About Keynote Mcp
Keynote-MCP is an MCP server that lets AI assistants control Keynote presentations through AppleScript automation on macOS. It covers presentations, slides and content, and includes optional Unsplash image search. The README notes it was generated with Cursor AI without human code review and is intended for experimental use.
Key features
- 01Create, open, save and close presentations
- 02Add, delete, duplicate and move slides
- 03Insert text, images, shapes, tables and charts
- 04Screenshot slides and export to PDF or images
- 05Optional Unsplash image search and insertion
Use cases
- 01Drafting a presentation through natural language prompts
- 02Restructuring slides and content in Keynote in bulk
- 03Exporting presentations to PDF or image sequences
MCP support
The project runs as an MCP server that exposes Keynote automation operations as tools to MCP clients.
Configuration
Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.
We haven’t collected a package or remote endpoint for this server. Follow the instructions in the project README.
Tools
Local servers expose tools only once running on your machine, and the maintainer has not provided a tool list.
Details
From the project READMEKeynote-MCP
https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/fb293e54-0795-434f-a811-7f850d36619f
⚠️ Development Notice: This project was developed using Cursor AI without human code review. It's provided for educational and experimental purposes only. Please use with caution in production environments and conduct thorough testing before deployment.
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables AI assistants to control Keynote presentations through AppleScript automation.
✨ Features
- 🎨 Complete Presentation Management - Create, open, save, and close presentations
- 📊 Rich Slide Operations - Add, delete, duplicate, and move slides
- 📝 Powerful Content Management - Add text, images, shapes, tables, and charts
- 📸 Flexible Export Options - Screenshot slides, export to PDF and images
- 🖼️ Unsplash Integration - Automatically search and add high-quality images
- 🔒 Secure & Reliable - Comprehensive error handling and permission management
- 🧪 Well Tested - Unit and integration test coverage
🚀 Quick Start
Prerequisites
- macOS 10.14 or later
- Keynote application
- Python 3.8 or later
Installation
-
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/easychen/keynote-mcp.git cd keynote-mcp -
Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt -
Configure environment (optional for Unsplash features)
cp env.example .env # Edit .env file and add your Unsplash API key -
Set up macOS permissions
- Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy
- Add Terminal and Python to Accessibility permissions
- Add Python to Automation permissions for Keynote
Usage with MCP Clients
Gemini CLI Configuration
Add this configuration to your MCP client:
{
"KeynoteServer": {
"command": "python",
"args": ["start_server.py"],
"env": {
"UNSPLASH_KEY": "your_unsplash_api_key_here"
},
"cwd": "/path/to/keynote-mcp",
"timeout": 5000
}
}
Claude Desktop Configuration
Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"keynote": {
"command": "python",
"args": ["/path/to/keynote-mcp/start_server.py"],
"env": {
"UNSPLASH_KEY": "your_unsplash_api_key_here"
}
}
}
}
Other MCP Clients
For other MCP-compatible clients, use these connection details:
- Command:
python - Args:
["start_server.py"] - Working Directory:
/path/to/keynote-mcp - Environment:
{"UNSPLASH_KEY": "your_api_key"}(optional)
📖 Available Tools
The server provides comprehensive tools for Keynote automation:
🎨 Presentation Management
- Create, open, save, and close presentations
- Set themes and get presentation information
- List all open presentations
📊 Slide Operations
- Add, delete, duplicate, and move slides
- Set slide layouts and get slide information
- Navigate between slides
📝 Content Management
- Add text boxes, titles, and subtitles
- Insert images from files or Unsplash
- Create bullet lists and numbered lists
- Add code blocks and quotes
📸 Export & Screenshot
- Take screenshots of individual slides
- Export presentations to PDF
- Export as image sequences
🖼️ Unsplash Integration (Optional)
- Search high-quality images
- Automatically add images to slides
- Support for different orientations and styles
💡 Usage Examples
Once connected to your MCP client, you can use natural language to control Keynote:
- "Create a new presentation about AI trends"
- "Add a slide with the title 'Machine Learning Basics'"
- "Insert an image about technology on slide 2"
- "Export the presentation as PDF"
🔧 Unsplash Configuration (Optional)
To use Unsplash image features:
- Get API Key: Visit Unsplash Developers
- Configure: Add your API key to the
.envfile:UNSPLASH_KEY=your_unsplash_access_key_here
📚 Documentation
- Installation Guide - Detailed setup instructions
- Technical Documentation - API reference and architecture
- Examples - Usage examples and demos
🤝 Contributing
We welcome contributions! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for details on how to get started.
📄 License
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.
🏆 Acknowledgments
- Model Context Protocol - Standardized tool calling protocol for AI models
- Unsplash - High-quality free images
- AppleScript - Powerful macOS automation
📞 Contact
- 🐛 Issues: GitHub Issues
- 💬 Discussions: GitHub Discussions
⭐ Support
If this project helps you, please give it a ⭐️!
Empowering AI assistants to create and manage Keynote presentations effortlessly.
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.