Is Bench Router free?

Yes, Bench Router is free to use.

How do I install Bench Router?

Bench Router is a local plugin. Install it using npm package: mcp-bench-router and add the generated configuration snippet to your AI app's MCP config file. Then restart your AI app.

What credentials does Bench Router need?

Bench Router requires the following credentials or environment variables: OPENROUTER_API_KEY. You can find setup instructions on the server detail page.

What AI apps work with Bench Router?

Bench Router uses the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and works with any MCP-compatible AI app, including Claude, ChatGPT / Codex, Gemini, Copilot, Cursor, and more.

Back to Browse

Bench Router MCP Server

by K1ta141k

Developer ToolsModerate7.0MCP RegistryLocal

Free

Server data from the Official MCP Registry

Routes design tasks to designarena.ai's top-ranked model via OpenRouter across 14 categories.

About

Routes design tasks to designarena.ai's top-ranked model via OpenRouter across 14 categories.

Security Report

7.0

Moderate7.0Low Risk

Valid MCP server (2 strong, 4 medium validity signals). 3 known CVEs in dependencies (0 critical, 3 high severity) Package registry verified. Imported from the Official MCP Registry.

12 files analyzed · 4 issues found

Security scores are indicators to help you make informed decisions, not guarantees. Always review permissions before connecting any MCP server.

Permissions Required

This plugin requests these system permissions. Most are normal for its category.

env_vars

Check that this permission is expected for this type of plugin.

What You'll Need

Set these up before or after installing:

OpenRouter API key for query_design_model and query_specific_model tools. Get one at https://openrouter.ai/keysRequired

Environment variable: OPENROUTER_API_KEY

How to Install

Add this to your MCP configuration file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "io-github-k1ta141k-mcp-bench-router": {
      "env": {
        "OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "your-openrouter-api-key-here"
      },
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-bench-router"
      ],
      "command": "npx"
    }
  }
}

Documentation

View on GitHub

From the project's GitHub README.

mcp-bench-router

MCP server that delegates design tasks to whichever model currently tops designarena.ai's crowdsourced leaderboard, via OpenRouter.

Why?

AI coding assistants produce mediocre frontend/design output. designarena.ai maintains a live leaderboard of the best design models, updated every 2 hours. This MCP server lets Claude (or any MCP client) automatically route design tasks to the current best model.

Tools

Tool	Description
`get_best_design_model`	Get the current #1 design model, optionally by category
`get_leaderboard`	Browse full rankings with category filter and pagination
`query_design_model`	Send a prompt to the best available model via OpenRouter
`query_specific_model`	Send a prompt to a specific model via OpenRouter

Setup

Prerequisites

Node.js >= 18
An OpenRouter API key (required for query_design_model and query_specific_model)

Claude Code (CLI)

claude mcp add mcp-bench-router -s user -e OPENROUTER_API_KEY=sk-or-... -- npx -y mcp-bench-router

Claude Desktop

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-bench-router": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-bench-router"],
      "env": {
        "OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "sk-or-..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Add to .cursor/mcp.json in your project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-bench-router": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-bench-router"],
      "env": {
        "OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "sk-or-..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Other MCP clients

OPENROUTER_API_KEY=sk-or-... npx -y mcp-bench-router

From source

git clone https://github.com/K1ta141k/mcp-bench-router.git
cd mcp-bench-router
npm install
npm run build

Usage Examples

Check who's #1:

"Use get_best_design_model to see the current top design model"

Browse rankings:

"Show me the top 20 design models for websites"

Generate a design:

"Use query_design_model to create a landing page for a SaaS product"

Use a specific model:

"Use query_specific_model with claude-sonnet-4-5 to design a dashboard"

How It Works

Fetches live rankings from designarena.ai's API (cached 2hr)
Maps arena model names to OpenRouter IDs (static + dynamic + fuzzy matching)
Skips codename/unreleased models and picks the best available one
Routes the prompt through OpenRouter's API

License

MIT

Reviews

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Bench Router MCP Server

About

Security Report

Findings (4)Action required

Permissions Required

What You'll Need

How to Install

Documentation

mcp-bench-router

Why?

Tools

Setup

Prerequisites

Claude Code (CLI)

Claude Desktop

Cursor

Other MCP clients

From source

Categories

Usage Examples

How It Works

License

Reviews

No reviews yet

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Bench Router MCP Server

About

Security Report

Findings (4)Action required

Permissions Required

What You'll Need

How to Install

Documentation

mcp-bench-router

Why?

Tools

Setup

Prerequisites

Claude Code (CLI)

Claude Desktop

Cursor

Other MCP clients

From source

Categories

Usage Examples

How It Works

License

Reviews

No reviews yet

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