'Use when working with icons in any project. Provides CLI for searching 200+ icon libraries (Iconify) and retrieving SVGs. Commands: `better-icons search <query>` to find icons, `better-icons get <id>` to get SVG. Also available as MCP server for AI agents.'
Search and retrieve icons from 200+ libraries via Iconify.
Before using any better-icons commands, ensure the tool is available in the environment.
Option 1 — Install globally (recommended, matches all examples below):
# Using npm
npm install -g better-icons
# Using Bun (faster)
bun add -g better-icons
Option 2 — Run without installing (prefix every command with npx or bunx):
# Using npx (npm)
npx better-icons search arrow --limit 10
npx better-icons get lucide:home > icon.svg
# Using bunx (Bun — faster)
bunx better-icons search arrow --limit 10
bunx better-icons get lucide:home > icon.svg
For AI agents: Prefer the global install so that
better-iconsis on$PATHand the commands below work as-is. Run the install step once during environment setup, then use the commands withoutnpx/bunx.
# Search icons
better-icons search <query> [--prefix <prefix>] [--limit <n>] [--json]
# Search and download all found icons as SVG files
better-icons search <query> -d [dir] [--color <color>] [--size <px>]
# Get icon SVG (outputs to stdout)
better-icons get <icon-id> [--color <color>] [--size <px>] [--json]
# Setup MCP server for AI agents
better-icons setup [-a cursor,claude-code] [-s global|project]
better-icons search arrow --limit 10
better-icons search home --json | jq '.icons[0]'
better-icons get lucide:home > icon.svg
better-icons get mdi:home --color '#333' --json
# Batch download all search results
better-icons search arrow -d # saves to ./icons/
better-icons search check -d ./my-icons # saves to ./my-icons/
better-icons search star -d -c '#000' -s 24 --limit 64
prefix:name - e.g., lucide:home, mdi:arrow-right, heroicons:check
lucide, mdi, heroicons, tabler, ph, ri, solar, iconamoon
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| search_icons | Search across all libraries |
| get_icon | Get single icon SVG |
| get_icons | Batch retrieve multiple icons |
| list_collections | Browse available icon sets |
| recommend_icons | Smart recommendations for use cases |
| find_similar_icons | Find variations across collections |
| sync_icon | Add icon to project file |
| scan_project_icons | List icons in project |
interface SearchIcons {
query: string
limit?: number // 1-999, default 32
prefix?: string // e.g., 'mdi', 'lucide'
category?: string // e.g., 'General', 'Emoji'
}
interface GetIcon {
icon_id: string // 'prefix:name' format
color?: string // e.g., '#ff0000', 'currentColor'
size?: number // pixels
}
interface GetIcons {
icon_ids: string[] // max 20
color?: string
size?: number
}
interface RecommendIcons {
use_case: string // e.g., 'navigation menu'
style?: 'solid' | 'outline' | 'any'
limit?: number // default 10
}
interface SyncIcon {
icons_file: string // absolute path
framework: 'react' | 'vue' | 'svelte' | 'solid' | 'svg'
icon_id: string
component_name?: string
}
All icons from https://api.iconify.design