Skip to main content
Glama
ks6573
by ks6573

SysControl

An AI agent for your Mac or Windows 11 PC that answers questions about your system — and can extend itself with new tools on the fly.

92 real-time tools covering CPU, RAM, GPU, disk, network, processes, iMessage, email, clipboard, browser, weather, reminders, Docker, Time Machine, Wi-Fi, calendar, contacts, Notes, Homebrew, media control, file management, Spotlight search, spreadsheets, Word documents, PDFs, image generation, deep web research, sub-agent orchestration, code editing, git integration, and more. The agent picks the right tools automatically, runs them in parallel, and answers in plain English.

Three ways to run it — pick whichever fits your workflow:

How

Best for

App (macOS)

Download the .dmg

One-click native macOS (SwiftUI) experience — no setup required

App (Windows)

Download the .zip

Native Windows 11 desktop app (Flet) — unzip and run

CLI

syscontrol (one-line install)

Terminal-first workflow, scripting, SSH sessions (macOS · Windows · Linux)

Claude Desktop

MCP server

Using SysControl tools inside Claude Desktop

All interfaces share the same agent, tools, and providers — they're interchangeable.


App (macOS)

A native SwiftUI app with streaming chat, Markdown rendering, chat history sidebar, and auto-save — no Python, no terminal, no dependencies to install. Just download, open, and configure your provider in Settings.

Download

Option A — Pre-built DMG (no Xcode required):

Download the latest SysControl.dmg from GitHub Releases, drag to Applications, then bypass Gatekeeper on first launch (the app is ad-hoc signed, not notarized):

xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/SysControl.app

Or right-click the app → OpenOpen the first time.

Option B — Install from source (compiles locally, bypasses Gatekeeper automatically):

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ks6573/SysControl/master/swift/install.sh)"

To update later: use Check for Updates in the app (⇧⌘U), or run syscontrol-update from Terminal.

To uninstall: re-run with --uninstall.

Option C — Build manually:

git clone https://github.com/ks6573/SysControl.git
cd SysControl/swift
./build.sh release
open .build/SysControl.app

Requires: macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later. Options B and C also require Xcode Command Line Tools (xcode-select --install).

Features

  • Streaming responses — tokens appear as they arrive with live Markdown rendering

  • Auto-save — every conversation is saved automatically with an LLM-generated title

  • Chat history sidebar — browse and delete past chats

  • Settings — switch between local (Ollama) and cloud providers in-app

  • In-app updates — check for new versions from the menu bar (⇧⌘U) or Settings; DMG users get a one-click download, source-install users update automatically

  • No setup — everything is configured through the app itself

First Launch

On first launch an onboarding sheet appears automatically:

  1. Choose Local (Ollama) — requires Ollama running locally, no API key needed

  2. Or choose Cloud — enter your API key

  3. Click Done and start chatting

To change providers later, open Settings (⌘,).

Chat history is saved as Markdown in ~/.syscontrol/chat_history/ — view, edit, or delete freely.


Related MCP server: Windows Operations MCP

App (Windows)

A native Windows 11 desktop app (built with Flet) with streaming chat, Markdown rendering, expandable tool-call cards, inline charts, a session sidebar, and in-app settings. It runs the same Python agent backend as the macOS app and CLI, bundled into a standalone .exe — no separate Python install to manage.

Download

  1. Download the latest SysControl-windows-x64.zip from GitHub Releases

  2. Unzip it anywhere (e.g. %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\SysControl)

  3. Run SysControl.exe

First launch: the build is not code-signed, so Windows SmartScreen may warn you. Click More info → Run anyway.

Requires: Windows 11 (x64). For local models, install Ollama for Windows and pull a model (ollama pull qwen3:30b); for cloud, enter your Ollama Cloud API key during onboarding.

Build from source

git clone https://github.com/ks6573/SysControl.git
cd SysControl
uv sync --extra gui --extra build
uv run pyinstaller SysControl.spec     # -> dist\SysControl\SysControl.exe

Or run it directly without bundling: uv run syscontrol-gui.

Platform notes

The Windows app exposes the same agent and tools as macOS. System tools — CPU, RAM, GPU, disk, network, processes, battery, files, clipboard, screenshots, volume, Wi-Fi, system logs (Event Log), shell (PowerShell/cmd), web research, charts, spreadsheets/Word/PDF, sub-agents — work natively. macOS-only integrations (iMessage, Apple Mail, Calendar/Contacts, Notes, Time Machine, Homebrew) report that they're unavailable on Windows rather than failing.


CLI

A terminal agent that runs the same backend as the app. Two install paths:

Option A — One-line install (recommended):

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ks6573/SysControl/master/install-cli.sh)"

Installs uv if missing, then runs uv tool install against the GitHub repo, exposing syscontrol and syscontrol-server on your PATH in an isolated venv. No clone required.

