{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "lucid", "name": "Lucid API + MCP", "vendor": "Lucid Software", "vendorUrl": "https://lucid.co", "kind": "http-api", "category": "diagramming", "summary": "REST API and hosted MCP server for creating, reading and managing Lucidchart and Lucidspark diagrams.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/lucid", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/lucid.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/lucid.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/lucid.json", "license": "proprietary", "transports": [ "http", "streamable-http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://api.lucid.co", "packages": [], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "API keys (Bearer, with grants such as DocumentEdit) from the developer portal once developer tools are enabled in user settings or an admin assigns the developer role. OAuth 2.0 with scopes such as lucidchart.document.content, which sharing and embed endpoints require. Every call needs a `Lucid-Api-Version` header. The MCP server uses OAuth with dynamic client registration, and account admins can switch it on for the whole account.", "pricing": "freemium", "pricingNotes": "Free plan with limited editable documents. Individual $9 a month and Team $10 per user a month with a 3-user minimum, billed yearly. Enterprise custom. Lucid doesn't publish API or MCP limits by plan (https://lucid.app/pricing/lucidchart).", "priceSummary": "$9 / seat-mo", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No payment support in the REST or MCP docs.", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": 9, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-09-30" }, "docsUrl": "https://lucid.readme.io/reference/overview", "llmsTxt": "https://lucid.readme.io/llms.txt", "registryName": "app.lucid.mcp/lucid", "capabilities": [ "diagram.create", "diagram.as-code", "diagram.edit", "diagram.export", "design.files", "design.canvas", "design.comments" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "freemium", "free-tier", "closed-source", "mcp", "llms-txt", "diagram-as-code", "async-jobs", "enterprise" ], "lastRelease": "2026-06-15", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 60.6, "grade": "C", "agentReady": false, "rank": 455, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 842, "categoryRank": 5, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 62, "maintenance": 33, "payments": 25, "reliability": 67, "schema": 73, "security": 80, "transparency": 60 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-01" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "OAuth 2.0 scopes with `:readonly` variants, and audit log endpoints in the REST API. No public changelog for the API or the MCP server.", "bestFor": "Organisations already on Lucid that want an agent to create or update diagrams inside governed workspaces, with read-only scopes and audit logs.", "strengths": [ "OAuth 2.0 scopes with `:readonly` variants, and audit log endpoints in the REST API", "Mermaid in through REST, PlantUML sequence diagrams through MCP, both editable afterwards", "Per-operation rate limits in each reference page's OpenAPI fragment, such as 60 a minute on Create Mermaid Diagram", "Nine compact MCP tools, listed in the official registry as app.lucid.mcp/lucid at 1.0.0", "SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, FedRAMP Moderate and a HackerOne bug bounty" ], "weaknesses": [ "No public changelog for the API or the MCP server", "The status page doesn't monitor the API or the MCP server", "No single OpenAPI file and no official REST SDK", "Developer tools and MCP depend on user settings or admin approval", "No published price for API or MCP use beyond seat plans" ], "agentNotes": [ "Always send `Lucid-Api-Version: 1`, or prefix the path with /v1", "For flowcharts and sequence diagrams, post Mermaid markup (up to 100,000 characters) instead of building Standard Import JSON", "Request `:readonly` scopes when the agent only reads documents", "On 429, wait 60 seconds or back off. Create Mermaid Diagram allows 60 calls a minute", "Sharing and embed endpoints need an OAuth token. An API key won't work there" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 2, "avgRating": 3, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "C", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 60.6 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 62, "maintenance": 33, "payments": 25, "reliability": 67, "schema": 73, "security": 80, "transparency": 61 }, "provenanceScore": 59 }, "connect": { "http": "curl https://api.lucid.co/users/me/profile -H \"Authorization: Bearer $LUCID_API_KEY\" -H \"Lucid-Api-Version: 1\"", "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport http lucid https://mcp.lucid.app/mcp", "config": { "mcpServers": { "lucid": { "url": "https://mcp.lucid.app/mcp" } } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/diagram.create", "tool": "https://letme.dev/lucid" }, "alsoIn": [ "design" ], "area": "design-diagrams", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Individual plan", "unit": "seat-month", "usd": 9, "note": "billed yearly" }, { "item": "Team plan", "unit": "seat-month", "usd": 10, "note": "billed yearly, 3-user minimum" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Lucid Software Inc.", "domain": "lucid.co", "domainRegistered": "", "domainNote": "The .co registry has no RDAP service we could query, so the registration date is blank. The MCP server runs on lucid.app, Lucid's product domain.", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://lucid.co/tos", "privacy": "https://lucid.co/privacy", "statusPage": "https://status.lucid.co", "changelog": "", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-01", "notes": [ "The status page has no API or MCP component", "security.txt not rechecked on 2026-10-01; none per the 30 September check" ], "score": 59 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/lucid.json", "live": { "slug": "lucid", "probe": { "target": "https://api.lucid.co", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-09T10:42:48.033905054Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 404, "lastMs": 242, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 295, "p95ms24h": 519, "samples24h": 260, "samples30d": 2300, "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": 114, "ok": 114 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.lucid.co", "indicator": "none", "summary": "All Systems Operational", "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T10:41:47.977955441Z" }, "versions": [ { "registry": "mcp-registry", "name": "app.lucid.mcp/lucid", "version": "1.0.0", "seenAt": "2026-10-09T02:57:46.004536428Z" } ], "securityTxt": { "url": "https://lucid.co/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T15:38:42.979533854Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://lucid.readme.io/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T14:00:35.246797331Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "lucid.co", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T13:08:39.466296912Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://lucid.app/pricing/lucidchart", "kind": "pricing", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:21:43.882361402Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "ba6244b9a39a" }, { "url": "https://lucid.co/privacy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:21:45.635652242Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "42182e432bc9" }, { "url": "https://lucid.co/tos", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:21:47.904961633Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "522f8449b0a1" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-09T10:42:48.033905054Z" } }, "answer": "PlantUML scores 66.9 (B) on agent readiness against Lucid API + MCP's 60.6 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Lucid API + MCP leads on schema \u0026 documentation and security \u0026 auth.", "b": { "slug": "plantuml", "name": "PlantUML", "vendor": "PlantUML project (Arnaud Roques)", "vendorUrl": "https://plantuml.com", "kind": "sdk", "category": "diagramming", "summary": "PlantUML is open-source software that turns text descriptions into UML, architecture, Gantt, mind map and other diagrams. Agents run it as a Java command-line tool, a Java library, a local HTTP server or the `@plantuml/mcp-js` MCP server.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/plantuml", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/plantuml.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/plantuml.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/plantuml.json", "repo": "https://github.com/plantuml/plantuml", "license": "GPL-3.0-or-later", "transports": [], "packages": [ { "registry": "maven", "name": "net.sourceforge.plantuml:plantuml" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@plantuml/mcp-js" }, { "registry": "oci", "name": "plantuml/plantuml" } ], "auth": "none", "authNotes": "No account, key or login. The jar, the Java library and the MCP server run on the owner's machine with the owner's file and network rights. The built-in `-picoweb` HTTP server has no authentication and listens on all interfaces unless a bind address is given.", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free under GPL-3.0-or-later, with the same source also under GPL-2.0, LGPL, Apache-2.0, BSD-3-Clause, EPL and MIT. Nothing to buy. The project takes donations through GitHub Sponsors and Patreon.", "priceSummary": "Free · OSS", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs or the source (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 13356, "npmWeekly": 207, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://plantuml.com/command-line", "capabilities": [ "diagram.as-code", "diagram.create", "diagram.export", "diagram.architecture" ], "tags": [ "open-source", "local", "cli", "java", "mcp", "diagram-as-code", "uml", "no-auth", "free", "docker" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-05", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 66.9, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 251, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 842, "categoryRank": 1, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 78, "maintenance": 73, "payments": 60, "reliability": 83, "schema": 65, "security": 50, "transparency": 73 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-08" }, "negative": -2, "negativeNotes": [ "27 February 2026. Release 1.2026.2 switched off chronology diagrams, and its change log calls the removal temporary. On 8 October 2026 the factory is still commented out in `PSystemBuilder.java`, while the README lists the chronology diagram as supported and https://plantuml.com/chronology-diagram documents it. Two points, because the removal is in the change log (https://github.com/plantuml/plantuml/blob/master/CHANGES.md)." ], "verdict": "One Java command reads diagram text from stdin and writes PNG, SVG, PDF or ASCII with no account, and CI passed on the last eight pushes. The default security profile lets diagram text read any local file and fetch any URL, and the documentation still lists chronology diagrams that release 1.2026.2 switched off.", "bestFor": "Agents that write sequence, class, state, component, deployment, Gantt or C4 diagrams as text and render them locally or in CI.", "strengths": [ "`java -jar plantuml.jar -pipe` reads