Redesign: Free AI Carousel Builder for LinkedIn and Instagram

Redesign is a free, open-source tool that enables the Claude Code agent to generate LinkedIn and Instagram carousels in a local editor on your device.

Describe your post in the Claude Code session, Claude composes the slides through an MCP server, and you can then export PNG files ready for social publishing.

Redesign is great for developers, founders, agencies, and creators who want branded social posts from code-aware AI.

It removes the need for Canva, Figma, or a designer by letting Claude read your codebase, pull your existing components and fonts, and produce slides that match your visual identity.

Features

• Claude composes carousel slides through a 40-tool MCP server that exposes the canvas as structured data.
• The local editor runs at 127.0.0.1 and updates in real time as Claude writes layers.
• Posts, assets, exports, fonts, and the SQLite database all live under ~/.redesign/ on your machine.
• The collections system groups posts by company, client, or topic so one install can hold multiple workstreams.
• Custom fonts in .ttf, .otf, .woff, or .woff2 format upload through the Assets panel or drop directly into ~/.redesign/fonts/.
• Claude discovers uploaded fonts via media_list_fonts and applies them by family name to any text layer.
• Square and portrait aspect ratios are supported for LinkedIn and Instagram export.
• The Download button exports a ZIP of PNG files with your typography intact.
• The redesign doctor command checks the local schema and data directory for errors independent of the MCP connection.

Use Cases

• Create a 5-slide LinkedIn carousel for a product launch.
• Generate Instagram portrait slides for a feature announcement.
• Build separate post collections for company, client, and campaign work.
• Use brand fonts in AI-generated social posts.
• Import local TSX components and icons for code-aware visual assets.

How to Use It

Install and start the editor

The CLI picks an available port starting at 3000, creates ~/.redesign/ if it does not exist, bootstraps db.sqlite, prints the editor URL, and starts the Next.js editor. No Nodewave account is needed at this step.

npx @nodewave-io/redesign

Connect Claude Code

After start runs, it prints a .mcp.json snippet. Paste it into .mcp.json in your repo root for project-scoped access, or into ~/.claude/mcp.json for global access.

The faster option is to run:

npx @nodewave-io/redesign mcp-config

Then restart Claude Code. Redesign appears in the MCP server list.

Create a collection and a new post

Open the editor URL in your browser. On first run, a Default collection exists. Rename it or click New collection to add one per client or topic. Open a collection, click New post, then give Claude Code a prompt such as:

Open my latest post and build a 5-slide carousel about my new product. Dark theme. Punchy hook on slide 1, value props on 2-4, install command on 5.

Claude calls media_get_post, builds the layers, screenshots to verify, and reports when the slides are ready. Reload the editor to refresh the canvas.

Add custom fonts (optional)

Open Assets in the editor, click Upload, select Font, and drop in your .ttf, .otf, .woff, or .woff2 file up to 5 MB. The file name without the extension becomes the font family name. You can also drop the file directly into ~/.redesign/fonts/ and refresh the editor.

Reference the font in Claude Code:

Use the InstrumentSerifItalic font for the section headings on slides 2 and 4.

Export your assets

Click Download in the editor. The first export downloads Chrome headless to ~/.redesign/chromium/ and takes 30 to 60 seconds. Subsequent exports run at approximately 3 seconds per slide. The export is a ZIP of PNGs with your custom fonts rendered correctly.

CLI Commands

System Requirements

File Structure

~/.redesign/
  db.sqlite          SQLite database in WAL mode
  assets/            Uploaded images and component sources
  exports/           Generated carousel ZIPs
  fonts/             Custom font files
  chromium/          Headless Chrome for export
  config.json        Editor port and PID

Update Redesign

npm install -g @nodewave-io/redesign

To check for a new version without upgrading:

npm outdated -g

To upgrade from within Redesign:

redesign update

Pros

• Fully free and MIT licensed.
• No signup, no Nodewave account.
• No watermarks on exports.
• Completely local, no data leaves your machine.
• Works with your existing Claude Code setup.
• Commercial use permitted.

Cons

• Requires Claude Code and an Anthropic API key.
• First export takes 30 to 60 seconds for Chrome download.
• No browser-based option for users who prefer not to run local tools.

Related Resources

• Claude Code Resources
• The Ultimate Claude Code Resource List
• Claude Code Commands Cheat Sheet
• 10 Best Agent Skills for Claude Code & AI Workflows
• Free AI Tools for Developers

FAQs

Q: Is Redesign free to use?
A: Yes. Redesign is MIT-licensed and runs entirely on your machine at no cost. You pay Anthropic only for your own Claude usage through your existing API key or Claude Code subscription.

Q: Does Redesign upload my posts or images anywhere?
A: No. Everything stays under ~/.redesign/ on your local machine. The Next.js server binds only to 127.0.0.1. The MCP log table records tool calls locally for debugging and is never transmitted.

Q: Can I use Redesign for Instagram posts, not just LinkedIn?
A: Yes. The canvas supports square and portrait aspect ratios and exports PNG files that work for Instagram uploads.

Q: Claude Code does not see the Redesign tools after installation. What do I do?
A: Restart Claude Code first. It reads MCP config only on start. If the tools still do not appear, run npx @nodewave-io/redesign connect. That registers the MCP, boots the local stdio server to verify it responds, and reports any specific error. You can also ask Claude directly in any session to try connecting to the redesign MCP and report what it sees.