MCP Bench Router — Claude Code MCP server: route design tasks
Sends design and frontend prompts to whichever model currently leads the designarena.ai board, through OpenRouter. Useful when your assistant's UI output looks flat.
claude mcp add mcp-bench-router -e OPENROUTER_API_KEY=<OPENROUTER_API_KEY> -- npx -y mcp-bench-routerWhat MCP Bench Router does
Four tools ship with the server. get_best_design_model returns the current number one and can be narrowed to a category. get_leaderboard lists the full ranking with a filter and paging. query_design_model forwards a prompt to the best model available, while query_specific_model targets one you name yourself.
Rankings come from designarena.ai and sit in a two-hour cache. Arena names are then matched to OpenRouter IDs — some from a static table, some resolved on the fly, the rest by fuzzy comparison. Codename and unreleased entries get skipped, so the answer names a model you can actually call. Fourteen categories are available: website, gamedev, 3d, dataviz, uicomponent, image, logo, svg, video, imagetoimage, slides, graphicdesign, tts and allcategories.
Node.js 18 or newer is required. The two query tools need an OpenRouter key: without OPENROUTER_API_KEY they fail, while browsing the leaderboard still works. Pass the key as an environment variable when you register the server.
What it helps with
- find the model currently best at UI work
- browse design rankings for one category
- send a prompt to the leader without leaving the editor
- compare two models on the same design brief
- generate a logo or SVG through an outside model
Example prompts for the agent
- Use get_best_design_model to show me the current top design model
- Show the top 20 website design models with get_leaderboard
- Use query_design_model to build a landing page for a SaaS product
How to install MCP Bench Router
Platform CLI
claude mcp add mcp-bench-router -e OPENROUTER_API_KEY=<OPENROUTER_API_KEY> -- npx -y mcp-bench-routerReplace <…> with your own values
Platform CLI
codex mcp add mcp-bench-router --env OPENROUTER_API_KEY=<OPENROUTER_API_KEY> -- npx -y mcp-bench-routerReplace <…> with your own values
Config file
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-bench-router": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"mcp-bench-router"
],
"env": {
"OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "<OPENROUTER_API_KEY>"
}
}
}
}Replace <…> with your own values
Config file
{
"servers": {
"mcp-bench-router": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"mcp-bench-router"
],
"env": {
"OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "<OPENROUTER_API_KEY>"
}
}
}
}Replace <…> with your own values
Platform CLI
gemini mcp add -e OPENROUTER_API_KEY=<OPENROUTER_API_KEY> mcp-bench-router npx -y mcp-bench-routerReplace <…> with your own values
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to add an MCP server to Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI and more
Questions about MCP Bench Router
How do I install MCP Bench Router in Claude Code?
Run claude mcp add mcp-bench-router -e OPENROUTER_API_KEY=<OPENROUTER_API_KEY> -- npx -y mcp-bench-router, replacing the placeholder with your own OpenRouter key.
What does MCP Bench Router do?
It reads the live designarena.ai ranking and routes your design prompt to the highest-placed model there, via OpenRouter.
What does the server need to run?
Node.js 18 or newer and an OpenRouter key. Without the key, query_design_model and query_specific_model will not work.