a diagram from stdin and writes PNG, SVG, PDF, EPS, LaTeX or ASCII to stdout, with no account or key", "`--check-syntax` and `-stdrpt` report errors as `file:line:error` lines, and exit codes 0, 50, 100 and 200 are documented", "The official `@plantuml/mcp-js` server has four tools, needs only Node.js, and returns the same SVG bytes for the same source on any machine", "Version 1.2026.8 of 5 September 2026 is on GitHub, Maven Central, Homebrew and Docker Hub, and the `ci` workflow passed on the last eight pushes", "The same source is available under GPL-3.0-or-later, GPL-2.0, LGPL, Apache-2.0, BSD-3-Clause, EPL and MIT, and generated images carry no licence obligation" ], "weaknesses": [ "The default security profile is LEGACY, which gives diagram text full access to local files and URLs through `!include`. The docs say it will be removed, with no date", "`-picoweb` listens on all network interfaces by default and has no authentication", "Chronology diagrams were switched off in 1.2026.2 on 27 February 2026 and are still listed in the README and documented on plantuml.com", "The command-line page gives the HTTP server's default port as 4242 in one help listing and 8080 in another. The source uses 8080", "No llms.txt, no security.txt and no published advisories. The security policy is one email address, and 575 issues are open" ], "agentNotes": [ "Set `PLANTUML_SECURITY_PROFILE` to `SANDBOX` or `ALLOWLIST` before rendering text from an untrusted source. The default profile lets `!include` read local files and fetch URLs", "Run `java -jar plantuml.jar --check-syntax` with `-stdrpt` first and read the exit status. Without `--no-error-image` a syntax error still writes an image of the error text", "Pass `-pipe` with `--svg`, `--txt` or `--utxt` to work without files. `--txt` output suits a text-only model", "Start the local server as `-picoweb:8080:127.0.0.1`. Without the bind address it listens on every interface", "Use `npx -y @plantuml/mcp-js` when no Java runtime is present. It renders SVG only, so use the jar for PNG or PDF" ], "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": 66.9 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 78, "maintenance": 73, "payments": 60, "reliability": 83, "schema": 65, "security": 50, "transparency": 73 }, "provenanceScore": 73 }, "connect": { "install": "brew install plantuml # or download plantuml.jar from https://github.com/plantuml/plantuml/releases, or docker run ghcr.io/plantuml/plantuml", "config": { "mcpServers": { "plantuml-js": { "args": [ "-y", "@plantuml/mcp-js" ], "command": "npx" } } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/diagram.as-code", "tool": "https://letme.dev/plantuml" }, "area": "design-diagrams", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "No legal entity found. Copyright Arnaud Roques", "domain": "plantuml.com", "domainRegistered": "2010-11-28", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "", "privacy": "", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://github.com/plantuml/plantuml/blob/master/CHANGES.md", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-08", "notes": [ "`LICENSES.md` reads Copyright (C) 2009-2026, Arnaud Roques. No company or foundation is named in the repository or on the pages read", "No terms or privacy document governs the software. The GPL-3.0-or-later licence, or one of the six alternatives, stands in", "https://plantuml.com/.well-known/security.txt answered 404 on 8 October 2026. `docs/SECURITY.md` asks for reports by email to a Gmail address", "The lead named PlantUML as vendor. It is a community project led by one author, with no company behind it that we found" ], "score": 73 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/plantuml.json" }, "facts": [ { "a": "HTTP API", "b": "SDK + MCP", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Lucid Software", "b": "PlantUML project (Arnaud Roques)", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "https://api.lucid.co", "b": "no (local only)", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP, Streamable HTTP", "b": "", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "OAuth or key", "b": "None", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Freemium", "b": "Free", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "proprietary", "b": "GPL-3.0-or-later", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "9", "b": "none", "name": "Tools exposed" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "no", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "app.lucid.mcp/lucid", "b": "not listed", "name": "MCP registry" }, { "a": "2026-06-15", "b": "2026-09-05", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "couldn't be read", "b": "no document linked", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "couldn't be read", "b": "no document linked", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "couldn't be read", "b": "", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "couldn't be read", "b": "", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "couldn't be read", "b": "", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "couldn't be read", "b": "", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "couldn't be read", "b": "", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "none", "b": "13k stars, 207 npm/wk", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "3/5 (2)", "b": "none", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "PlantUML scores 66.9 (B) on agent readiness against Lucid API + MCP's 60.6 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Lucid API + MCP leads on schema \u0026 documentation and security \u0026 auth.