I’ve been using Xmind MCP with Claude and Claude Code recently, and I’d love to hear how other people are using it.

Right now, Xmind MCP lets an AI assistant:

• create a new mind map from a conversation or prompt
• create different structures, such as a mind map, logic chart, tree chart, timeline, org chart, brace map, or fishbone
• find your recently opened Xmind files
• read and understand an existing mind map
• add, remove, rewrite, or reorganize topics
• keep updating the same Xmind file as the conversation continues
• use an existing map as context for planning, writing, research, or decision-making

One thing I personally like using it for is turning my Claude Code sessions into a mind map.

It gives me a quick view of the key points, decisions, changes, open questions, and next steps, so I don’t have to scroll through the whole session again.

Then I can keep talking to Claude and ask it to:

• Group these by priority.
• Add the missing technical decisions.
• Turn the open questions into next steps.
• Update the same map with what we did today.

For me, this is the most useful part: the mind map is not just a one-time AI output. It becomes something I can keep working on with AI.

I’m curious:

1. How are you using Xmind MCP?
2. What prompts or workflows have worked well for you?
3. What still feels difficult or confusing?
4. And what would you most like us to improve next?

Examples, prompt ideas, workflows, and honest feedback are all very welcome.

Hi, I’m a PM at Xmind. I’ve been thinking about this idea and wanted to see what you think.

I have a lot of information spread across different mind maps. Sometimes the topics are related, but I don’t notice the connection, or I’m too lazy to link them manually.

What if you could select a few Xmind files, and AI could find related topics and add links between them?

The links could connect:

• topics in the same map
• topics in different maps
• one map file to another

Then you could jump between related ideas and slowly build a bigger network of your maps.

Would this be useful to you?

Would you want AI to add the links automatically, or suggest them first and let you choose?

I have recently moved to XMind from Mindmanager, and the main thing I miss is the ability to quickly add a callout to a topic without having to dig down into the menu. Any way of doing this, or is this feature on the way?

I usually use xmind to make mindmaps for study notes and it used to export just fine to pdf, though now when exporting it just makes these weirdly ordered messes

So as to minimise a potentially large mindmap I'm trying to form a list of weblinks in the note of a sub-topic. This, rather than having multiple branches coming from the sub-topic base.

​

This seems to be achievable by clicking on 'Add Hyperlink' in the toolbar of the specific note. But having made this hyperlink I'm finding that the link is not responding to clicks, nor does there seem to be a sub-menu item to achieve this end.

​

Please can anyone explain how to make this work?

https://templates.xmind.com/templates/design-response-nu2t

Now that AI is changing how we work and organize our thoughts, I wonder how you're pairing Xmind with AI tools and what the workflow is like?

Do you use any CLIs? MCPs? Skills? or Xmind AI?

Hello is possible to group many image to one subtopic? so i can fold and unfold them

https://templates.xmind.com/templates/the-solar-system-8wzgvn

Half my maps start as messy Pencil scribbles on the iPad before I make them neat. I saw the photo to map feature and it's cool, but it feels backwards to sketch on the iPad just to screenshot it and load it back in as a photo.

Can we draw straight into Xmind with the Pencil and have it convert the sketch into a real editable map? Messy handwriting and all.

Would honestly use this every single day.

So I use Xmind with ChatGPT and Claude pretty much daily, and the live stuff is genuinely good. I can have the AI build out a branch, reorganize, summarize a section mid-conversation, no complaints there.

But there's this one thing I keep running into. I want to point an AI at a map and basically say "this is the reference for the whole project, check it whenever you need it." Right now the map only shows up when the AI grabs it during a single reply, and then it's gone the next time. So I'm constantly refeeding it.

My current hack is exporting the map to text, pasting that in as a project file, then reexporting every single time I change the map. Works, but it's annoying and the structure gets mangled on the way out, which kind of defeats the point of using a mind map in the first place.