To update later: run syscontrol --update (or /update inside the REPL); the standalone syscontrol-cli-update script is also still installed.

To uninstall: re-run with -- --uninstall.

Option B — From a clone (for development):

git clone https://github.com/ks6573/SysControl.git
cd SysControl
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh   # if uv not installed
uv sync
uv run agent.py

Requirements

  • macOS or Linux

  • Python 3.11+ (uv will fetch one if your system Python is older)

  • Ollama for local mode, or an Ollama Cloud API key for cloud mode

CLI Flags

syscontrol                                          # interactive
syscontrol --provider local --model qwen3:30b      # local, skip prompt
syscontrol --provider cloud --api-key sk-...       # cloud, skip prompt (key is remembered)
syscontrol --provider cloud --no-save-key          # cloud, prompt every time
syscontrol --continue                              # resume the most recent session
syscontrol --resume                                # pick a previous session from a list
syscontrol --coding --approval normal              # coding agent, ask before edits/shell
syscontrol --coding --approval plan                # read-only planning mode
syscontrol --coding --approval auto                # auto-accept coding edits/shell

Cloned (Option B) users can substitute uv run agent.py for syscontrol in any of the commands below.

The first time you enter your Ollama Cloud API key (via --api-key or the prompt), it's saved to ~/.syscontrol/cli_credentials.json (0600) so you won't be asked again. Use --no-save-key to opt out, or /logout from the REPL to forget it.

Coding Mode

The CLI can run as a coding agent with a narrowed code tool set: file search/read/edit, git status/diff, and shell commands. Approval modes:

Mode

Behavior

plan

Read-only. The agent can inspect and produce an implementation plan, but edits and shell commands are blocked.

normal

Reads are automatic; file writes and shell commands ask for approval in the terminal.

auto

"Just do it" mode. Auto-accepts coding edits and shell commands for the session.

Press Shift+Tab to toggle between system monitor mode and coding mode. Inside coding mode, use /approval plan, /approval normal, or /approval auto to switch policies. The old standard and nuke names still work as aliases.

Slash Commands & Keyboard Shortcuts

The interactive CLI feels like Codex / Claude Code: type / to pop a completion menu, @ to inline a file from the cwd, ! to run a one-off shell command, and the bottom toolbar shows the active model, provider, approval mode, and message count at all times.

Command

Description

/help

Show all commands and keyboard shortcuts

/clear

Clear the screen

/reset

Clear conversation history (keeps system prompt)

/tools [filter]

List available tools, optionally filtered by substring

/model

Show the active model and provider

/mode [system|coding] [plan|normal|auto]

Toggle system/coding mode or enter a coding sub-mode

/test [command]

Run a detected test command, or a provided command, in coding mode

/lint [command]

Run a detected lint/typecheck command, or a provided command, in coding mode

/memory <note>

Append a timestamped note to SysControl_Memory.md

/show [tool_name]

Dump the full output of the most recent tool call

/sessions

List recently saved CLI sessions

/init

Generate a CLAUDE.md for the current project

/compact [undo]

Summarize the conversation; undo restores the prior history

/approval plan|normal|auto

Switch coding-mode approval policy

/update [force]

Check for and install the latest SysControl release

/logout

Forget the saved Ollama Cloud API key

/exit

Quit the session

Key

Action

Enter

Submit a single-line buffer; insert a newline once the buffer is multi-line

Ctrl+D

Submit any non-empty buffer; exit on an empty buffer

Ctrl+C

Cancel the in-flight LLM/tool stream (press again within 1s to exit cleanly)

/

History navigation

Ctrl+R

Reverse history search

Tab

Complete the current slash command, @file, or argument

Shift+Tab

Toggle system/coding mode

Ctrl+L

Clear the screen

Esc, Enter

Always insert a newline (alternative to letting Enter add one in multi-line mode)

Type @<partial> to pop a file picker scoped to the current directory (uses git ls-files when available; falls back to a recursive walk). Selected paths stay literal in the buffer and are inlined at submit time as fenced code blocks (capped at 64 KB per file).

Type !<command> to run a shell command directly — output prints inline and the LLM is bypassed. Requires allow_shell=true in ~/.syscontrol/config.json.

History is persisted to ~/.syscontrol/cli_history. Conversations auto-save to ~/.syscontrol/cli_sessions/; resume the most recent with syscontrol --continue or pick from a list with syscontrol --resume.

Local Mode (Ollama)

ollama pull qwen3:30b   # recommended
ollama serve
syscontrol --provider local

Tool-calling capable models:

Model

Notes

qwen3:30b

Default. Best tool use and reasoning

qwen3:8b

Faster, lower memory — includes thinking mode

qwen2.5:7b

Lightweight alternative

llama3.1:8b

Battle-tested fallback

Models without native tool-calling (e.g. gemma3) will error.

