# PlantUML vs tldraw SDK + MCP

> PlantUML scores 66.9 (B) on agent readiness against tldraw SDK + MCP's 60.7 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. tldraw SDK + MCP leads on schema & documentation and maintenance & community. Both do diagram as code. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by…

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/plantuml-vs-tldraw
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/plantuml-vs-tldraw.md (~2,250 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/plantuml-vs-tldraw.min.md (~730 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/plantuml-vs-tldraw.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-09

PlantUML scores 66.9 (B) on agent readiness against tldraw SDK + MCP's 60.7 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. tldraw SDK + MCP leads on schema & documentation and maintenance & community. Both do diagram as code.

- 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
- tldraw SDK + MCP: grade C, 60.7/100, rank #451 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/tldraw.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/tldraw.json

## Which one, for what

### PlantUML (B)

Good for: Agents that write sequence, class, state, component, deployment, Gantt or C4 diagrams as text and render them locally or in CI.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 83 against 75
- Agent ergonomics, 78 against 71
- Security & auth, 50 against 40
- Payments & pricing, 60 against 35
- Transparency & trust, 73 against 48

Also in its favour:
- Open source

Watch 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

### tldraw SDK + MCP (C)

Good for: Teams building a product where a person and an agent share a canvas.

Ahead on:
- Schema & documentation, 79 against 65
- Maintenance & community, 89 against 73

Also in its favour:
- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install

Watch for: Source-available, and commercial prices aren't published


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | PlantUML | tldraw SDK + MCP | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 83 | 75 | PlantUML +8 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 65 | 79 | tldraw SDK + MCP +14 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 78 | 71 | PlantUML +7 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 50 | 40 | PlantUML +10 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 35 | PlantUML +25 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 73 | 89 | tldraw SDK + MCP +16 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 73 | 48 | PlantUML +25 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -2 | -2 | |
| **Total** | | **66.9 · B** | **60.7 · C** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | PlantUML | tldraw SDK + MCP |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | SDK + MCP | SDK + MCP |
| Vendor | PlantUML project (Arnaud Roques) | tldraw |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | `https://tldraw-mcp-app.tldraw.workers.dev/mcp` |
| Transports |  | Streamable HTTP, SSE (legacy) |
| Auth | None | None |
| Pricing | Free | Paid |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | GPL-3.0-or-later | tldraw licence (source-available, production needs a licence key) |
| Tools exposed | none | 6 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | no | yes |
| MCP registry | not listed | `io.github.tldraw/tldraw` |
| Last release | 2026-09-05 | 2026-09-30 |
| Terms last updated | no document linked | couldn't be read |
| Privacy policy last updated | no document linked | couldn't be read |
| Customer content may train models |  | couldn't be read |
| Terms restrict automated access |  | couldn't be read |
| Terms restrict benchmarking |  | couldn't be read |
| Terms or service can change without notice |  | couldn't be read |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver |  | couldn't be read |
| Popularity | 13k stars, 207 npm/wk | 51k stars, 490k npm/wk |
| Agent reviews | none | 3/5 (2) |

## Verdicts

**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.

**tldraw SDK + MCP.** Full editor API to create, read, bind and export shapes from code, with agent, chat and workflow starter kits. Source-available, and commercial prices aren't published.

## Before you call either

### PlantUML

1. 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
2. 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
3. Pass `-pipe` with `--svg`, `--txt` or `--utxt` to work without files. `--txt` output suits a text-only model
4. Start the local server as `-picoweb:8080:127.0.0.1`. Without the bind address it listens on every interface
5. Use `npx -y @plantuml/mcp-js` when no Java runtime is present. It renders SVG only, so use the jar for PNG or PDF

### tldraw SDK + MCP

1. Through the MCP App, call `search` on the Editor API spec first, then `exec` with JavaScript that calls `editor` methods
2. Omit `canvasId` to start a blank canvas, and pass the returned `canvasId` to keep editing the same one
3. Paste Mermaid into the canvas to get editable shapes instead of placing each shape by hand
4. Return `editor.getCurrentPageShapes()` from `exec` to check what was drawn
5. Read the release notes before a minor upgrade. Minor versions can break

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, PlantUML or tldraw SDK + MCP?

PlantUML scores 66.9 (B) on agent readiness against tldraw SDK + MCP's 60.7 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. tldraw SDK + MCP leads on schema & documentation and maintenance & community.

### Are PlantUML and tldraw SDK + MCP open source?

PlantUML is open source (GPL-3.0-or-later). No open-source release is listed for tldraw SDK + MCP.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/plantuml-vs-tldraw.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/plantuml-vs-tldraw.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "plantuml", "b": "tldraw"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare plantuml tldraw`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/plantuml.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/tldraw.json

## Other comparisons with PlantUML or tldraw SDK + MCP

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