# sketch/design — System Design Interview Board (npm · sysdesign-board)

Hand-drawn whiteboard for system design mock interviews; your AI watches, asks and gives feedback.

- Trust score: 77/100 (medium)
- Change this week: +7
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-11-05

## Components

- npm · `sysdesign-board`: 77/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/tghattas-sysdesign-board/sysdesign-board.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/tghattas-sysdesign-board/sysdesign-board)

## Channel facts

- Registry: `npm`
- Package: `sysdesign-board`
- Version: `0.1.2`
- Transport: `stdio`

## Trust breakdown

How this component scores in each security and reliability category. Every signal is checked automatically from public evidence about the published package, including repeated runs of it in an isolated sandbox, and we only credit what we can confirm. Scores are 0–100 per category. Scoring method: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring (what has changed: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring/changelog)

Scored 2026-11-05.

- **Supply Chain Security**: 100/100
  - No malware found by supply-chain analysis.
  - No known CVEs affecting this package version or its production dependencies.
  - No install/post-install scripts declared.
  - No production dependencies, so there is no dependency health to assess.
- **Provenance & Transparency**: 45/100
  - Source repository is publicly reachable at the declared URL.
  - Provenance check failed: no build-provenance attestation is published.
  - Clear OSI-approved license (MIT).
  - Actively maintained (last published 14 days ago).
  - Disclosure check failed: no security disclosure policy was found in the source repository.
- **Schema Quality & AI Usability**: 80/100
  - 100% of prompts and resources have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the item's name).
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (good).
  - Tool/resource definitions use about 1322 tokens (~101/item across 13 items; 13 tools + 0 resources), lean.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 50/100
  - Stability observed for 15 of 30 days with no destabilising changes; credit accrues until the full window elapses.
- **Tool Coverage**: 82/100
  - 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).
  - 46% of tool parameters carry a description.
- **Tool Safety**: 100/100
  - No prompt-injection markers were found in the server instructions, tool names or descriptions we captured.
  - All 2 tool(s) whose name or description implies an irreversible operation declare an MCP destructiveHint annotation.
  - An AI judge read all 14 captured unit(s) of tool text and found none that tries to manipulate the model reading it.
- **Capabilities**: 100/100
  - Implements a supported MCP spec version (2025-11-25); the latest is 2026-07-28.

## Install

### How do I install the sketch/design — System Design Interview Board MCP server?

sketch/design — System Design Interview Board runs locally as an npm package, launched with npx -y sysdesign-board. Ready-made configuration for Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Codex and 5 more is on this page, copied from each client's own documentation.

### Claude

```bash
claude mcp add tghattas-sysdesign-board -- npx -y sysdesign-board
```

### Cursor

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tghattas-sysdesign-board": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "sysdesign-board"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "tghattas-sysdesign-board": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "sysdesign-board"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### Codex

```bash
codex mcp add tghattas-sysdesign-board -- npx -y sysdesign-board
```

### opencode

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "tghattas-sysdesign-board": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": [
        "npx",
        "-y",
        "sysdesign-board"
      ],
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
```

### OpenClaw

```bash
openclaw mcp add tghattas-sysdesign-board --command npx --arg -y --arg sysdesign-board
```

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  tghattas-sysdesign-board:
    command: "npx"
    args: ["-y", "sysdesign-board"]
```

### Netclaw

```json
{
  "McpServers": {
    "tghattas-sysdesign-board": {
      "Transport": "stdio",
      "Command": "npx",
      "Arguments": [
        "-y",
        "sysdesign-board"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### Vellum