Cloud Mode (Ollama Cloud)

syscontrol --provider cloud
# Enter your key when prompted — not echoed or stored in shell history

Get a key at ollama.com/settings/keys. Default cloud model: gpt-oss:120b.

Ending a Session

Say any natural goodbye (bye, exit, quit, done, farewell, cya, goodnight, …) or press Ctrl-C. The agent will offer to save your session before exiting.

Session Memory

On exit you are prompted to save a short note about the session. Notes are appended to SysControl_Memory.md with a timestamp. On next startup, if the file exists its contents are injected into the system prompt so the agent has context from prior sessions. The file is append-only and plain text — edit or delete entries freely.

The agent can also save and recall memory mid-session via the read_memory and append_memory_note tools — no need to wait for exit.

Privacy: SysControl stores only what you explicitly save. Ollama processes queries locally by default.


Permissions & Security

Sensitive tools are disabled by default. Enable them in ~/.syscontrol/config.json:

{
  "allow_shell":           true,
  "allow_messaging":       true,
  "allow_message_history": true,
  "allow_screenshot":      true,
  "allow_file_read":       true,
  "allow_file_write":      true,
  "allow_calendar":        true,
  "allow_contacts":        true,
  "allow_accessibility":   true,
  "allow_tool_creation":   true,
  "allow_deep_research":   true,
  "allow_email":           true,
  "allow_notes":           true,
  "allow_brew":            true,
  "allow_agents":          true
}

Each disabled tool returns an error with the exact flag needed to enable it.


Claude Desktop Setup

1. Add the MCP server to your config

Platform

Config path

macOS

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows

%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "system-monitor": {
      "command": "/path/to/uv",
      "args": ["run", "/absolute/path/to/SysControl/mcp/server.py"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Use which uv to get the uv path.

2. Set the system prompt — create a Claude Desktop Project and paste the contents of mcp/prompt.json into the Project Instructions field.

3. Restart Claude Desktopsystem-monitor will appear in the MCP servers list.


Self-Extension

When you ask for something no tool covers, the agent offers to build it:

You: What song is playing in Spotify right now?

Agent: I don't have a tool for that. Want me to create one? (yes/no)

You: yes

Agent: ✓ Tool `get_spotify_track` installed. Restart and ask again.

The agent writes a Python function, validates syntax, scans for dangerous patterns (eval, exec, etc.), and appends it to mcp/server.py. Requires:

{ "allow_tool_creation": true }

Tools (92 total)

Monitoring

Tool

What it does

get_cpu_usage

CPU load (total + per-core), clock frequency, inline bar chart

get_ram_usage

RAM and swap — used, available, percent, inline stacked chart

get_gpu_usage

GPU load, VRAM, temperature per device (NVIDIA/pynvml), inline chart

get_disk_usage

Per-partition space and cumulative I/O counters

get_network_usage

Cumulative bytes sent/received and per-interface status

get_realtime_io

Live disk read/write and network download/upload speed (MB/s)

get_top_processes

Top N processes by CPU or memory

get_full_snapshot

Single call: CPU + RAM + GPU + disk + network + top processes

get_system_alerts

Triage scan returning prioritized critical/warning alerts

System & Hardware

Tool

What it does

get_device_specs

Static profile: CPU model, core count, RAM, GPU VRAM, disks, OS

get_battery_status

Percent, charging state, time remaining

get_temperature_sensors

CPU/motherboard sensors (Linux/Windows)

get_system_uptime

Boot time, uptime, 1/5/15-min load averages

get_hardware_profile

Live pressure + specs + OC capability + upgrade feasibility + bottleneck analysis

Process Management

Tool

What it does

get_process_details

Deep inspection of a PID: path, cmdline, user, RSS/VMS, threads, open files

search_process

Find processes by name (case-insensitive partial match)

kill_process

SIGTERM (default) or SIGKILL a PID. Refuses critical system processes.

Network & Connectivity

Tool

What it does

get_network_connections

All active TCP/UDP connections with state and owning process

network_latency_check

Pings gateway, Cloudflare, Google DNS in parallel and diagnoses slowness

get_wifi_networks

Nearby networks with SSID, channel, security, signal strength

Storage

Tool

What it does

find_large_files

Top N largest files under a path. Skips .git, node_modules, .venv

eject_disk

Unmount and eject an external disk by mountpoint

Messaging & Communication

Tool

What it does

send_imessage

Send an iMessage or SMS via Messages.app. macOS only.

get_imessage_history

Read recent messages from ~/Library/Messages/chat.db. macOS only.

read_emails

Read recent emails from Mail.app (by folder). Requires allow_email. macOS only.

send_email

Send an email via Mail.app. Requires allow_email. macOS only.

search_emails

Search emails across all accounts and mailboxes. Requires allow_email. macOS only.

