Guide

Machine docs

Inspect and install registry items through HTTP, MCP, shadcn manifests, markdown negotiation, and machine-readable docs.

One registry, multiple interfaces

The registry API returns catalog metadata and readable source in a { type, data } envelope. Static shadcn manifests, agent metadata, and text indexes expose the same catalog in formats suited to their consumers.

One registry, multiple interfacesChoose the surface that fits the agent

catalog

on-disk source

Registry catalog

format-specific outputs

API enveloperegistry.jsonitem manifestsagent-index.jsonllms.txtllms-full.txt

HTTP API

List the registry, inspect one item with its dependencies, source files, and anatomy, or search by query. The index links the complete skin and theme contracts. An item anatomy slice exposes ownScopes for source it owns and installedScopes for the complete transitive install closure.

# List every registry item (id, kind, summary, install command)

curl https://control-ui.dev/api/registry

# Read one item — install commands, parsed deps, readable source files

curl https://control-ui.dev/api/registry/chat

# Search the registry

curl "https://control-ui.dev/api/registry/search?q=chat"

# API responses use the same envelope:

# { "type": "item", "data": { … } }

# A miss is a 404 carrying a stable code:

# { "error": "…", "code": "ERR_UNKNOWN_ITEM", "suggestions": [ … ] }

MCP server

The same catalog is exposed over the Model Context Protocol at /api/mcp, streamable HTTP, no authentication. Three tools: search_registry by keyword, get_registry_item for one entry's install command, dependencies, source files and anatomy, and list_registry for the whole index. Agents that read server cards find it at /.well-known/mcp/server-card.json.

# Streamable HTTP MCP endpoint — tools: search_registry, get_registry_item, list_registry

https://control-ui.dev/api/mcp

# Server card describing the endpoint, its tools, and that no authentication is required

curl https://control-ui.dev/.well-known/mcp/server-card.json

# Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http control-ui https://control-ui.dev/api/mcp

Markdown for agents

Every documentation page answers in markdown when the request asks for it, at its canonical URL. Guides return their prose and code blocks; component, hook, and skin pages return the install command, dependencies, and installed source paths. Browsers keep getting HTML.

# Any documentation page answers in markdown when you ask for it

curl -H "Accept: text/markdown" https://control-ui.dev/primitives/button

# The HTML page stays the default for browsers

curl -H "Accept: text/html" https://control-ui.dev/primitives/button

Machine-readable docs

Use the official shadcn catalog, individual item manifests, the concise linked index, the extended reference, or the static agent metadata directly.

# Official shadcn registry catalog

https://control-ui.dev/r/registry.json

# One installable item manifest

https://control-ui.dev/r/chat-message.json

# Concise linked documentation index

https://control-ui.dev/llms.txt

# Extended catalog, install commands, and practice rules

https://control-ui.dev/llms-full.txt

# Static agent-friendly registry metadata

https://control-ui.dev/r/agent-index.json

# OpenAPI description of the HTTP API, the registration policy, and the discovery manifests that point at everything above

https://control-ui.dev/openapi.json

https://control-ui.dev/auth.md

https://control-ui.dev/.well-known/api-catalog

https://control-ui.dev/.well-known/ai-catalog.json