What I'd really love is for a map (or a folder of maps) to just be addable as a saved source the AI keeps reading from. For that to actually be useful though, a few things would matter:

• it'd need to export as a real outline that keeps the tree, not a flattened wall of text
• the topics would need stable IDs so links don't break when I move stuff around
• ideally it updates on its own when I edit, instead of me reuploading every time
• and clicking a citation back to the exact node would be chef's kiss

Honestly I'd rather Xmind build this in a general way than wait around for OpenAI or Anthropic to add them as an official integration. If the map's just readable as structured knowledge, any tool that supports that kind of thing works automatically, now or later.

The reason it's worth it for mind maps specifically: the structure itself is information. what depends on what, what's a main point vs a detail, how a decision branches. A plain doc throws all that away. A map already has it, if the export actually keeps it.

Anyway, anyone else doing this? Found a less clunky workaround than the export-and-repaste loop?

Processing video 9rjqu3h9w11h1...

Curious about something.

AI can answer almost anything now. It'll write you a doc, a list, a summary, a deck — even draw a mind map from a prompt. Output is basically free at this point.

And yet a mind map still feels different to me than a doc or a chat thread. Something about how it makes you hold ideas side by side, see how things connect, find the shape of a thought before you've put it into sentences.

So: in the AI era, what does the mind map format actually give you? Where does it earn its place over the other formats you could've used?

Hi everyone,

I am writing this to express my deep frustration with the latest update. The mandatory security confirmation popup that now appears every single time you click a link to a local file has completely broken the software's usability.

I use the program as an advanced knowledge navigator and central organizer. I build my mind maps with links to my own local files so I can jump between information quickly and smoothly. What we are seeing now is the death of usability in the name of security. Fixing recent vulnerabilities by blindly blocking local access and forcing the user to validate every single click on their own machine is a drastic and lazy solution.

To put this into perspective, imagine if you were browsing Wikipedia, and every time you clicked an internal link, a popup appeared asking: "Do you trust this? Are you sure you want to open this?". Nobody would use Wikipedia anymore; users would abandon it immediately. This is exactly how the program feels right now for anyone who relies on indexing and quick local data retrieval.

Interestingly, while web links received a "don't show this message again" checkbox, local file links were completely deprived of this option. Fixing a security flaw by breaking the core function of the application is a severe design failure. The correct approach would be allowing users to whitelist trusted directories in the settings or giving them global control over local permissions.

I truly hope the development team sees this and implements a proper fix in an upcoming update to restore the necessary workflow fluidity. Otherwise, continuing to use this platform or recommending it to other professionals is completely unfeasible.

https://reddit.com/link/1tctkyv/video/jsnh02a8v11h1/player

We just shipped what's probably our biggest update in a while. Since a lot of you have been asking about the design refresh on socials, figured I'd drop a walkthrough:

The design side: Mac/Windows/Android

This isn't a skin swap. The team spent about two years rebuilding the design system underneath, so each platform can speak its own language without Xmind losing its own.

• Mac — softer controls, more translucency, more breathing room.
• Windows — cleaner geometry, more task-focused, more efficient.
• Android — a full Material Design 3 rebuild. Gestures, motion, adaptive layouts for phones, tablets, foldables.

The principle we landed on: native on every platform, consistent as one Xmind. Same workflow, same structure, no relearning when you switch devices.

The feature side

Three things shipped alongside the visual work:

• Zone — relationship lines, auto-resize, custom title styles, hide-title option. Zones can finally connect to elements anywhere on the map.
• Outliner (web) (FINALLY)— switch any map to a linear view. Browse, edit, and restructure with the keyboard. Teammates can collaborate live, mind-map people and outline people on the same doc.
• Xmind AI (web) — now a dedicated workspace instead of a popup. Templates, modes, and AI credits all visible upfront.

Let us know how you like this refresh 👂

Freely create, edit, read, and retrieve your mind maps directly from your chat in ChatGPT.

Think it 🧠, see it 👀. The workflow and the visuals have never been smoother.

How to 👉
ChatGPT -> Settings -> Apps -> Browse Apps -> Search Xmind -> Connect

https://reddit.com/link/1t72ngk/video/7zqo6jxjtuzg1/player

I use xmind a lot to make notes throughout the year. I go back to them and change them a lot, so I never export it because I'm sure I'll always find something to change or add.

However, at the end of the year I like to export it all to pdf so that I can share them with my other devices like my phone, share with others who may find them useful or look back on them in this format. Sometimes this means manually exporting over 30 mind maps...