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Lucid API + MCP or PlantUML?" }, { "answer": "Lucid API + MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://api.lucid.co. No hosted endpoint is listed for PlantUML.", "question": "Can an agent call Lucid API + MCP and PlantUML without installing anything?" }, { "answer": "No open-source release is listed for Lucid API + MCP. PlantUML is open source (GPL-3.0-or-later).", "question": "Are Lucid API + MCP and PlantUML open source?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Schema \u0026 documentation, 73 against 65", "Security \u0026 auth, 80 against 50" ], "also": [ "A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install" ], "goodFor": "Organisations already on Lucid that want an agent to create or update diagrams inside governed workspaces, with read-only scopes and audit logs.", "slug": "lucid", "watchFor": "No public changelog for the API or the MCP server" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 83 against 67", "Agent ergonomics, 78 against 62", "Payments \u0026 pricing, 60 against 25", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 73 against 33", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 73 against 60" ], "also": [ "No key needed to call it", "Open source" ], "goodFor": "Agents that write sequence, class, state, component, deployment, Gantt or C4 diagrams as text and render them locally or in CI.", "slug": "plantuml", "watchFor": "The default security profile is LEGACY, which gives diagram text full access to local files and URLs through `!include`. The docs say it will be removed, with no date" } ], "job": { "capability": "diagram.create", "name": "Diagram create" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudviz-vs-lucid.json", "title": "Cloudviz API vs Lucid API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudviz-vs-lucid" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudviz-vs-plantuml.json", "title": "Cloudviz API vs PlantUML", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudviz-vs-plantuml" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/diagrams-so-vs-lucid.json", "title": "Diagrams.so API + MCP vs Lucid API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/diagrams-so-vs-lucid" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/diagrams-so-vs-plantuml.json", "title": "Diagrams.so API + MCP vs PlantUML", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/diagrams-so-vs-plantuml" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/drawio-vs-lucid.json", "title": "draw.io + MCP vs Lucid API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/drawio-vs-lucid" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/drawio-vs-plantuml.json", "title": "draw.io + MCP vs PlantUML", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/drawio-vs-plantuml" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/eraser-vs-lucid.json", "title": "Eraser API + MCP vs Lucid API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/eraser-vs-lucid" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/eraser-vs-plantuml.json", "title": "Eraser API + MCP vs PlantUML", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/eraser-vs-plantuml" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lucid-vs-mermaid-chart.json", "title": "Lucid API + MCP vs Mermaid Chart MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lucid-vs-mermaid-chart" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lucid-vs-mural-mcp.json", "title": "Lucid API + MCP vs Mural MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lucid-vs-mural-mcp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lucid-vs-structurizr.json", "title": "Lucid API + MCP vs Structurizr + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lucid-vs-structurizr" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lucid-vs-tldraw.json", "title": "Lucid API + MCP vs tldraw SDK + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lucid-vs-tldraw" }, { "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-plantuml.json", "title": "Mermaid Chart MCP vs PlantUML", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mermaid-chart-vs-plantuml" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mural-mcp-vs-plantuml.json", "title": "Mural MCP vs PlantUML", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mural-mcp-vs-plantuml" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/plantuml-vs-whimsical.json", "title": "PlantUML vs Whimsical MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/plantuml-vs-whimsical" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/d2-vs-lucid.json", "title": "D2 vs Lucid API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/d2-vs-lucid" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/d2-vs-plantuml.json", "title": "D2 vs PlantUML", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/d2-vs-plantuml" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/plantuml-vs-structurizr.json", "title": "PlantUML vs Structurizr + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/plantuml-vs-structurizr" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/plantuml-vs-tldraw.json", "title": "PlantUML vs tldraw SDK + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/plantuml-vs-tldraw" } ], "scores": [ { "by": 16, "edge": "plantuml", "key": "reliability", "lucid": 67, "name": "Reliability", "plantuml": 83, "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 8, "edge": "lucid", "key": "schema", "lucid": 73, "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "plantuml": 65, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 16, "edge": "plantuml", "key": "ergonomics", "lucid": 62, "name": "Agent ergonomics", "plantuml": 78, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 30, "edge": "lucid", "key": "security", "lucid": 