mac-use-mcp

[!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.

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

Screen Recording

Required for screenshots.

1. Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording
2. Click the + button
3. Add your MCP client application
4. Ensure the toggle is enabled
5. 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

<details open> <summary><strong>Claude Code</strong></summary>

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

</details>

<details> <summary><strong>Claude Desktop</strong></summary>

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

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

</details>

<details> <summary><strong>OpenAI Codex</strong></summary>

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

</details>

<details> <summary><strong>Google Antigravity</strong></summary>

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

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

</details>

<details> <summary><strong>Gemini CLI</strong></summary>

Add to ~/.gemini/settings.json:

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

</details>

<details> <summary><strong>VS Code / Copilot</strong></summary>

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"]
    }
  }
}

</details>

<details> <summary><strong>Cursor</strong></summary>

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

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

</details>

<details> <summary><strong>Windsurf</strong></summary>

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

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

</details>

<details> <summary><strong>Cline</strong></summary>

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"]
    }
  }
}

</details>

<details> <summary><strong>Kiro</strong></summary>

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

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

</details>

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

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)
check_permissions	Verify Accessibility and Screen Recording access
get_cursor_position	Get current cursor coordinates

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

<details> <summary><strong>Permission prompts keep appearing</strong></summary>

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

</details>

<details> <summary><strong>macOS Sequoia permission dialogs</strong></summary>

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

</details>

<details> <summary><strong>Secure input fields</strong></summary>

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.

</details>

<details> <summary><strong>Screen recording shows black screenshots</strong></summary>

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

</details>

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

MIT © 2026 antbotlab

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