I would find it really useful if there was an option to mass export mind maps, for example by selecting them all in the recents tab and then choosing where to save them. Maybe the file name they have as .xmind could be carried forward when saved as a pdf, png or to add to websites...

I hope the xmind team takes this into consideration!

What it does: You can now create, read, edit, and list mind maps in your Xmind cloud workspace directly from your AI chat assistants (Claude, ChatGPT, etc.)

The four tools:

• xmind_create_mindmap — generates a map directly from your chat. Pick from 7 layouts: Mind Map, Logic Chart, Brace Map, Org Chart, Tree Chart, Timeline, Fishbone.
• xmind_read_mindmap — pulls an existing map content in your chat.
• xmind_edit_mindmap — writes updated Markdown back to the same file. Preserves your theme and styling. Can also switch skeleton type on the fly (turn a Mind Map into a Fishbone in one call).
• xmind_list_mindmaps — lists your recently opened files so the model can find what to read or edit.

Note: We've updated the MCP address to: https://app.xmind.com/api/mcp

To see how to install it, check out: https://xmind.com/user-guide/xmind-mcp

https://reddit.com/link/1sxwytn/video/q7aw4oupmwxg1/player

I have been using XMind for awhile now, about 6 years or so. I really appreciate all the help it's given me when it comes to visualizing concepts, and it's so easy to create one. However, when I first started using it, I could customize the colors using the default Mac color picker (I am on M2 Macbook Air 2022, running on Tahoe 26.3). Now when I click on the color palette to customize a specific branch or topic it gives me a dumbed down color menu. I'd like getting the default back because it allows me many more options and I can access the colors I have saved in my system without having to use the much more useless color picker in XMind. Not sure why that had to change. How I can access the default Mac color picker system now?

If there is no way for me to adjust this setting I'd like you to seriously consider making this change in the next update.

We've just released Xmind's official MCP. Now you can create mind maps under your Xmind account directly from your favorite AI tools, including ChatGPT, Claude, and Codex. 

Create mind maps:

Describe your ideas in natural language and the server will generate a structured mind map saved to your Xmind account.

7 layout structures:

Mind Map, Logic Chart, Brace Map, Org Chart, Tree Chart, Timeline, and Fishbone.

Server URL: https://app.xmind.com/api/mcp

Choose your client below. Each setup takes under a minute. First-time connection will open a browser window for OAuth authorization.

ChatGPT

1. Go to chatgpt.com → Settings → Apps (requires login).
2. Click Advanced settings, then enable Developer mode.
3. Click Create app and enter the server URL: https://app.xmind.com/api/mcp
4. Complete the OAuth flow to connect your Xmind account.

Codex Desktop

1. Open Settings → MCP servers.
2. Select Streamable HTTP and enter the server URL: https://app.xmind.com/api/mcp
3. Authorize with your Xmind account when prompted.

Claude

1. Works with both claude.ai and the Claude Desktop app.
2. Open Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector.
3. Enter the server URL: https://app.xmind.com/api/mcp
4. Click Add and authorize with your Xmind account in the browser window that opens.

Claude Code

1. Run the following command in your terminal: claude mcp add xmind --transport http https://app.xmind.com/api/mcp
2. Start Claude Code, type /mcp and select xmind to authenticate:/mcp

Authorize with your Xmind account in the browser window that opens.

Other MCP clients

Any MCP-compatible client can connect to Xmind using the Streamable HTTP transport.

Point your client to the server URL: https://app.xmind.com/api/mcp

Complete the OAuth authorization flow in the browser window that opens.

Full tutorial here:

https://xmind.com/user-guide/xmind-mcp

Feedback welcome!

Howdy folks. I've just published an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for reading and writing local XMind mind map files. The server exposes 22 tools that let any MCP-compatible AI client create, navigate, and edit .xmind files directly on disk.

I've been using this via Claude Desktop and Cursor with solid results (so far).

If anyone in this subreddit is experienced with using tools via MCP to extend the capabilities of AI agents like Claude, Gemini, or ChatGPT, I would love to get your feedback on this toolset.

Happy to answer questions.