claude-coder-mac-mcp

An MCP server that allows Claude Desktop to spawn new Claude Code instances in iTerm2 windows.

Features

• spawn_claude_coder: Spawn a new Claude Code instance with a given prompt

  • Opens a new iTerm2 window
  • Optionally runs with --dangerously-skip-permissions (must be enabled on server)
  • Passes your prompt directly to Claude
  • The terminal becomes fully interactive

• list_iterm_windows: List all iTerm2 windows and sessions

Requirements

• macOS
• iTerm2 installed
• Claude Code CLI installed
• Automation permissions granted to the MCP host app

Installation

Via npm (recommended)

npm install -g claude-coder-mac-mcp

From source

git clone https://github.com/pm990320/claude-coder-mac-mcp.git
cd claude-coder-mac-mcp
npm install
npm run build

Verify installation

claude-coder-mac-mcp check

This runs environment checks to verify macOS, iTerm2, Claude Code CLI, and automation permissions are all configured correctly.

CLI Usage

The CLI has multiple commands:

# Show help
claude-coder-mac-mcp --help

# Start the MCP server (used by Claude Desktop)
# By default, spawned Claude instances run in normal mode (user must approve actions)
claude-coder-mac-mcp mcp

# Start the MCP server with --dangerously-skip-permissions enabled
# WARNING: This allows spawned Claude instances to run without user approval
claude-coder-mac-mcp mcp --dangerously-skip-permissions

# Test spawning a Claude Code instance directly (normal mode)
claude-coder-mac-mcp spawn "Help me write a REST API"
claude-coder-mac-mcp spawn "Fix the tests" -d ~/myproject -t "Test Fixer"

# Test spawning with --dangerously-skip-permissions
claude-coder-mac-mcp spawn "Fix the tests" --dangerously-skip-permissions

# List current iTerm2 windows
claude-coder-mac-mcp list

# Check environment is configured correctly
claude-coder-mac-mcp check

Claude Desktop Configuration

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

Normal mode (user must approve Claude Code actions):

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

With --dangerously-skip-permissions (Claude Code runs autonomously):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "claude-coder-mac": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/claude-coder-mac-mcp/dist/index.js", "mcp", "--dangerously-skip-permissions"]
    }
  }
}

Usage with Claude Desktop

Once configured, you can ask Claude Desktop to spawn new Claude Code instances:

"Start a new Claude coder to work on my project at ~/myproject with the task: implement user authentication"

Claude will use the spawn_claude_coder tool to open iTerm2 with a new Claude Code session.

Permissions

On first use, macOS will ask you to grant automation permissions. Go to:

System Settings > Privacy & Security > Automation

And ensure the app running the MCP server (e.g., Claude Desktop) has permission to control iTerm2.

MCP Tool Parameters

spawn_claude_coder

Parameter	Required	Description
prompt	Yes	The task/prompt to give to Claude Code
workingDirectory	No	Directory to run Claude Code in (defaults to ~)
windowTitle	No	Custom title for the iTerm2 window

Note: Whether --dangerously-skip-permissions is passed to spawned Claude instances is controlled by the server startup flag, not by tool parameters.

list_iterm_windows

No parameters. Lists all open iTerm2 windows and their sessions.

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build
npm run build

# Run tests
npm test

# Lint
npm run lint

# Fix lint issues
npm run fix

# Type check
npm run typecheck

Project Structure

src/
├── index.ts    # CLI entrypoint (uses commander)
├── server.ts   # MCP server setup and tool registration
├── spawn.ts    # Core spawn functionality
├── iterm.ts    # iTerm2 AppleScript utilities
└── check.ts    # Environment verification checks

tests/
├── spawn.test.ts   # Unit tests for spawn functions
└── iterm.test.ts   # Unit tests for iTerm utilities

The modules are separated for testability - spawn.ts and iterm.ts contain pure functions that can be unit tested independently.

License

MIT