AI-Assisted Development with Ignite UI

Ignite UI for Angular, React, and Web Components provides a three-part AI toolchain - Agent Skills, the Ignite UI CLI MCP server, and the Ignite UI Theming MCP server - that grounds AI coding assistants in correct component APIs, import paths, and design tokens. Agent Skills are developer-owned instruction packages that define how AI agents use Ignite UI in a specific project. The CLI MCP server exposes Ignite UI CLI scaffolding, component management, and documentation tools to the active AI agent session via the Model Context Protocol. The Theming MCP server exposes the Ignite UI Theming Engine as queryable agent context. All three components work with GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, and JetBrains AI Assistant.

The AI toolchain does not currently support Blazor in the CLI MCP and Agent Skills layers - Blazor coverage is provided by the Theming MCP only. The CLI MCP server requires STDIO transport; HTTP-based MCP clients are not supported. Agent Skills and the CLI MCP server do not modify project files autonomously - they expose tools and instructions to the active AI agent, which acts on developer prompts.

The AI Toolchain at a Glance

Ignite UI's AI toolchain consists of three independently usable layers. Each layer can be enabled on its own; they are designed to work together.

Layer	What it provides	Owner	Frameworks
Agent Skills	Developer-owned instruction packages: import paths, component patterns, decision flows, project conventions	Developer	Angular, React, Web Components, Blazor
CLI MCP server (`igniteui-cli`)	Project scaffolding, component management, documentation and API queries via MCP	Infragistics	Angular, React, Web Components
Theming MCP server (`igniteui-theming`)	Design tokens, palette definitions, CSS custom property generation, WCAG AA contrast validation	Infragistics	Angular, React, Web Components, Blazor

The CLI MCP server and Theming MCP server are both started through npx and connect to any MCP-compatible client through STDIO transport. Agent Skills are local files placed in your project that the AI client reads from disk.

Agent Skills

Agent Skills are structured, developer-owned packages that tell AI coding assistants exactly how to use Ignite UI for a specific framework. A Skill package can contain a SKILL.md instruction file with component patterns, import paths, and decision flows; references to authoritative Ignite UI documentation; and assets such as schema files or diagrams. When a Skill is active in the AI client, the agent follows the Skill instead of relying on general training data - which may reference outdated API signatures or import paths.

Ignite UI ships dedicated Skill packages for Angular, React, Web Components, and Blazor. The Skill package is developer-owned: edit the SKILL.md to match your team's conventions, add project-specific patterns, reference your internal design system, and version the package alongside your codebase.

For full setup instructions and IDE wiring, see Agent Skills.

CLI MCP Server

The Ignite UI CLI MCP server (igniteui-cli) is an MCP server maintained by Infragistics that exposes Ignite UI CLI scaffolding and documentation tools to the active AI agent session. Once connected, the AI assistant can create Angular, React, or Web Components projects, add and modify Ignite UI components, and answer documentation and API questions - all through natural-language prompts in the chat session.

The CLI MCP server starts via npx without a global install:

npx -y igniteui-cli mcp

The server connects to VS Code with GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, JetBrains AI Assistant, and any other MCP-compatible client that supports STDIO transport. The exact configuration format differs by client - see the CLI MCP setup guides below.

The CLI MCP server does not support Blazor. It does not generate code autonomously - it exposes tools to the AI agent, which invokes them in response to developer prompts.

Theming MCP Server

The Ignite UI Theming MCP server (igniteui-theming) is a separate MCP server that exposes the Ignite UI Theming Engine as queryable agent context. It covers design token access, palette definitions, CSS custom property generation, and WCAG AA contrast validation. It is architecturally separate from the CLI MCP server - it can be connected independently to give the AI agent access to theming tools without exposing project scaffolding tools.

The Theming MCP server starts via npx:

npx -y igniteui-theming igniteui-theming-mcp

The Theming MCP server supports Angular, React, Web Components, and Blazor. It updates with every Ignite UI release so agents always work against the current token surface.

For configuration details, see Theming MCP.

Supported AI Clients

The CLI MCP server and Theming MCP server work with any editor or AI client that supports MCP with STDIO transport.

Client	Configuration method
VS Code with GitHub Copilot	`.vscode/mcp.json`
Cursor	`.cursor/mcp.json`
Claude Desktop (macOS)	`~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
Claude Desktop (Windows)	`%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json`
Claude Code	`.mcp.json` or the Claude Code MCP CLI command
JetBrains AI Assistant	*Tools → AI Assistant → Model Context Protocol (MCP)-

Agent Skills are compatible with GitHub Copilot via .github/copilot-instructions.md, Cursor via .cursorrules or .cursor/rules/, Windsurf via .windsurfrules, and JetBrains AI Assistant via project-level prompt settings.

Set Up the AI Toolchain

Use ig ai-config to configure Agent Skills and both MCP servers in a single command. For individual control over each layer, or to configure only part of the toolchain in an existing project, follow the steps below. Running ig ai-config completes Steps 1, 2, and 3 in one operation.

Quick Setup

The ai-config command copies the Ignite UI Agent Skills into .claude/skills/ and writes the Ignite UI MCP server configuration to .vscode/mcp.json. If the files already exist and are up-to-date, the command is a no-op.

Using Angular Schematics:

ng generate @igniteui/angular-schematics:ai-config

This also registers the @angular/cli MCP server in .vscode/mcp.json alongside the Ignite UI servers.

Using the Ignite UI CLI:

npx igniteui-cli ai-config

If you have the Ignite UI CLI installed globally, use the shorter form:

ig ai-config

Note

The npx igniteui-cli and ig forms do not register the @angular/cli MCP server. Use the Angular Schematics command above if you want all three servers configured in a single step.

Note

The command requires Ignite UI packages to be installed in your project (npm install). If no skill files are found, make sure your packages are up-to-date.

Step 1 - Load Agent Skills

Copy the Ignite UI Skill package for your framework into your project's agent discovery path. The Skill package ships with the library in node_modules/igniteui-{framework}/skills/. Wire it to your IDE using the persistent setup for your client.

See Agent Skills for the complete setup.

Step 2 - Connect the CLI MCP Server

Add the igniteui-cli MCP server entry to the configuration file for your AI client. Use the JSON structure that matches your client:

VS Code (.vscode/mcp.json):

{
  "servers": {
    "igniteui-cli": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "igniteui-cli", "mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, JetBrains, and other MCP clients:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "igniteui-cli": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "igniteui-cli", "mcp"]
    }
  }
}

For the full setup guide, including VS Code, GitHub, Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, JetBrains, and other MCP-compatible clients, see CLI MCP.

Step 3 - Connect the Theming MCP Server (optional)

Add the igniteui-theming entry to the same MCP configuration file, alongside igniteui-cli:

{
  "servers": {
    "igniteui-theming": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "igniteui-theming", "igniteui-theming-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

For configuration details and theming workflows, see Theming MCP.

Additional Resources

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