Vixl

Ideas become editable. A design engine for AI agents.

Ask an AI for a poster and you usually get a picture of a poster. Vixl gives your agent the real thing: layers, live text, fonts, a history you can rewind, and a .vixl master you can still change next week. It checks contrast, spacing and bleed before export, so nobody finds out at the print shop.

Works through MCP, CLI, Python or REST. No windows required.

Current tagged release: 0.27.0. See the changelog for release notes. Run vixl --version to check your runtime; record the Git commit when using a source checkout.

Documentation home · Getting started · Visual gallery · Command reference · Downloads · Examples and showcases

Programmable. Editable. Checked.

• Programmable. One JSON operation format behind MCP, the CLI, Python and REST. Batches of up to 10,000 operations apply atomically, so a half-finished edit never lands.
• Editable. Text stays text, effects stay a stack, and history branches. Charts open in PowerPoint as real charts, forms export as PDFs people can fill in, and every piece ships with its master.
• Checked. Contrast, spacing, bounds, fonts, trim and bleed are measured, your brief can be saved as a test suite, and you preview the render before anything is exported.

What you can make

Install

On Windows, download the latest Vixl-Setup-VERSION-windows-x64.exe from GitHub Releases. It bundles Python, REST and MCP, installs for your user account, and supports verified automatic updates. If vixl is not found, reopen the terminal or see PATH repair.

vixl --version
vixl update --check
vixl update

For source development, use Python 3.11+:

git clone https://github.com/jxburros/Vixl.git
cd Vixl
python -m venv .venv
# macOS/Linux:
source .venv/bin/activate
# Windows PowerShell: .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
python -m pip install -e '.[server,pdf]'
vixl --version

The core install is python -m pip install -e .; MCP is included. Optional server adds REST/live review, and pdf adds PDF page import. Pip installs use pip-managed updates. Installation and releases covers pinned versions, Windows rollback, agent bundles and packaging.

Make your first design

Six commands, one checked design, still fully editable:

vixl new 800x600 --background '#18283b' -o hello.vixl
vixl -p hello.vixl text add 'Hello, Vixl' --name title --size 64 --color '#ffffff'
vixl -p hello.vixl align title center
vixl -p hello.vixl check --checks bounds contrast
vixl -p hello.vixl render --out hello-preview.png
vixl -p hello.vixl export hello.png

In a terminal each command prints a short summary; piped output, --json and VIXL_JSON=1 give the full JSON. Editing commands autosave; pass -p explicitly in scripts. Inspect the preview before handoff. The first-design walkthrough explains undo, checkpoints, JSON batches and Python. Use the bundled font for proofing; choose suitable typography for finished work.

Connect an agent

Point your agent at a workspace folder and let it work:

vixl mcp --workspace .

For a pinned tagged runtime with uv:

uvx --from https://github.com/jxburros/Vixl/archive/refs/tags/v0.27.0.tar.gz vixl mcp --workspace .

The workspace must exist. The server offers seven tools (vixl_document, vixl_apply, vixl_check, vixl_render, vixl_export, vixl_reference, vixl_job) in about 7,000 characters of tool list; agents look up operation fields and rarer options on demand with vixl_reference (MCP tool surface). Use --tools ai for a second server with the provider-backed tools, or --http for Streamable HTTP. Interface setup includes client JSON, multi-document sessions, REST authentication, imports and live human review (vixl -p hello.vixl view).

The Vixl agent skill teaches the inspect → apply → check → finishing pass (critique, one fix batch, a real-size look) → export loop, recipes and operation details. Copy its folder to your agent's skills directory. AI functions use explicitly configured providers; Vixl contains no model weights.

Use Python

from vixl import Project

project = Project(800, 600, background="#18283b")
project.apply([
    {"type": "text", "name": "title", "text": "Hello, Vixl", "size": 64, "color": "#ffffff"},
    {"type": "align", "target": "title", "alignment": "center"},
])
project.save("hello.vixl")
project.export("hello.png")

All interfaces share canonical operations and atomic batches. Direct Python requires an explicit save. See document concepts, operation semantics and Python/REST/MCP for deeper integration.

Examples and development

Editable chart · Recipe · Visual capability gallery

python -m pip install -e '.[dev]'
python examples/build_documentation.py
python examples/build_poster.py --output examples/output
python examples/build_sprite.py --output examples/output/sprite
python examples/build_filter_gallery.py
python examples/build_organic_gallery.py
python examples/build_irregular_gallery.py
python examples/build_drawing_pipeline.py
python -m pytest -q

The documentation builder creates diagrams, charts, artwork, forms, slides and motion without AI credentials or network access. Every new visual has an editable master and operation recipe; see documentation maintenance. Showcases, explorations, the marketing pack, promo films and evaluation results live in VixlExamples, and agent evaluations measure design tasks.

Vixl edits in RGBA8 sRGB and exports supported vectors or documented raster fallbacks. CMYK is an export setting. RAW development, spot-color editing, PSD/XCF import (PSD export is layered pixels) and a desktop GUI are outside this implementation. Review coverage and limitations, export behavior and architecture before choosing it for a workflow. The original product specification is retained as design context. The Ripple identity kit includes logos, icons, an animated wordmark, usage guidance and editable masters.

Licence

Vixl is source-available under the PolyForm Small Business License 1.0.0: free for individuals and for companies with fewer than 100 people and under US$1M (2019) revenue; larger companies need a commercial licence from the licensor. Copies of Vixl must carry the licence and its Required Notice: lines. If Vixl helped make your work, please credit it ("Made with Vixl").

Bundled assets keep their own terms: DejaVu Sans (font licence), the Noto Sans, Noto Sans Symbols, Noto Sans Symbols 2 and Noto Sans Math fallback fonts (SIL OFL 1.1), the xkcd colour names (CC0), and VIXL Line emoji artwork adapted from OpenMoji (CC BY-SA 4.0; Unicode data license).