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io.github.antbotlab/mac-use-mcp

Zero-dependency macOS desktop automation for AI agents. 18 tools via MCP. macOS 13+.

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mac-use-mcp

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[!WARNING] This tool has full control over mouse, keyboard, and screen. Please use in a sandboxed environment to protect your privacy and avoid accidental data loss by your agents. You are responsible for any actions performed through this tool.

Zero-native-dependency macOS desktop automation via MCP.

Give AI agents eyes and hands on macOS — click, type, screenshot, and inspect any application.

Use Cases

Automated UI testing — click buttons, verify element states with get_ui_elements, validate screen content via screenshot
Desktop workflow automation — launch apps with open_application, fill forms with type_text, navigate menus via click_menu
Screenshot-based monitoring — capture screen regions periodically with screenshot for visual diffing or alerting
Accessibility inspection — query UI element trees with get_ui_elements for QA and compliance checks
AI agent computer use — give LLMs eyes and hands on macOS via screenshot, click, type_text, and more

Why mac-use-mcp?

Just works — npx mac-use-mcp and grant two macOS permissions. No node-gyp, no Xcode tools, no build step.
18 tools, one server — screenshots, clicks, keystrokes, window management, accessibility inspection, and clipboard.
macOS 13+ on Intel and Apple Silicon — no native addons, no architecture headaches.

Install

Requirements: macOS 13+ and Node.js 22+. The server communicates over stdio transport.

This package only works on macOS. It will refuse to install on other operating systems.

No build steps. No native dependencies. Just run:

npx mac-use-mcp

npx will prompt to install the package on first run. Use npx -y mac-use-mcp to skip the confirmation.

[!TIP] Model selection matters. Desktop automation involves screenshot–action loops that add up in token usage. A fast model with solid reasoning, good vision, and reliable tool calling is recommended:

Model Provider
Gemini 3 Flash Google
Claude Sonnet 4.6 Anthropic
GPT-5 mini OpenAI
MiniMax-M2.5 MiniMax
Kimi K2.5 Moonshot AI
Qwen3.5 Alibaba
GLM-4.7 Zhipu AI

Permission Setup

mac-use-mcp requires two macOS permissions to function. Grant them once and you're set.

Accessibility

Required for mouse and keyboard control.

Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility
Click the + button
Add your MCP client application (e.g., Claude Desktop, your terminal emulator)
Ensure the toggle is enabled

Screen Recording

Required for screenshots.

Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording
Click the + button
Add your MCP client application
Ensure the toggle is enabled
Restart the application if prompted

Verify permissions

After granting both permissions and configuring your MCP client (see next section), use the check_permissions tool to confirm everything is working:

> check_permissions
✓ Accessibility: granted
✓ Screen Recording: granted

MCP Client Configuration

Claude Code

claude mcp add mac-use-mcp -- npx mac-use-mcp

Claude Desktop

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mac-use-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mac-use-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

OpenAI Codex

Add to ~/.codex/config.toml:

[mcp_servers.mac-use]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "mac-use-mcp"]

Or via CLI:

codex mcp add mac-use -- npx -y mac-use-mcp

Google Antigravity

Add to ~/.gemini/antigravity/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mac-use-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mac-use-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Gemini CLI

Add to ~/.gemini/settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mac-use-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mac-use-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

VS Code / Copilot

Add to .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace (or open the Command Palette and run MCP: Open User Configuration for global setup):

{
  "servers": {
    "mac-use-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mac-use-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) or .cursor/mcp.json (project-level):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mac-use-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mac-use-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mac-use-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mac-use-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Cline

Open Cline's MCP settings (in the Cline extension panel, click the MCP servers icon), then add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mac-use-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mac-use-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Kiro

Add to ~/.aws/amazonq/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mac-use-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mac-use-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Tools

This Node.js MCP server exposes 18 tools for mouse, keyboard, and screen control to any MCP-compatible client.

Screen

Tool	Description
`screenshot`	Capture the screen, a region, or a window by title (PNG or JPEG)
`get_screen_info`	Get display count, resolution, origin, and scale factor for each display
`get_cursor_position`	Get current cursor coordinates

Input

Tool	Description
`click`	Click at screen coordinates with button, click count, and modifier options
`move_mouse`	Move the cursor to a position
`scroll`	Scroll up, down, left, or right at a position
`drag`	Drag from one point to another over a configurable duration
`type_text`	Type text at the cursor position (supports Unicode, CJK, and emoji)
`press_key`	Press a key or key combination (e.g., `"cmd+c"`, `"Return"`)

Window & App

Tool	Description
`list_windows`	List all visible windows with positions and sizes
`focus_window`	Activate an app and bring a specific window to the front
`open_application`	Launch an application by name
`click_menu`	Click a menu bar item by path (e.g., "File > Save As...")

