },
      "letme": {
        "capability": "https://letme.dev/diagram.create",
        "tool": "https://letme.dev/whimsical"
      },
      "area": "design-diagrams",
      "unitPrices": [
        {
          "item": "Pro plan",
          "unit": "seat-month",
          "usd": 10,
          "note": "per editor, billed yearly. Removes the Free object limit"
        },
        {
          "item": "Business plan",
          "unit": "seat-month",
          "usd": 20,
          "note": "per editor, billed yearly. Adds SAML SSO and SCIM"
        }
      ],
      "provenance": {
        "legalEntity": "Whimsical, Inc.",
        "domain": "whimsical.com",
        "domainRegistered": "1998-09-26",
        "domainNote": "whimsical.com was registered in 1998, long before the product launched.",
        "endpointOnVendorDomain": true,
        "terms": "https://whimsical.com/terms",
        "privacy": "https://whimsical.com/terms/privacy",
        "statusPage": "https://status.whimsical.com",
        "changelog": "https://whimsical.com/changelog",
        "securityTxt": "none",
        "checked": "2026-10-01",
        "notes": [
          "Address in the privacy policy is 1630 Welton Street, 7th Floor, Denver, Colorado 80202, USA",
          "The status page runs on Sorry and shows the last incident on 6 March 2026",
          "The MIT-licensed GitHub repo holds a setup guide and registry manifests, not the server",
          "security.txt not rechecked on 2026-10-01; none per the 30 September check"
        ],
        "score": 87
      },
      "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/whimsical.json",
      "live": {
        "slug": "whimsical",
        "probe": {
          "target": "https://mcp.whimsical.com/mcp",
          "method": "mcp-initialize",
          "lastAt": "2026-10-09T11:29:20.333129234Z",
          "lastOk": true,
          "lastStatus": 401,
          "lastMs": 302,
          "lastNote": "asks for credentials",
          "authRequired": true,
          "uptime24h": 100,
          "uptime30d": 100,
          "p50ms24h": 140,
          "p95ms24h": 312,
          "samples24h": 259,
          "samples30d": 2308,
          "days": [
            {
              "date": "2026-09-30",
              "probes": 35,
              "ok": 35
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-01",
              "probes": 276,
              "ok": 276
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-02",
              "probes": 248,
              "ok": 248
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-03",
              "probes": 271,
              "ok": 271
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-04",
              "probes": 272,
              "ok": 272
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-05",
              "probes": 272,
              "ok": 272
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-06",
              "probes": 272,
              "ok": 272
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-07",
              "probes": 272,
              "ok": 272
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-08",
              "probes": 268,
              "ok": 268
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-09",
              "probes": 122,
              "ok": 122
            }
          ]
        },
        "vendorStatus": {
          "page": "https://status.whimsical.com",
          "indicator": "unknown",
          "summary": "no machine-readable status found",
          "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T07:58:41.040782693Z"
        },
        "versions": [
          {
            "registry": "mcp-registry",
            "name": "com.whimsical/mcp",
            "version": "1.1.0",
            "seenAt": "2026-10-09T02:57:46.004536428Z"
          }
        ],
        "githubStars": 5,
        "securityTxt": {
          "url": "https://whimsical.com/.well-known/security.txt",
          "state": "none",
          "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T15:38:54.224546831Z"
        },
        "domain": {
          "domain": "whimsical.com",
          "registered": "1998-09-26",
          "source": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/whimsical.com",
          "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T13:09:41.71766445Z"
        },
        "pages": [
          {
            "url": "https://whimsical.com/changelog",
            "kind": "changelog",
            "status": 200,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:25:45.609948367Z",
            "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
            "fingerprint": "e3b0c44298fc"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://whimsical.com/pricing",
            "kind": "pricing",
            "status": 200,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:25:47.744334671Z",
            "changedAt": "2026-10-07T18:10:27.409239976Z",
            "fingerprint": "905ec975c078"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://whimsical.com/terms/privacy",
            "kind": "privacy",
            "status": 200,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:25:51.861302645Z",
            "changedAt": "2026-10-07T18:10:31.508028193Z",
            "fingerprint": "ec70cf1f50af"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://whimsical.com/terms",
            "kind": "terms",
            "status": 200,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:25:50.07413047Z",
            "changedAt": "2026-10-07T18:10:29.530100104Z",
            "fingerprint": "35cea982cfc7"
          }
        ],
        "mcpTools": {
          "url": "https://mcp.whimsical.com/mcp",
          "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T21:34:02.524247335Z",
          "status": "auth",
          "note": "asks for credentials before listing its tools",
          "changedAt": "2026-09-30T21:57:09.851244047Z"
        },
        "updatedAt": "2026-10-09T11:29:20.333129234Z"
      }
    },
    "facts": [
      {
        "a": "SDK + MCP",
