Which integrations are available for this server?

Integrates with Facebook's fb-idb (iOS Development Bridge) to provide enhanced iOS Simulator gesture control (tap, swipe with duration) and UI tree inspection capabilities. Provides browser automation capabilities including launching Chrome/Chromium, navigation, screenshot capture, DOM manipulation and inspection, element interaction (click, type), JavaScript execution, and React Native Metro bundler integration. Enables control of iOS Simulators including capturing screenshots, device management, gestures (tap, swipe), text input, URL navigation, UI inspection via accessibility tree, and simulator reset functionality. Provides quick shortcuts for React Native Metro bundler development including opening the Metro UI, extracting logs, and triggering reload actions. Uses Puppeteer for browser automation to enable page navigation, DOM interaction, screenshot capture, JavaScript execution, and element querying in Chrome/Chromium browsers. Integrates with Xcode's iOS Simulator tools via xcrun simctl for device management, screenshots, and simulator control operations.

How do I use MCP Connect?

1. Click on "Install Server". 2. Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state. 3. In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@MCP Connect take a screenshot of the iOS simulator" That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed. Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.

@plaintest/mcp-connect

npm version npm downloads npm downloads total License: MIT GitHub stars GitHub issues Node.js Version

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables AI assistants to control iOS Simulators and automate browsers. Combines the power of xcrun simctl, fb-idb, and Puppeteer into a single unified server.

Features

iOS Simulator Tools

Screenshots: Capture screenshots in various formats (PNG, JPEG, TIFF, BMP, GIF)
Device Management: List simulators, get info about booted devices
Gestures: Tap, swipe with duration control (requires fb-idb)
Input: Type text into focused fields, press system buttons
Navigation: Open URLs and deep links
UI Inspection: Get accessibility tree (requires fb-idb)
Reset: Erase simulator to factory settings

Browser Automation Tools

Launch & Control: Launch Chrome/Chromium, navigate to URLs
Screenshots: Capture full page or element-specific screenshots
DOM Interaction: Click elements, type text, query elements
Inspection: Get DOM tree, element info, page info
JavaScript: Execute arbitrary JavaScript in page context
Metro Bundler: Quick shortcuts for React Native development

Prerequisites

macOS with Xcode and iOS Simulator
Node.js >= 18
Chrome/Chromium for browser automation
fb-idb (optional, for enhanced iOS gestures)

Installation

Option 1: Quick Install (Recommended)

Run the installer for your MCP client:

# For Claude Code npx @plaintest/mcp-connect install claude # For Cursor npx @plaintest/mcp-connect install cursor # For Windsurf npx @plaintest/mcp-connect install windsurf # For Cline (VS Code) npx @plaintest/mcp-connect install cline # For GitHub Copilot (VS Code) npx @plaintest/mcp-connect install copilot # Install for all clients at once npx @plaintest/mcp-connect install --all

Restart your editor and the tools will be available.

Option 2: Global Install

Install globally to have mcp-connect available as a command:

npm install -g @plaintest/mcp-connect

Then configure your MCP client manually:

{ "mcpServers": { "mcp-connect": { "command": "mcp-connect" } } }

Option 3: Manual Configuration

If you prefer not to install globally, configure your MCP client to use npx:

{ "mcpServers": { "mcp-connect": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@plaintest/mcp-connect"] } } }

Config file locations:

Claude Code: Uses claude mcp add command (automatic with install)
Cursor: ~/.cursor/mcp.json
Windsurf: ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json
Cline: ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json
Copilot: ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/settings.json (under github.copilot.chat.experimental.mcp.servers)

CLI Commands

npx @plaintest/mcp-connect install <client> # Install config for a client npx @plaintest/mcp-connect uninstall <client> # Remove config from a client npx @plaintest/mcp-connect list # List supported clients npx @plaintest/mcp-connect status # Show installation status npx @plaintest/mcp-connect help # Show help

Tool Filtering

By default, mcp-connect auto-detects which tools to enable based on your system:

iOS Simulator tools: enabled if Xcode/xcrun is installed
Browser tools: enabled if Chrome/Chromium is found

This reduces context usage and prevents confusion by only exposing relevant tools.

Override Auto-detection

To manually control which tools are enabled, use the --only flag:

npx @plaintest/mcp-connect --only=browser # Browser tools only npx @plaintest/mcp-connect --only=simulator # iOS Simulator tools only npx @plaintest/mcp-connect --only=all # Force all tools

To use filtering with an MCP client, update your config:

{ "mcpServers": { "mcp-connect": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@plaintest/mcp-connect", "--only=browser"] } } }

Available Tools

iOS Simulator Tools (10)

Tool	Description
`capture_simulator_screenshot`	Capture screenshot with format/mask options
`list_simulators`	List all simulators (booted or all)
`get_simulator_info`	Get info about currently booted simulator
`tap_screen`	Tap at coordinates (x, y)
`swipe`	Swipe from (x1, y1) to (x2, y2) with duration
`simulator_type_text`	Type text into focused input field
`press_button`	Press system button (home, lock, siri, volume)
`open_url`	Open URL or deep link in simulator
`erase_simulator`	Reset simulator to factory settings
`get_ui_tree`	Get accessibility tree (requires fb-idb)

Browser Automation Tools (14)

Tool	Description
`launch_browser`	Launch Chrome/Chromium instance
`navigate`	Navigate to URL
`capture_screenshot`	Capture page or element screenshot
`click_element`	Click element by CSS selector
`type_text`	Type into input field
`get_page_info`	Get URL, title, viewport info
`get_dom_tree`	Get HTML structure with depth control
`evaluate_javascript`	Execute JS in page context
`query_elements`	Find elements by CSS selector
`get_element_info`	Get element position, styles, content
`close_browser`	Close browser and cleanup
`open_metro_bundler`	Open React Native Metro bundler UI
`get_metro_logs`	Extract logs from Metro UI
`reload_metro`	Trigger Metro reload

Examples

Take iOS Simulator Screenshot

AI: Use capture_simulator_screenshot to take a screenshot

Navigate and Interact with Browser

AI: Launch browser and navigate to http://localhost:8081 AI: Click the element with selector ".reload-button" AI: Capture a screenshot

iOS Gesture Automation

AI: Tap the screen at coordinates (200, 400) AI: Swipe from (200, 600) to (200, 200) over 0.3 seconds AI: Type "Hello World" into the focused input

Setup for Tap/Swipe Gestures

For tap_screen and swipe to work reliably, install fb-idb:

brew tap facebook/fb brew install idb-companion

Without fb-idb:

Tap falls back to AppleScript (less reliable)
Swipe is not available

Troubleshooting

Chrome not found

Install Google Chrome or set a custom path:

The server looks for Chrome at standard macOS locations
Chromium and Chrome Canary are also supported

Simulator not detected

Open Xcode > Open Developer Tool > Simulator
Boot a simulator
Verify: xcrun simctl list devices booted

fb-idb not working

# Reinstall brew uninstall idb-companion brew tap facebook/fb brew install idb-companion # Verify which idb

Permission denied for gestures

Grant Accessibility permissions:

System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility
Add Terminal (or your shell app)
Restart your editor

Development

# Clone the repository git clone https://github.com/plaintest/mcp-connect.git cd mcp-connect # Install dependencies npm install # Build npm run build # Run locally node dist/index.js # Watch mode npm run dev

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

Author

George Al-Haddad - Plaintest

MCP Connect