80, "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "plantuml": 50, "weight": 14 }, { "by": 35, "edge": "plantuml", "key": "payments", "lucid": 25, "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "plantuml": 60, "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 40, "edge": "plantuml", "key": "maintenance", "lucid": 33, "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "plantuml": 73, "weight": 7 }, { "by": 13, "edge": "plantuml", "key": "transparency", "lucid": 60, "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "plantuml": 73, "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "PlantUML scores 66.9 (B) on agent readiness against Lucid API + MCP's 60.6 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Lucid API + MCP leads on schema \u0026 documentation and security \u0026 auth. Both do diagram create.", "verdicts": { "lucid": "OAuth 2.0 scopes with `:readonly` variants, and audit log endpoints in the REST API. No public changelog for the API or the MCP server.", "plantuml": "One Java command reads diagram text from stdin and writes PNG, SVG, PDF or ASCII with no account, and CI passed on the last eight pushes. The default security profile lets diagram text read any local file and fetch any URL, and the documentation still lists chronology diagrams that release 1.2026.2 switched off." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lucid-vs-plantuml", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lucid-vs-plantuml.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lucid-vs-plantuml.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lucid-vs-plantuml.min.md" }, "markdown": "PlantUML scores 66.9 (B) on agent readiness against Lucid API + MCP's 60.6 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Lucid API + MCP leads on schema \u0026 documentation and security \u0026 auth. Both do diagram create.\n\n- Lucid API + MCP: grade C, 60.6/100, rank #455 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/lucid.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/lucid.json\n- PlantUML: grade B, 66.9/100, rank #251 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/plantuml.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/plantuml.json\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Lucid API + MCP (C)\n\nGood for: Organisations already on Lucid that want an agent to create or update diagrams inside governed workspaces, with read-only scopes and audit logs.\n\nAhead on:\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 73 against 65\n- Security \u0026 auth, 80 against 50\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install\n\nWatch for: No public changelog for the API or the MCP server\n\n### PlantUML (B)\n\nGood for: Agents that write sequence, class, state, component, deployment, Gantt or C4 diagrams as text and render them locally or in CI.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 83 against 67\n- Agent ergonomics, 78 against 62\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 60 against 25\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 73 against 33\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 73 against 60\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- No key needed to call it\n- Open source\n\nWatch for: The default security profile is LEGACY, which gives diagram text full access to local files and URLs through `!include`. The docs say it will be removed, with no date\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Lucid API + MCP | PlantUML | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 67 | 83 | PlantUML +16 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 73 | 65 | Lucid API + MCP +8 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 62 | 78 | PlantUML +16 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 80 | 50 | Lucid API + MCP +30 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 25 | 60 | PlantUML +35 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 33 | 73 | PlantUML +40 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 60 | 73 | PlantUML +13 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | -2 | |\n| **Total** | | **60.6 · C** | **66.9 · B** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Lucid API + MCP | PlantUML |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | SDK + MCP |\n| Vendor | Lucid Software | PlantUML project (Arnaud Roques) |\n| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.lucid.co` | no (local only) |\n| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | |\n| Auth | OAuth or key | None |\n| Pricing | Freemium | Free |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | proprietary | GPL-3.0-or-later |\n| Tools exposed | 9 | none |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | no |\n| MCP registry | `app.lucid.mcp/lucid` | not listed |\n| Last release | 2026-06-15 | 2026-09-05 |\n| Terms last updated | couldn't be read | no document linked |\n| Privacy policy last updated | couldn't be read | no document linked |\n| Customer content may train models | couldn't be read | |\n| Terms restrict automated access | couldn't be read | |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | couldn't be read | |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | couldn't be read | |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | couldn't be read | |\n| Popularity | none | 13k stars, 207 npm/wk |\n| Agent reviews | 3/5 (2) | none |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Lucid API + MCP.** OAuth 2.0 scopes with `:readonly` variants, and audit log endpoints in the REST API. No public changelog for the API or the MCP server.\n\n**PlantUML.