About Displaybuddy
Displaybuddy is an MCP server for controlling Mac monitors through the DisplayBuddy app. It lets MCP clients inspect displays and adjust settings, presets, schedules, and synchronization locally.
Key features
- 01Inspect display status and details
- 02Adjust brightness, contrast, volume, and input
- 03List and activate presets
- 04View and toggle schedules
- 05Check and control display sync
Use cases
- 01Dim or brighten connected monitors
- 02Switch a monitor input source
- 03Activate a saved display preset
- 04Synchronize multiple displays
MCP support
The server exposes display status, configuration, preset, schedule, and synchronization tools to MCP clients. It wraps the displaybuddy CLI, which communicates locally with the running DisplayBuddy app.
Configuration
Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.
Tools
9Saved tool list · updated 2w ago
This tool takes no parameters.
Details
From the project READMEDisplayBuddy MCP Server
An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that lets AI agents control Mac monitors via DisplayBuddy — adjust brightness, contrast, volume, input source, apply presets, sync displays, and more.
Works with Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and any MCP-compatible client.
Prerequisites
- macOS with DisplayBuddy installed and running
- DisplayBuddy CLI installed: open DisplayBuddy > Settings > General > Install CLI Tool
- Node.js 18+
Installation
Claude Desktop
Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"displaybuddy": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "displaybuddy-mcp"]
}
}
}
Cursor
Add to your MCP settings:
{
"mcpServers": {
"displaybuddy": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "displaybuddy-mcp"]
}
}
}
Smithery
npx -y @smithery/cli install displaybuddy-mcp --client claude
Available Tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
displaybuddy_status | Quick overview of all displays (call this first) |
displaybuddy_list | Full display details including UUID, type, capabilities |
displaybuddy_get | Get properties of a specific display |
displaybuddy_set | Set brightness, contrast, volume, input, rotation |
displaybuddy_preset_list | List saved presets |
displaybuddy_preset_activate | Activate a preset (with optional delay) |
displaybuddy_schedule_list | List automation schedules |
displaybuddy_schedule_toggle | Enable or disable a schedule |
displaybuddy_sync | Check/enable/disable multi-display sync |
Example Prompts
Once connected, you can ask your AI assistant things like:
- "Dim all my monitors to 30%"
- "What displays are connected?"
- "Switch my Dell monitor to HDMI"
- "Activate my Night Mode preset"
- "Sync all displays to my main monitor"
- "Turn up the brightness on my external display"
- "Set up my coding environment — brightness 70, contrast 60"
How It Works
The MCP server wraps the displaybuddy CLI, which communicates with the running DisplayBuddy app via URL scheme. All operations are local — no data leaves your machine.
AI Agent → MCP Server → displaybuddy CLI → DisplayBuddy App → Your Monitors
Development
npm install
npm run build
# Test with MCP Inspector
npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node ./build/index.js
License
MIT
Comments
New to MCP?
From what the protocol is to installing your first server, these answers cover most first questions.
An open protocol that defines how AI applications connect to external tools and data in a uniform way. Clients talk to the model; MCP servers provide tools, resources and prompt templates. They exchange standard messages, so one server can be reused by many clients.