BPMN Workflow Designer

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for creating and manipulating BPMN 2.0 workflow diagrams programmatically. This server enables AI assistants and other tools to generate, edit, and export business process diagrams in the standard BPMN format.

Features

• Create BPMN Diagrams: Generate new workflow diagrams from scratch
• Add Process Elements: Insert events, tasks, gateways, and subprocesses
• Connect Elements: Create sequence flows between workflow components
• Export Formats: Save diagrams as BPMN 2.0 XML or SVG
• Import Support: Load and modify existing BPMN XML files
• Smart Hints: Get helpful nudges to ensure complete workflows with proper connections

Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v16 or higher)
• npm or yarn

Local Setup

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/dattmavis/BPMN-MCP.git
cd BPMN-MCP

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Build the project:

npm run build

Configuration

For Claude Desktop

Add the following to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bpmn": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/BPMN-MCP/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Replace /absolute/path/to/BPMN-MCP with the actual path where you cloned this repository.

For Other AI Tools

This MCP server works with any tool that supports the Model Context Protocol. Configure it to run:

node /path/to/BPMN-MCP/dist/index.js

Usage

Once configured, you can ask your AI assistant to create BPMN diagrams. Here are some example requests:

Creating a Simple Workflow

Create a BPMN diagram for an order processing workflow with these steps:
1. Order Received (start event)
2. Validate Order (user task)
3. Process Payment (service task)
4. Order Complete (end event)

Connect them with sequence flows.

Creating a Workflow with Decision Points

Create a BPMN diagram for customer support ticket routing:
- Start: Ticket Received
- Task: Categorize Ticket
- Gateway: Check Priority
  - If High: Escalate to Senior Support
  - If Normal: Assign to Support Team
- Both paths lead to: Ticket Resolved (end)

Available Tools

The MCP server provides these tools:

create_bpmn_diagram

Creates a new BPMN diagram and returns a diagram ID.

add_bpmn_element

Adds an element to the diagram. Supported types:

• Events: bpmn:StartEvent, bpmn:EndEvent, bpmn:IntermediateCatchEvent, bpmn:IntermediateThrowEvent
• Tasks: bpmn:Task, bpmn:UserTask, bpmn:ServiceTask, bpmn:ScriptTask, bpmn:ManualTask, bpmn:BusinessRuleTask, bpmn:SendTask, bpmn:ReceiveTask
• Gateways: bpmn:ExclusiveGateway, bpmn:ParallelGateway, bpmn:InclusiveGateway, bpmn:EventBasedGateway
• Other: bpmn:SubProcess

connect_bpmn_elements

Creates a sequence flow between two elements.

export_bpmn_xml

Exports the diagram as BPMN 2.0 XML format.

export_bpmn_svg

Exports the diagram as SVG for visualization.

list_bpmn_elements

Lists all elements in a diagram.

import_bpmn_xml

Imports an existing BPMN XML file for editing.

Example Output

The server generates standard BPMN 2.0 XML files that can be opened in:

• Camunda Modeler
• bpmn.io
• Any BPMN 2.0 compliant tool

Example XML output:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<bpmn:definitions xmlns:bpmn="http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/20100524/MODEL"
                   xmlns:bpmndi="http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/20100524/DI"
                   xmlns:dc="http://www.omg.org/spec/DD/20100524/DC"
                   xmlns:di="http://www.omg.org/spec/DD/20100524/DI">
  <bpmn:process id="Process_1" isExecutable="true">
    <bpmn:startEvent id="Event_1" name="Start">
      <bpmn:outgoing>Flow_1</bpmn:outgoing>
    </bpmn:startEvent>
    <bpmn:task id="Task_1" name="Process">
      <bpmn:incoming>Flow_1</bpmn:incoming>
      <bpmn:outgoing>Flow_2</bpmn:outgoing>
    </bpmn:task>
    <bpmn:endEvent id="Event_2" name="End">
      <bpmn:incoming>Flow_2</bpmn:incoming>
    </bpmn:endEvent>
    <bpmn:sequenceFlow id="Flow_1" sourceRef="Event_1" targetRef="Task_1" />
    <bpmn:sequenceFlow id="Flow_2" sourceRef="Task_1" targetRef="Event_2" />
  </bpmn:process>
  <!-- Diagram information omitted for brevity -->
</bpmn:definitions>

Development

Running in Development Mode

npm run watch

This will rebuild the project automatically when source files change.

Testing

You can test the server manually using the MCP protocol:

node dist/index.js

Then send JSON-RPC requests via stdin. Example:

{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/list","params":{}}

Technical Details

Architecture

• Runtime: Node.js with TypeScript
• BPMN Engine: bpmn-js (headless mode with jsdom)
• Protocol: Model Context Protocol (MCP)
• Output: BPMN 2.0 XML standard

Smart Workflow Hints

The server includes helpful hints to ensure complete diagrams:

• Reminds you to connect elements when adding tasks/events
• Warns when exporting diagrams with disconnected elements
• Suggests using connect_bpmn_elements to create proper workflows

License

MIT

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues or pull requests.

Support

For issues or questions:

• Open an issue on GitHub
• Check existing issues for solutions

Related Projects

• bpmn-js - BPMN 2.0 rendering toolkit
• Model Context Protocol - Protocol specification