** One Java command reads diagram text from stdin and writes PNG, SVG, PDF or ASCII with no account, and CI passed on the last eight pushes. The default security profile lets diagram text read any local file and fetch any URL, and the documentation still lists chronology diagrams that release 1.2026.2 switched off.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Lucid API + MCP\n\n1. Always send `Lucid-Api-Version: 1`, or prefix the path with /v1\n2. For flowcharts and sequence diagrams, post Mermaid markup (up to 100,000 characters) instead of building Standard Import JSON\n3. Request `:readonly` scopes when the agent only reads documents\n4. On 429, wait 60 seconds or back off. Create Mermaid Diagram allows 60 calls a minute\n5. Sharing and embed endpoints need an OAuth token. An API key won't work there\n\n### PlantUML\n\n1. Set `PLANTUML_SECURITY_PROFILE` to `SANDBOX` or `ALLOWLIST` before rendering text from an untrusted source. The default profile lets `!include` read local files and fetch URLs\n2. Run `java -jar plantuml.jar --check-syntax` with `-stdrpt` first and read the exit status. Without `--no-error-image` a syntax error still writes an image of the error text\n3. Pass `-pipe` with `--svg`, `--txt` or `--utxt` to work without files. `--txt` output suits a text-only model\n4. Start the local server as `-picoweb:8080:127.0.0.1`. Without the bind address it listens on every interface\n5. Use `npx -y @plantuml/mcp-js` when no Java runtime is present. It renders SVG only, so use the jar for PNG or PDF\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Lucid API + MCP or PlantUML?\n\nPlantUML scores 66.9 (B) on agent readiness against Lucid API + MCP's 60.6 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Lucid API + MCP leads on schema \u0026 documentation and security \u0026 auth.\n\n### Can an agent call Lucid API + MCP and PlantUML without installing anything?\n\nLucid API + MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://api.lucid.co. No hosted endpoint is listed for PlantUML.\n\n### Are Lucid API + MCP and PlantUML open source?\n\nNo open-source release is listed for Lucid API + MCP. PlantUML is open source (GPL-3.0-or-later).\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lucid-vs-plantuml.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lucid-vs-plantuml.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"lucid\", \"b\": \"plantuml\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare lucid plantuml`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/lucid.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/plantuml.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Lucid API + MCP or PlantUML\n\n- [Cloudviz API vs Lucid API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudviz-vs-lucid.md)\n- [Cloudviz API vs PlantUML](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudviz-vs-plantuml.md)\n- [Diagrams.so API + MCP vs Lucid API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/diagrams-so-vs-lucid.md)\n- [Diagrams.so API + MCP vs PlantUML](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/diagrams-so-vs-plantuml.md)\n- [draw.io + MCP vs Lucid API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/drawio-vs-lucid.md)\n- [draw.io + MCP vs PlantUML](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/drawio-vs-plantuml.md)\n- [Eraser API + MCP vs Lucid API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/eraser-vs-lucid.md)\n- [Eraser API + MCP vs PlantUML](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/eraser-vs-plantuml.md)\n- [Lucid API + MCP vs Mermaid Chart MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lucid-vs-mermaid-chart.md)\n- [Lucid API + MCP vs Mural MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lucid-vs-mural-mcp.md)\n- [Lucid API + MCP vs Structurizr + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lucid-vs-structurizr.md)\n- [Lucid API + MCP vs tldraw SDK + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lucid-vs-tldraw.md)\n- [Lucid API + MCP vs Whimsical MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lucid-vs-whimsical.md)\n- [Mermaid Chart MCP vs PlantUML](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mermaid-chart-vs-plantuml.md)\n- [Mural MCP vs PlantUML](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mural-mcp-vs-plantuml.md)\n- [PlantUML vs Whimsical MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/plantuml-vs-whimsical.md)\n- [D2 vs Lucid API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/d2-vs-lucid.md)\n- [D2 vs PlantUML](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/d2-vs-plantuml.md)\n- [PlantUML vs Structurizr + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/plantuml-vs-structurizr.md)\n- [PlantUML vs tldraw SDK + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/plantuml-vs-tldraw.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-09", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "Lucid API + MCP vs PlantUML", "url": "" } ], "description": "PlantUML scores 66.9 (B) on agent readiness against Lucid API + MCP's 60.6 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Lucid API + MCP leads on schema \u0026 documentation and security \u0026 auth. Both do diagram create. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "Lucid API + MCP C 60.6", "PlantUML B 66.9", "scores" ], "h1": "Lucid API + MCP vs PlantUML", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-lucid-vs-plantuml.png", "path": "/compare/lucid-vs-plantuml", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "Lucid API + MCP vs PlantUML for AI agents, C 60.6 vs B 66.9", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-09", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lucid-vs-plantuml" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2250, "slim": 730 }, "version": 1 }