Electron Native MCP Server

A powerful Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for debugging and automating native Electron applications on macOS. This server provides comprehensive tools for DOM inspection, UI automation, and global hotkey triggering.

Features

🔍 DOM Inspection (7 tools)

• Connect to Electron apps via Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP)
• List all debuggable targets (windows, webviews)
• Query and inspect DOM elements
• Execute JavaScript in Electron windows
• Take screenshots of Electron content

🖱️ UI Automation (9 tools)

• Control mouse (move, click, double-click, drag)
• Keyboard input (type text, press keys)
• Take screenshots of native UI
• Get screen dimensions and mouse position
• Full macOS accessibility API integration

⌨️ Global Hotkeys (4 tools)

• Trigger custom keyboard shortcuts
• Activate common macOS hotkeys (Spotlight, Mission Control, etc.)
• Simulate application-specific shortcuts
• Send complex key sequences

🔐 Permission Management (4 tools)

• Check permission status
• Request system permissions
• Get setup instructions
• Verify all required permissions

Requirements

• macOS 12.0 or later
• Node.js 18.0 or later
• Electron app running with --inspect flag (for DOM inspection)

Required macOS Permissions

This server requires the following system permissions:

1. Accessibility - For UI automation and keyboard/mouse control
2. Screen Recording - For taking screenshots
3. Input Monitoring - For keyboard and mouse input

Installation

Quick Setup (Recommended)

# Run the setup script
./scripts/setup.sh

This will:

• Check system requirements
• Install dependencies
• Build the project
• Provide configuration instructions
• Optionally install the example app

Manual Setup

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the project
npm run build

Usage

Running the Server

# Development mode (with auto-reload)
npm run dev

# Production mode
npm start

Configuring with Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop configuration (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "electron-native": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/electron-native-mcp/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Configuring with Other MCP Clients

The server uses stdio transport and can be integrated with any MCP-compatible client.

Tool Reference

DOM Inspection Tools

list_electron_targets

List all available Electron windows and webviews.

// Example usage
{
  "host": "localhost",  // optional
  "port": 9222          // optional
}

connect_to_electron_target

Connect to a specific Electron target for debugging.

{
  "targetId": "target-id-from-list"
}

get_dom_tree

Get the complete DOM tree of a connected target.

{
  "targetId": "target-id"
}

query_selector

Find a DOM element using CSS selector.

{
  "targetId": "target-id",
  "selector": "#myButton"
}

execute_javascript

Execute JavaScript in an Electron window.

{
  "targetId": "target-id",
  "code": "document.title"
}

UI Automation Tools

click

Click at coordinates or current position.

{
  "x": 100,           // optional
  "y": 200,           // optional
  "button": "left"    // left, right, or middle
}

type_text

Type text at the current cursor position.

{
  "text": "Hello, World!"
}

press_key

Press a key with optional modifiers.

{
  "key": "enter",
  "modifiers": ["command", "shift"]  // optional
}

take_screenshot

Capture a screenshot of the screen or region.

{
  "x": 0,        // optional
  "y": 0,        // optional
  "width": 800,  // optional
  "height": 600  // optional
}

Hotkey Tools

trigger_hotkey

Trigger a custom keyboard shortcut.

{
  "key": "space",
  "modifiers": ["command"]
}

trigger_common_macos_hotkey

Trigger a common macOS system hotkey.

{
  "hotkey": "spotlight"  // spotlight, mission_control, app_switcher, etc.
}

Permission Tools

check_all_permissions

Check the status of all required permissions.

{}  // No parameters

Debugging Electron Apps

To debug an Electron app with this server:

1. Launch your Electron app with the inspect flag:

   /path/to/your/app.app/Contents/MacOS/YourApp --inspect=9222
   

2. List available targets: Use the list_electron_targets tool to see all debuggable windows.

3. Connect to a target: Use connect_to_electron_target with the target ID.

4. Inspect and interact: Use DOM tools to query elements, execute JavaScript, etc.

Examples

Example 1: Click a Button in Electron App

// 1. List targets
list_electron_targets()

// 2. Connect to target
connect_to_electron_target({ targetId: "..." })

// 3. Find button
query_selector({ targetId: "...", selector: "#submitButton" })

// 4. Click it via JavaScript
execute_javascript({ 
  targetId: "...", 
  code: "document.querySelector('#submitButton').click()" 
})

Example 2: Automate Native UI

// 1. Check permissions
check_all_permissions()

// 2. Move mouse and click
click({ x: 500, y: 300 })

// 3. Type text
type_text({ text: "Hello!" })

// 4. Press Enter
press_key({ key: "enter" })

Example 3: Trigger Spotlight

trigger_common_macos_hotkey({ hotkey: "spotlight" })

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run in development mode
npm run dev

# Build
npm run build

# Lint
npm run lint

# Format code
npm run format

Architecture

electron-native-mcp/
├── src/
│   ├── index.ts              # Entry point
│   ├── server.ts             # MCP server setup
│   ├── types/                # TypeScript types
│   ├── lib/                  # Core libraries
│   │   ├── cdp-client.ts     # Chrome DevTools Protocol client
│   │   ├── accessibility.ts  # macOS accessibility wrapper
│   │   └── permissions.ts    # Permission manager
│   └── tools/                # MCP tools
│       ├── dom/              # DOM inspection tools
│       ├── ui/               # UI automation tools
│       ├── hotkey/           # Hotkey tools
│       └── permissions/      # Permission tools
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
└── README.md

Troubleshooting

Permission Denied Errors

If you get permission errors, use the permission tools to check status:

check_all_permissions()
get_permission_instructions({ permission: "accessibility" })

Then grant the required permissions in System Settings.

Cannot Connect to Electron App

Make sure your Electron app is running with the --inspect flag:

your-app --inspect=9222

Screenshots Not Working

Ensure Screen Recording permission is granted for your terminal app (Terminal, iTerm2, VS Code, etc.).

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

MIT

Credits

Built with:

• @modelcontextprotocol/sdk - MCP TypeScript SDK
• chrome-remote-interface - Chrome DevTools Protocol client
• @nut-tree/nut-js - Desktop automation
• node-mac-permissions - macOS permissions