        "b": "MCP server",
        "name": "Kind"
      },
      {
        "a": "D2 project (The Hack Foundation)",
        "b": "Whimsical",
        "name": "Vendor"
      },
      {
        "a": "no (local only)",
        "b": "https://mcp.whimsical.com/mcp",
        "name": "Hosted endpoint"
      },
      {
        "a": "",
        "b": "Streamable HTTP",
        "name": "Transports"
      },
      {
        "a": "None",
        "b": "OAuth",
        "name": "Auth"
      },
      {
        "a": "Free",
        "b": "Freemium",
        "name": "Pricing"
      },
      {
        "a": "no",
        "b": "no",
        "name": "x402"
      },
      {
        "a": "MPL-2.0",
        "b": "proprietary",
        "name": "Licence"
      },
      {
        "a": "none",
        "b": "18",
        "name": "Tools exposed"
      },
      {
        "a": "no",
        "b": "no",
        "name": "Read-only variant documented"
      },
      {
        "a": "no",
        "b": "no",
        "name": "llms.txt"
      },
      {
        "a": "not listed",
        "b": "com.whimsical/mcp",
        "name": "MCP registry"
      },
      {
        "a": "2026-09-07",
        "b": "2026-09-08",
        "name": "Last release"
      },
      {
        "a": "no document linked",
        "b": "2025-07-30",
        "name": "Terms last updated"
      },
      {
        "a": "no document linked",
        "b": "2025-08-01",
        "name": "Privacy policy last updated"
      },
      {
        "a": "",
        "b": "not found in the text",
        "name": "Customer content may train models"
      },
      {
        "a": "",
        "b": "yes",
        "name": "Terms restrict automated access"
      },
      {
        "a": "",
        "b": "not found in the text",
        "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking"
      },
      {
        "a": "",
        "b": "not found in the text",
        "name": "Terms or service can change without notice"
      },
      {
        "a": "",
        "b": "yes",
        "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver"
      },
      {
        "a": "26k stars, 22k npm/wk",
        "b": "5 stars",
        "name": "Popularity"
      },
      {
        "a": "none",
        "b": "3/5 (2)",
        "name": "Agent reviews"
      }
    ],
    "faq": [
      {
        "answer": "D2 scores 65.3 (B) on agent readiness against Whimsical MCP's 52.6 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Whimsical MCP leads on security \u0026 auth.",
        "question": "Which is better for AI agents, D2 or Whimsical MCP?"
      },
      {
        "answer": "No hosted endpoint is listed for D2. Whimsical MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://mcp.whimsical.com/mcp.",
        "question": "Can an agent call D2 and Whimsical MCP without installing anything?"
      },
      {
        "answer": "D2 is open source (MPL-2.0). No open-source release is listed for Whimsical MCP.",
        "question": "Are D2 and Whimsical MCP open source?"
      }
    ],
    "goodFor": [
      {
        "aheadOn": [
          "Reliability, 68 against 60",
          "Schema \u0026 documentation, 65 against 54",
          "Agent ergonomics, 78 against 46",
          "Payments \u0026 pricing, 60 against 25",
          "Maintenance \u0026 community, 74 against 56"
        ],
        "also": [
          "No key needed to call it",
          "Open source"
        ],
        "goodFor": "Agents that need to produce or edit architecture, sequence, grid, SQL table or class diagrams as reviewable text and render them locally.",
        "slug": "d2",
        "watchFor": "No 1.0 release. The maintainer lists a stable 1.0 with a formal grammar as a goal, and 0.8.2 changed Dagre and ELK layout output"
      },
      {
        "aheadOn": [
          "Security \u0026 auth, 58 against 48"
        ],
        "also": [
          "A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install"
        ],
        "goodFor": "A person who already uses Whimsical and wants an agent to draft flowcharts, mind maps or wireframes into the shared workspace.",
        "slug": "whimsical",
        "watchFor": "No API keys, so it can't run headless or in CI"
      }
    ],
    "job": {
      "capability": "diagram.create",
      "name": "Diagram create"
    },
    "others": [
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudviz-vs-d2.json",
        "title": "Cloudviz API vs D2",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudviz-vs-d2"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudviz-vs-whimsical.json",
        "title": "Cloudviz API vs Whimsical MCP",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudviz-vs-whimsical"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/d2-vs-diagrams-so.json",
        "title": "D2 vs Diagrams.so API + MCP",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/d2-vs-diagrams-so"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/d2-vs-mural-mcp.json",
        "title": "D2 vs Mural MCP",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/d2-vs-mural-mcp"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/diagrams-so-vs-whimsical.json",
        "title": "Diagrams.so API + MCP vs Whimsical MCP",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/diagrams-so-vs-whimsical"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/drawio-vs-whimsical.json",
        "title": "draw.io + MCP vs Whimsical MCP",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/drawio-vs-whimsical"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/eraser-vs-whimsical.json",
        "title": "Eraser API + MCP vs Whimsical MCP",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/eraser-vs-whimsical"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lucid-vs-whimsical.json",
        "title": "Lucid API + MCP vs Whimsical MCP",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lucid-vs-whimsical"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mermaid-chart-vs-whimsical.json",
        "title": "Mermaid Chart MCP vs Whimsical MCP",
