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mcp-server-macos-use

mcp-server-macos-use

Local
macos-use.devProductivity355Updated 4w ago

About mcp-server-macos-use

mcp-server-macos-use is a Swift MCP server that controls macOS applications through the accessibility APIs, using the MacosUseSDK. It communicates over stdio and suits users who want agents to operate desktop apps.

Key features

  1. 01Controls macOS apps via accessibility APIs
  2. 02Targets applications by process ID
  3. 03Traverses accessibility tree to read UI state
  4. 04Supports clicks, typing and key presses
  5. 05Optional animation and post-action delay settings

Use cases

  1. 01Letting an agent open and operate local macOS apps
  2. 02Reading the current UI element structure of an app
  3. 03Running desktop automation from Claude Desktop

MCP support

This project is an MCP server that receives commands over stdio and exposes macos-use tools to MCP clients through the CallTool method.

Configuration

Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.

No install method listed yet

We haven’t collected a package or remote endpoint for this server. Follow the instructions in the project README.

Repository

Tools

No tool list yet

Local servers expose tools only once running on your machine, and the maintainer has not provided a tool list.

Details

From the project README

mcp-server-macos-use

Official website: https://macos-use.dev/

Model Context Protocol (MCP) server in Swift. It allows controlling macOS applications by leveraging the accessibility APIs, primarily through the MacosUseSDK.

You can use it in Claude Desktop or other compatible MCP-client.

The server listens for MCP commands over standard input/output (stdio) and exposes several tools to interact with applications.

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/cd203171-bac6-4124-9a58-59947a25be07

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/f274560a-559f-4140-b133-c0b5c500a02d

Available Tools

The server exposes the following tools via the CallTool MCP method:

  1. macos-use_open_application_and_traverse

    • Description: Opens or activates a specified application and then traverses its accessibility tree.
    • Parameters:
      • identifier (String, Required): The application's name, bundle ID, or file path.
  2. macos-use_click_and_traverse

    • Description: Simulates a mouse click at specific coordinates within the window of the target application (identified by PID) and then traverses its accessibility tree.
    • Parameters:
      • pid (Number, Required): The Process ID (PID) of the target application.
      • x (Number, Required): The X-coordinate for the click (relative to the window/screen, depending on SDK behavior).
      • y (Number, Required): The Y-coordinate for the click.
  3. macos-use_type_and_traverse

    • Description: Simulates typing text into the target application (identified by PID) and then traverses its accessibility tree.
    • Parameters:
      • pid (Number, Required): The Process ID (PID) of the target application.
      • text (String, Required): The text to be typed.
  4. macos-use_press_key_and_traverse

    • Description: Simulates pressing a specific keyboard key (e.g., 'Enter', 'Tab', 'a', 'B') with optional modifier keys held down, targeting the application specified by PID, and then traverses its accessibility tree.
    • Parameters:
      • pid (Number, Required): The Process ID (PID) of the target application.
      • keyName (String, Required): The name of the key (e.g., Return, Escape, ArrowUp, Delete, a, B). Case-sensitive for letters if no modifiers are active.
      • modifierFlags (Array, Optional): An array of modifier keys to hold during the press. Valid values: CapsLock (or Caps), Shift, Control (or Ctrl), Option (or Opt, Alt), Command (or Cmd), Function (or Fn), NumericPad (or Numpad), Help.
  5. macos-use_refresh_traversal

    • Description: Only performs the accessibility tree traversal for the specified application (identified by PID). Useful for getting the current UI state without performing an action.
    • Parameters:
      • pid (Number, Required): The Process ID (PID) of the application to traverse.

Common Optional Parameters (for CallTool)

These can potentially be passed in the arguments object for any tool call to override default MacosUseSDK behavior (refer to ActionOptions in the code):

  • traverseBefore (Boolean, Optional): Traverse accessibility tree before the primary action.
  • traverseAfter (Boolean, Optional): Traverse accessibility tree after the primary action (usually defaults to true).
  • showDiff (Boolean, Optional): Include a diff between traversals (if applicable).
  • onlyVisibleElements (Boolean, Optional): Limit traversal to visible elements.
  • showAnimation (Boolean, Optional): Show visual feedback animation for actions.
  • animationDuration (Number, Optional): Duration of the feedback animation.
  • delayAfterAction (Number, Optional): Add a delay after performing the action.

Dependencies

  • MacosUseSDK (Assumed local or external Swift package providing macOS control functionality)

Building and Running

# Example build command (adjust as needed, use 'debug' for development)
swift build -c debug # Or 'release' for production

# Running the server (it communicates via stdin/stdout)
./.build/debug/mcp-server-macos-use

Integrating with Clients (Example: Claude Desktop)

Once built, you need to tell your client application where to find the server executable. For example, to configure Claude Desktop, you might add the following to its configuration:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "mcp-server-macos-use": {
            "command": "/path/to/your/project/mcp-server-macos-use/.build/debug/mcp-server-macos-use"
        }
    }
}

Replace /path/to/your/project/ with the actual absolute path to your mcp-server-macos-use directory.

Help

Reach out to [email protected] Discord: m13v_

Plans

Happy to tailor the server for your needs, feel free to open an issue or reach out

Comments

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