computer-use-mcp

An MCP server that gives AI assistants full macOS desktop control: screenshots, mouse, keyboard, scrolling, and app management. Should work with any MCP client - Claude Code, OpenCode, or your own agent.

Requires Claude.app — the server loads two native binaries bundled inside /Applications/Claude.app. You don't need to be running Claude Desktop to use this server, but the app must be installed.

What it does

The server exposes 24 tools covering everything needed to operate a macOS desktop:

Screenshots are captured at full Retina resolution and scaled to fit model constraints (≤1568px, ≤1.15MP). Click coordinates from the model are automatically mapped back to logical screen coordinates for CGEvent dispatch.

Related MCP server: mcp-desktop

Permission tiers

App access is tiered by category, matching the behaviour of Claude Code's built-in computer use:

Use cases

• Test native apps — compile a macOS or iOS target, launch it, click through every screen, and screenshot error states, all in one conversation.

• Reproduce visual bugs — resize windows to trigger layout regressions, capture the broken state, patch the CSS, verify the fix.

• Drive GUI-only tools — interact with design tools, hardware panels, simulators, or any app without a CLI or API.

• End-to-end UI flows — walk through onboarding, checkout, or admin flows and report what you find.

Requirements

• macOS (Apple Silicon or Intel)

• Node.js 18+

• Claude.app installed at /Applications/Claude.app

• Accessibility and Screen Recording permissions granted to the process that spawns the server (your terminal app or IDE)

Installation

git clone https://github.com/NicolaivdSmagt/computer-use-mcp.git
cd computer-use-mcp
npm install

Enable in Claude Code

Add the server to ~/.claude.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "computer-use": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/computer-use-mcp/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Code. The tools appear as mcp__computer-use__* in your session.

Enable in OpenCode

Add to your OpenCode config (~/.config/opencode/config.json or equivalent):

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "computer-use": {
        "command": "node",
        "args": ["/absolute/path/to/computer-use-mcp/index.js"]
      }
    }
  }
}

Granting macOS permissions

The server checks both permissions at startup and exits with a clear error if either is missing.

1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility — add and enable your terminal app (or the app that launches the server).

2. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording — do the same.

Permissions are inherited by child processes, so you only need to grant them to the parent process once.

Session model

Every session starts with an empty allowlist. Call request_access first with the apps you need:

request_access(apps: ["Safari"], reason: "Navigate to the app and verify the onboarding flow")

The response tells you the tier granted for each app. From that point, Claude can call open_application, screenshot, and the interaction tools that the tier permits. The allowlist resets when the server process exits.

How it works

The server wraps two native NAPI binaries bundled inside Claude.app:

• computer_use.node — screenshot capture (captureExcluding, captureRegion), display enumeration, app management, TCC permission checks. Its async methods require the macOS run loop to be drained explicitly; the server handles this internally.

• claude-native-binding.node — mouse events (moveMouse, mouseButton, mouseScroll), keyboard (keys, typeText), cursor position, frontmost app info.

No Electron, no AppleScript, no Accessibility API polling. Both binaries dispatch real CGEvents directly into the macOS event system.