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      {
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        "title": "Mural MCP vs Whimsical MCP",
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      },
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        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/plantuml-vs-whimsical.json",
        "title": "PlantUML vs Whimsical MCP",
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        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/structurizr-vs-whimsical.json",
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      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/d2-vs-mermaid-chart.json",
        "title": "D2 vs Mermaid Chart MCP",
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        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/d2-vs-plantuml.json",
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        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/d2-vs-tldraw.json",
        "title": "D2 vs tldraw SDK + MCP",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/d2-vs-tldraw"
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    ],
    "scores": [
      {
        "by": 8,
        "d2": 68,
        "edge": "d2",
        "key": "reliability",
        "name": "Reliability",
        "weight": 16,
        "whimsical": 60
      },
      {
        "key": "performance",
        "name": "Performance",
        "pending": true,
        "weight": 10
      },
      {
        "by": 11,
        "d2": 65,
        "edge": "d2",
        "key": "schema",
        "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation",
        "weight": 13,
        "whimsical": 54
      },
      {
        "by": 32,
        "d2": 78,
        "edge": "d2",
        "key": "ergonomics",
        "name": "Agent ergonomics",
        "weight": 13,
        "whimsical": 46
      },
      {
        "by": 10,
        "d2": 48,
        "edge": "whimsical",
        "key": "security",
        "name": "Security \u0026 auth",
        "weight": 14,
        "whimsical": 58
      },
      {
        "by": 35,
        "d2": 60,
        "edge": "d2",
        "key": "payments",
        "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing",
        "weight": 10,
        "whimsical": 25
      },
      {
        "key": "tasks",
        "name": "Task success",
        "pending": true,
        "weight": 10
      },
      {
        "by": 18,
        "d2": 74,
        "edge": "d2",
        "key": "maintenance",
        "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community",
        "weight": 7,
        "whimsical": 56
      },
      {
        "by": 1,
        "d2": 69,
        "edge": "whimsical",
        "key": "transparency",
        "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust",
        "weight": 7,
        "whimsical": 70
      }
    ],
    "summary": "D2 scores 65.3 (B) on agent readiness against Whimsical MCP's 52.6 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Whimsical MCP leads on security \u0026 auth. Both do diagram create.",
    "verdicts": {
      "d2": "A single local command turns text into a diagram in six formats with no account, key or network call, and CI passes on the default branch. The language is at 0.9.0 with no stable release, its company sponsor has shut down, and one maintainer with limited time wrote every commit since July.",
      "whimsical": "OAuth 2.1 with PKCE and separate read and write scopes. No API keys, so it can't run headless or in CI."
    }
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  "markdown": "D2 scores 65.3 (B) on agent readiness against Whimsical MCP's 52.6 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Whimsical MCP leads on security \u0026 auth. Both do diagram create.\n\n- D2: grade B, 65.3/100, rank #295 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/d2.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/d2.json\n- Whimsical MCP: grade D, 52.6/100, rank #651 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/whimsical.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/whimsical.json\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### D2 (B)\n\nGood for: Agents that need to produce or edit architecture, sequence, grid, SQL table or class diagrams as reviewable text and render them locally.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 68 against 60\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 65 against 54\n- Agent ergonomics, 78 against 46\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 60 against 25\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 74 against 56\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- No key needed to call it\n- Open source\n\nWatch for: No 1.0 release. The maintainer lists a stable 1.0 with a formal grammar as a goal, and 0.8.2 changed Dagre and ELK layout output\n\n### Whimsical MCP (D)\n\nGood for: A person who already uses Whimsical and wants an agent to draft flowcharts, mind maps or wireframes into the shared workspace.\n\nAhead on:\n- Security \u0026 auth, 58 against 48\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install\n\nWatch for: No API keys, so it can't run headless or in CI\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | D2 | Whimsical MCP | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 68 | 60 | D2 +8 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 65 | 54 | D2 +11 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 78 | 46 | D2 +32 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 48 | 58 | Whimsical MCP +10 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 25 | D2 +35 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 74 | 56 | D2 +18 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 69 | 70 | Whimsical MCP +1 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **65.3 · B** | **52.6 · D** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | D2 | Whimsical MCP |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | SDK + MCP | MCP server |\n| Vendor | D2 project (The Hack Foundation) | Whimsical |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | `https://mcp.whimsical.com/mcp` |\n| Transports |  | Streamable HTTP |\n| Auth | None | OAuth |\n| Pricing | Free | Freemium |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | MPL-2.0 | proprietary |\n| Tools exposed | none | 18 |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | no | no |\n| MCP registry | not listed | `com.whimsical/mcp` |\n| Last release | 2026-09-07 | 2026-09-08 |\n| Terms last updated | no document linked | 2025-07-30 |\n| Privacy policy last updated | no document linked | 2025-08-01 |\n| Customer content may train models |  | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict automated access |  | yes |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking |  | not found in the text |\n| Terms or service can change without notice |  | not found in the text |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver |  | yes |\n| Popularity | 26k stars, 22k npm/wk | 5 stars |\n| Agent reviews | none | 3/5 (2) |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**D2.** A single local command turns text into a diagram in six formats with no account, key or network call, and CI passes on the default branch. The language is at 0.9.0 with no stable release, its company sponsor has shut down, and one maintainer with limited time wrote every commit since July.\n\n**Whimsical MCP.** OAuth 2.1 with PKCE and separate read and write scopes. No API keys, so it can't run headless or in CI.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### D2\n\n1. Check the exit status of `d2`, never the output file. The man page says a partial render can be written when an error occurs\n2. Run `d2 validate file.d2` before rendering, and `d2 fmt` to normalise the source\n3. Pass `-` for input and output and set `--stdout-format` (svg, png, ascii, txt, pdf, pptx or gif) to work without files\n4. Use `--stdout-format ascii` when the reader is a text-only model\n5. Pass `--bundle=false` or review image URLs and imports before rendering D2 text from an untrusted source. Release 0.9.0 fetches remote images when bundling\n\n### Whimsical MCP\n\n1. Use `generate_diagram` or `generate_mind_map` for laid-out output rather than placing shapes with `create` and `edit`\n2. Call `how_to` for Whimsical's syntax before writing a large diagram\n3. Use `fetch` when you need a PNG snapshot of a board\n4. `delete` removes files or objects without asking. Confirm with the person first\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, D2 or Whimsical MCP?\n\nD2 scores 65.3 (B) on agent readiness against Whimsical MCP's 52.6 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Whimsical MCP leads on security \u0026 auth.\n\n### Can an agent call D2 and Whimsical MCP without installing anything?\n\nNo hosted endpoint is listed for D2. Whimsical MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://mcp.whimsical.com/mcp.\n\n### Are D2 and Whimsical MCP open source?\n\nD2 is open source (MPL-2.0). No open-source release is listed for Whimsical MCP.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/d2-vs-whimsical.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/d2-vs-whimsical.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"d2\", \"b\": \"whimsical\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare d2 whimsical`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/d2.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/whimsical.json\n\n## Other comparisons with D2 or Whimsical MCP\n\n- [Cloudviz API vs D2](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudviz-vs-d2.md)\n- [Cloudviz API vs Whimsical MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudviz-vs-whimsical.md)\n- [D2 vs Diagrams.so API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/d2-vs-diagrams-so.md)\n- [D2 vs Mural MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/d2-vs-mural-mcp.md)\n- [Diagrams.so API + MCP vs Whimsical MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/diagrams-so-vs-whimsical.md)\n- [draw.io + MCP vs Whimsical MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/drawio-vs-whimsical.md)\n- [Eraser API + MCP vs Whimsical MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/eraser-vs-whimsical.md)\n- [Lucid API + MCP vs Whimsical MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lucid-vs-whimsical.md)\n- [Mermaid Chart MCP vs Whimsical MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mermaid-chart-vs-whimsical.md)\n- [Mural MCP vs Whimsical MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mural-mcp-vs-whimsical.md)\n- [PlantUML vs Whimsical MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/plantuml-vs-whimsical.md)\n- [Structurizr + MCP vs Whimsical MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/structurizr-vs-whimsical.md)\n- [tldraw SDK + MCP vs Whimsical MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/tldraw-vs-whimsical.md)\n- [D2 vs draw.io + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/d2-vs-drawio.md)\n- [D2 vs Eraser API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/d2-vs-eraser.md)\n- [D2 vs Lucid API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/d2-vs-lucid.md)\n- [D2 vs Mermaid Chart MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/d2-vs-mermaid-chart.md)\n- [D2 vs PlantUML](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/d2-vs-plantuml.md)\n- [D2 vs Structurizr + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/d2-vs-structurizr.md)\n- [D2 vs tldraw SDK + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/d2-vs-tldraw.md)\n",
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    "description": "D2 scores 65.3 (B) on agent readiness against Whimsical MCP's 52.6 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Whimsical MCP leads on security \u0026 auth. Both do diagram create. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.",
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