```bash
assistant mcp add tghattas-sysdesign-board -t stdio -c npx -a -y sysdesign-board
```

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tghattas-sysdesign-board": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "sysdesign-board"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

## Changelog

Every change recorded for this component, newest first. Days that predate change tracking, or that we cannot explain, say so: "we were watching and nothing happened" and "we were not watching" are different claims.

### 2026-11-05 (score 77, +7)

- [functional improvement] Stability: unverified → 0.50

### 2026-10-22 (score 70, +15)

- [security improvement] Malware scan: unverified → pass

### 2026-10-21 (score 55)

First indexed and scored.

## MCP tools (13)

### `open_board` (~22 tokens)

Open the board

Open the sketch board in the user’s browser and return its URL.

### `start_interview` (~145 tokens)

Start a system design interview

Start a new interview session on the board: sets the problem statement, timer and phase, opens the board, and posts your opening message (spoken aloud to the candidate).

Input parameters:

- `clear_board` (boolean): Wipe the board first (default false)
- `duration_minutes` (integer): Default 45
- `level` (string)
- `opening_message` (string): Your first spoken line, e.g. a greeting and the problem
- `problem` (string, required): The prompt as you would say it to the candidate, plus any constraints you want to reveal up front
- `title` (string, required): Short problem title, e.g. "Design a URL shortener"

### `wait_for_candidate` (~76 tokens)

Listen to the candidate

Block until the candidate says something (typed or by voice), the board changes and then settles, or the timeout passes. Returns what they said, what changed on the board, and interview timing. Call this in a loop between your replies.

Input parameters:

- `timeout_seconds` (integer): Default 45. Keep under your client’s tool timeout.

### `say` (~53 tokens)

Speak to the candidate

Send a message to the candidate. It appears in the board chat and is read aloud. Keep it short and conversational (no markdown).

Input parameters:

- `speak` (boolean): Read aloud (default true)
- `text` (string, required)

### `get_board` (~71 tokens)

Read the board

Structured description of the board: components (type, label, id, position, zone), connections (from -> to, label, dashed=async), zones, notes and text, freehand strokes, plus what changed since you last looked.

Input parameters:

- `include_json` (boolean): Also return raw element JSON (verbose)

### `get_board_image` (~43 tokens)

Look at the board

A PNG picture of the whole board as the candidate sees it (handwriting, sketches, layout). Use when get_board mentions freehand strokes or you need visual context.

### `annotate` (~86 tokens)

Pin a comment on the board

Pin an interviewer comment bubble on the board, pointing at a component (by id or label) or at a position. Great for "what if this fails?" style probes.

Input parameters:

- `target` (string): Element id or label, e.g. "Redis" or "Load Balancer"
- `text` (string, required)
- `x` (number)
- `y` (number)

### `highlight` (~59 tokens)

Point at components

Make components glow on the candidate’s board (e.g. while asking about them). Optionally scroll/zoom their view to them.

Input parameters:

- `focus` (boolean)
- `seconds` (number)
- `targets` (array, required): Element ids or labels

### `draw_on_board` (~234 tokens)

Draw on the board

Add components, connections, sticky notes and zones in the same sketchy style (marked as drawn by the interviewer). Use sparingly — the candidate should drive. Component kinds: user (User), browser (Web App), mobile (Mobile App), dns (DNS), cdn (CDN), lb (Load Balancer), gateway (API Gateway), firewall (Rate Limiter), server (App Server), service (Service), worker (Worker), lambda (Function), cron (Scheduler), sql (SQL DB), nosql (NoSQL DB), cache (Cache), storage (Object Store), search (Search Index), warehouse (Data Warehouse), queue (Queue), stream (Event Stream), pubsub (Pub/Sub), notify (Notifications), auth (Auth), monitor (Monitoring), ml (ML Model), external (External API). Connections reference a component by its ref/label (new or existing) or id. Positions are optional (auto-laid out to the right of existing content).

Input parameters:

- `components` (array)
- `connections` (array)
- `notes` (array)
- `zones` (array)

### `clear_annotations` (~26 tokens)

Remove interviewer comments

Remove your pinned comments (all, or specific ids).

Input parameters:

- `ids` (array)

### `set_phase` (~57 tokens)

Move to an interview phase

Update the phase tracker the candidate sees: requirements (Requirements), estimation (Estimation), api (API & Data), high-level (High-level), deep-dive (Deep dive), wrap-up (Wrap-up).

Input parameters:

- `phase` (string, required)

### `end_interview` (~94 tokens)

End the interview with feedback

Close the session and show a feedback card on the board. Scores are 1-5.

Input parameters:

- `improvements` (array, required)
- `scores` (object, required): 1 = poor, 3 = meets bar, 5 = exceptional
- `signal` (string): e.g. "Lean hire (senior)"
- `strengths` (array, required)
- `summary` (string, required): 2-4 sentence overall assessment

### `get_transcript` (~19 tokens)

Conversation transcript

Full chat/voice transcript of the current session.

## Diagnostics

Captured diagnostic sections: Provenance, Dependencies. The full working is on the page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/tghattas-sysdesign-board/sysdesign-board#diagnostics

## Score history

- 2026-11-05: 77
- 2026-11-04: 70
- 2026-11-03: 70
- 2026-11-02: 70
- 2026-11-01: 70
- 2026-10-31: 70
- 2026-10-30: 70
- 2026-10-29: 70
- 2026-10-28: 70
- 2026-10-27: 70
- 2026-10-26: 70
- 2026-10-25: 70
- 2026-10-24: 70
- 2026-10-23: 70
- 2026-10-22: 70
- 2026-10-21: 55

## Common questions

### What is the sketch/design — System Design Interview Board MCP server?

sketch/design — System Design Interview Board is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as io.github.tGhattas/sysdesign-board. Hand-drawn whiteboard for system design mock interviews; your AI watches, asks and gives feedback. This page covers its npm package (sysdesign-board).

### Is the sketch/design — System Design Interview Board MCP server safe to use?

sketch/design — System Design Interview Board scores 77 out of 100 on VerifyMCP. We found no known CVEs affecting it as of 5 November 2026. It declares no install or post-install scripts. That is a record of what we were able to check automatically, not an endorsement. The category breakdown on this page shows every signal behind the number, including the ones we could not confirm.

### What tools does the sketch/design — System Design Interview Board MCP server expose?

sketch/design — System Design Interview Board exposes 13 tools: open_board, start_interview, wait_for_candidate, say, get_board, and 8 more. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 985 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Is the sketch/design — System Design Interview Board MCP server still maintained?

sketch/design — System Design Interview Board is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 5 November 2026. Those dates come from our own scans of the registry and the channel itself, not from anything the publisher announced.

### What licence is the sketch/design — System Design Interview Board MCP server under?

sketch/design — System Design Interview Board declares the MIT licence, which is OSI-approved. That covers the source only, and says nothing about the cost of any service it calls.

### What did VerifyMCP test on the sketch/design — System Design Interview Board MCP server?

VerifyMCP ran 16 checks on sketch/design — System Design Interview Board, covering Malware scan, Known CVEs, Install scripts, Dependency health and 12 more. Endpoint Security and Transport & Reachability do not apply to an npm package, so they were not tested. The score does not measure everything, and the scoring documentation lists what it leaves out.

## Links

- npm package: https://www.npmjs.com/package/sysdesign-board
- Socket report: https://socket.dev/npm/package/sysdesign-board
- Repository: https://github.com/tGhattas/sysdesign-board
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/tghattas-sysdesign-board/sysdesign-board.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/tghattas-sysdesign-board/sysdesign-board/changelog.json
- Trust report (JSON): https://verifymcp.io/servers/tghattas-sysdesign-board/sysdesign-board.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/tghattas-sysdesign-board/sysdesign-board