hlydecker/usyd-colours-mcp

University of Sydney Colours MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides programmatic access to the University of Sydney's official colour palettes for staff and students.

Features

• Official Brand Colours: Access to USYD's official primary, secondary, and tertiary colour palettes
• Extended Colours: Complementary colours that work harmoniously with the official palette
• Multiple Output Formats: Get colours in HEX, RGB, and CSS formats
• Smart Search: Search colours by name or hex colour
• CSS Generation: Automatically generate CSS custom properties
• Usage Guidelines: Built-in branding and accessibility guidelines

Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10 or higher
• uv package manager

Install uv

If you don't have uv installed:

# On macOS/Linux
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

# On Windows
powershell -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"

Setup the Server

1. Clone or download this repository:

mkdir -p ~/Documents/projects/usyd-colours-mcp
cd ~/Documents/projects/usyd-colours-mcp

2. Create the project files:

Save usyd-colours.py (the server code) to this directory.

3. Create pyproject.toml:

[project]
name = "usyd-colours-mcp"
version = "1.0.0"
description = "MCP server for University of Sydney official colours"
dependencies = [
    "mcp>=0.9.0",
]

[build-system]
requires = ["hatchling"]
build-backend = "hatchling.build"

4. Install dependencies:

uv sync

Configuration

Claude Desktop

Add this to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "usyd-colours": {
      "command": "/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/.local/bin/uv",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/Documents/projects/usyd-colours-mcp",
        "run",
        "usyd-colours.py"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Important: Replace YOUR_USERNAME with your actual username!

To find your uv path:

which uv

Other MCP Clients

The server uses stdio transport and can be used with any MCP-compatible client. Configure according to your client's documentation.

Usage

Once configured, you can interact with the server through your MCP client (like Claude Desktop). Here are some example queries:

Search for Colours

"What's the hex code for USYD ochre?"
"Show me the Heritage Rose colour"
"Find colours matching '#E74726'"

Get Colour Palettes

"Show me the official USYD primary colours"
"What are the tertiary/heritage colours?"
"Give me all the official brand colours"
"What extended warm colours are available?"

Generate CSS

"Generate CSS variables for the official USYD colours"
"Create CSS custom properties including extended colours"

Get Guidelines

"Show me the colour usage guidelines"
"How should I use USYD colours in my design?"

Available Tools

The server provides these tools:

• get_colour: Search for specific colours by name or hex code
• get_official_colours: Get all official USYD brand colours
• get_extended_colours: Get complementary/extended colours
• get_palette: Get specific palette types (primary, secondary, tertiary, etc.)
• list_all_colours: List all available colours
• generate_css: Generate CSS custom properties

Colour Categories

Official Colours

Primary Colours (from official style guide):

• Ochre (#E74726) - The signature USYD colour
• White (#FFFFFF)
• Black (#000000)
• Light Grey (#E6E7E9)
• Charcoal (#424143)

Secondary Colour:

• Sandstone (#FBEEE2)

Tertiary/Heritage Colours:

• Heritage Rose (#DAA8A2)
• Jacaranda (#8F9EC8)
• Navy (#1B355E)
• Eucalypt (#71A499)

Extended Colours

Complementary colours organized into:

• Neutrals: Additional grey tones
• Warm: Oranges, peaches, earth tones
• Cool: Blues, teals, greens
• Vibrant: Bright accent colours

Development

Project Structure

usyd-colours-mcp/
├── usyd-colours.py      # Main server code
├── pyproject.toml       # Project dependencies
└── README.md           # This file

Testing

You can test the server directly:

cd ~/Documents/projects/usyd-colours-mcp
uv run usyd-colours.py

The server should start and wait for MCP protocol messages on stdin.

Debugging

If the server isn't working:

1. Check the logs in Claude Desktop (Help > View Logs)
2. Verify uv path:

   which uv
   

3. Test Python script directly:

   python3 usyd-colours.py
   

4. Check dependencies:

   uv sync
   

Resources

• Official USYD Brand Guidelines - Contact Marketing & Communications
• usydColours R Package - R implementation
• MCP Documentation
• MCP Python SDK

License

This server is provided for use by University of Sydney staff and students. The colour specifications are property of the University of Sydney.

Contributing

For issues or improvements, please contact the Sydney Informatics Hub or create an issue in the repository.

Acknowledgments

• Sydney Informatics Hub for the original R package
• University of Sydney Marketing & Communications for the official colour specifications
• Anthropic for the Model Context Protocol

Maintained by: ICT Last Updated: 21 October 2025