App names support fuzzy matching — "chrome" resolves to "Google Chrome", "code" to "Code", etc.

Accessibility

Tool	Description
`get_ui_elements`	Query UI elements via Accessibility API — find buttons, text fields, and other controls by role or title

Clipboard

Tool	Description
`clipboard_read`	Read the current system clipboard as plain text
`clipboard_write`	Write text to the system clipboard

Utility

Tool	Description
`wait`	Pause for a specified duration (in milliseconds, 0–10 000, default 500)
`check_permissions`	Verify Accessibility and Screen Recording access

Examples

Common workflow patterns using mac-use-mcp tools:

Screenshot a specific window

1. focus_window({ app: "Safari" })
2. screenshot({ mode: "window", window_title: "Safari" })

Click a button in a dialog

1. get_ui_elements({ app: "Finder", role: "AXButton" })
   → finds "OK" button at position (500, 300)
2. click({ x: 500, y: 300 })

Automate a menu action

1. open_application({ name: "TextEdit" })
2. click_menu({ app: "TextEdit", path: "Format > Make Plain Text" })

Copy text between apps

1. focus_window({ app: "Safari" })
2. press_key({ key: "cmd+a" })       # select all
3. press_key({ key: "cmd+c" })       # copy
4. focus_window({ app: "Notes" })
5. press_key({ key: "cmd+v" })       # paste

How It Works

Swift binary handles mouse input (CGEvent), screen capture (CGWindowListCreateImage), window enumeration (CGWindowListCopyWindowInfo), and UI element queries (Accessibility API)
AppleScript handles keyboard input (System Events key code), window focus, and menu clicks
Node.js MCP server orchestrates everything over stdio, translating MCP tool calls into system operations
No native Node.js addons — the Swift binary is pre-compiled and ships with the npm package
Serial execution queue prevents race conditions between system operations

Known Limitations

Screen Recording prompt on Sequoia: macOS 15 shows a monthly system prompt asking to reconfirm Screen Recording access. This is an OS-level behavior and cannot be suppressed.
Secure input fields: Password fields and other secure text inputs block synthetic keyboard events. This is a macOS security feature.
Keyboard input on macOS 26+: CGEvent keyboard synthesis is silently blocked. Keyboard input uses AppleScript (System Events key code) as a workaround, which may behave differently in some edge cases.
System dialogs: Some system-level dialogs (e.g., FileVault unlock, Login Window) cannot be interacted with programmatically due to macOS security restrictions.
Headless / CI: Requires a graphical session. Headless macOS environments (e.g., standard GitHub Actions runners) are not supported.

Troubleshooting

Permission prompts keep appearing

Grant Accessibility and Screen Recording permissions to your terminal app in System Settings > Privacy & Security. A restart of the terminal may be required.

macOS Sequoia permission dialogs

macOS 15 (Sequoia) introduced stricter permission prompts. Allow the prompts when they appear. The check_permissions tool can verify your current permission status.

Secure input fields

Some password fields and secure text inputs block programmatic key events. This is a macOS security feature. Use clipboard_write + press_key("cmd+v") as a workaround.

Screen recording shows black screenshots

Ensure Screen Recording permission is granted to your terminal app (not just Accessibility). Restart the terminal after granting.

Related Projects

Playwright MCP — Browser automation via accessibility tree. Complements mac-use-mcp for web-only tasks.
Peekaboo — macOS screen automation with ScreenCaptureKit. Requires macOS 15+ and a Swift build.
awesome-mcp-servers — Curated list of MCP servers across the ecosystem.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for development setup and guidelines.

Changelog

Security

To report a vulnerability, see SECURITY.md.

Support

Found a bug? Open an issue
Have a feature idea? Open an issue
Like the project? Give it a star — it helps others discover mac-use-mcp.

License

macOS is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries and regions.

Model	Provider
Gemini 3 Flash	Google
Claude Sonnet 4.6	Anthropic
GPT-5 mini	OpenAI
MiniMax-M2.5	MiniMax
Kimi K2.5	Moonshot AI
Qwen3.5	Alibaba
GLM-4.7	Zhipu AI

io.github.antbotlab/mac-use-mcp

Reviews

Documentation

mac-use-mcp

Use Cases

Why mac-use-mcp?

Install

Permission Setup

Accessibility

Screen Recording

Verify permissions

MCP Client Configuration

Tools

Screen

Input

Window & App

Accessibility

Clipboard

Utility

Examples

Screenshot a specific window

Click a button in a dialog

Automate a menu action

Copy text between apps

How It Works

Known Limitations

Troubleshooting

Related Projects

Contributing

Security

Support

License

Security Checklist