# Pencil 4.0

> Source: <https://github.com/evolus/pencil/releases/tag/v4.0.0>
> Published: 2026-10-24 22:45:01+00:00

## Repository navigation

# Pencil 4.0.0

Pencil 4.0 transforms Pencil into an AI-ready visual design studio! You can now pair your favorite AI coding assistants directly with Pencil to build, refine, and iterate on vector wireframes in real time.

### Key Highlights

- **Design Wireframes with AI** : Connect assistants like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Antigravity, and VS Code to design, arrange, and edit wireframes on your canvas using natural language.
- **Instant, Zero-Lag Canvas Updates** : AI operations happen in memory in real time, with no waiting on disk polling, reloads, or file saving.
- **Smart Auto-Layout Containers (`@group`)** : Group UI components into automatic horizontal (row) or vertical (column) stacks with automatic bounding boxes; say goodbye to manual pixel math and tedious coordinate nudging!
- **AI "Sees" What You See** : Connected assistants can request live canvas snapshots and cropped previews (`render_preview` ) to visually inspect layout, typography, and contrast just like a human designer.
- **Watch Your AI Work Live** : See active edits in real time with live canvas animation overlays and a floating status pill (`AgentStatusPill` ).

### Model Context Protocol (MCP) Features & Tools

- **Draw, Style & Rearrange** : Full control to add, update, reposition, group, align, and delete canvas elements (`insert_shapes` ,`update_shapes` ,`align_shapes` ,`distribute_shapes` ).
- **Full Document & Multi-Page Control** : Assistants can navigate and structure projects autonomously (`list_pages` ,`create_page` ,`rename_page` ,`switch_page` ).
- **Icon & Stencil Discovery** : Assistants can search installed icon libraries (Tabler, Lucide, FontAwesome) and discover UI components across all installed collections (`search_resources` ,`list_collections` ).
- **Privacy & Collection Governance** : Decide which stencil libraries and assets the AI can see, with complete toggle control in application preferences.
- **1-Click Assistant Setup** : Built-in configuration generator in**Settings > MCP** with one-click copying for popular assistants, plus server lifecycle controls (start/stop/restart) on`http://localhost:1919/mcp` .

### Canvas, Stencils & UI Enhancements

- Declarative 4-tier style resolution engine with type-scoped defaults and single-inheritance custom styles.
- Support for right-angle (90°) connectors ([#380](https://github.com/evolus/pencil/issues/380) ).
- New image editor tool with expand and shrink support for image data (`ImageEditDialog` ).
- Support copying and pasting images across different Pencil documents ([#393](https://github.com/evolus/pencil/issues/393) ).
- Batch selection in Font Management Dialog.
- Configurable handle color for canvas editors.
- On-screen editing for blank plain text shapes.
- Create collection files directly in Stencil Generator ([#645](https://github.com/evolus/pencil/issues/645) ).
- Search and filter collections in Collection Management Dialog; view collection versions.
- Non-blocking update notification dialogs for Pencil and installed stencil collections.

### Bug Fixes & Improvements

- Fixed canvas shape dimension resizing in `update_shapes` and hardened top-level box schema.
- Fixed direct SVG transform manipulation in `update_shapes` and`insert_shapes` .
- Fixed rotation handling when rasterizing selection.
- Fixed HTML code colors not appearing in recently used colors ([#422](https://github.com/evolus/pencil/issues/422) ).
- Fixed menu positioning and implemented menu overflow mode for long menus ([#603](https://github.com/evolus/pencil/issues/603) ).
- Fixed image bounds invalidation on offscreen canvas.
- Fixed fallback handling in font editor for missing fonts.
- Fixed alignment options for Process shapes in Flowchart.
- Fixed text alignment for List Box shape.
- Fixed HTML entity rendering (`&` ) in links.
- Removed obsolete OpenClipart pane.