Browser & Web

Tool

What it does

web_search

DuckDuckGo search — title, URL, snippet. No API key.

web_fetch

Fetch a URL as plain text. No browser required.

grant_browser_access

Unlock browser control (called once, after user consent)

browser_open_url

Open a URL in the default browser

browser_navigate

Navigate the active tab via AppleScript (macOS)

browser_get_page

Return the URL, title, and text of the current tab (macOS)

Clipboard & Screen

Tool

What it does

get_clipboard

Return current clipboard text

set_clipboard

Write text to the clipboard

take_screenshot

Full-screen PNG returned inline. Optionally save to file. macOS only.

generate_image

Generate an inline visual image artifact from a prompt. Requires an OpenAI image API key.

App Control & System

Tool

What it does

open_app

Open an app by name (open -a). macOS only.

quit_app

Gracefully quit (AppleScript) or force-kill an app. macOS only.

get_volume

Output, input, and alert volume; mute state

set_volume

Set system output volume (0–100)

get_now_playing

Currently playing track in Music.app or Spotify (title, artist, album, position). macOS only.

media_control

Play, pause, skip, or stop Music.app / Spotify. Auto-detects active player. macOS only.

get_frontmost_app

Return the name of the focused application

toggle_do_not_disturb

Enable/disable Focus / DnD

run_shortcut

Run a named Shortcut via shortcuts run. macOS 12+.

File I/O & Shell

Tool

What it does

read_file

Read a text file (up to 16,000 chars)

write_file

Write text to any path, creating directories as needed

list_directory

List directory contents with name, type, size, and modification time

move_file

Move or rename a file or directory

copy_file

Copy a file to a new location

delete_file

Delete a file or directory (Trash by default on macOS, recoverable)

create_directory

Create a directory and any missing parents

search_files

Search for files system-wide using macOS Spotlight (mdfind). Instant. macOS only.

read_spreadsheet

Read cells from .xlsx or .csv — supports sheet selection and cell ranges

edit_spreadsheet

Write cells (A1 notation) or append rows to .xlsx / .csv. Create new files.

read_document

Read paragraphs from .docx, .txt, or .md with word count

edit_document

Find/replace text, overwrite paragraphs, or append to .docx files

read_pdf

Extract text from PDF files, page by page (up to 200 pages)

run_shell_command

Execute a bash command and return stdout/stderr. Disabled by default.

Calendar, Contacts & Logs

Tool

What it does

get_calendar_events

Upcoming events from Calendar.app for the next N days. macOS only.

get_contact

Search Contacts.app by name — phone and email. macOS only.

list_notes

List notes from Notes.app with title, folder, and timestamps. Requires allow_notes.

read_note

Read the full body of a note by title (partial match). Requires allow_notes.

create_note

Create a new note in Notes.app. Requires allow_notes.

get_startup_items

Auto-start items (macOS LaunchAgents, Windows Registry, Linux .desktop)

tail_system_logs

Last N lines of the system log with optional keyword filter

Utilities

Tool

What it does

set_reminder

Schedule a macOS notification. Accepts "in 2 hours", "tomorrow at 9am", etc.

list_reminders

All pending reminders with IDs and fire times

cancel_reminder

Cancel a reminder by ID

get_weather

Current weather + clothing recommendations. Auto-detects location from IP.

check_app_updates

Homebrew, Mac App Store, and system software updates. macOS only.

brew_list

List all installed Homebrew formulae and casks. Requires allow_brew.

brew_install

Install a Homebrew formula or cask. Requires allow_brew.

brew_upgrade

Upgrade one or all Homebrew packages. Requires allow_brew.

brew_uninstall

Uninstall a Homebrew formula or cask. Requires allow_brew.

get_docker_status

Running containers with live CPU%, memory, image, status, and ports

get_time_machine_status

Last backup time, phase and progress if running, destination. macOS only.

track_package

Track UPS, USPS, FedEx, or DHL shipments by tracking number

Memory

Tool

What it does

read_memory

Read the persistent memory file — facts and notes saved across sessions

append_memory_note

Append a concise note to the memory file for future recall

Research

Tool

What it does

deep_research

Multi-step web research agent: plans subquestions, searches multiple sources, extracts and cross-verifies claims, returns a citation-backed answer. Takes 1-3 minutes.

Code Editing & Navigation

Tool

What it does

read_file_lines

Read a file with line numbers, offset, and limit — large-file friendly. Requires allow_file_read.

edit_file

Targeted find-and-replace editing. Exact string match, fails if ambiguous. Requires allow_file_write.

glob_files

Find files by glob pattern (e.g. **/*.py). Skips .git, node_modules, .venv.

grep_files

Regex content search across files with optional context lines. Skips binary files.

git_status

Show branch, staged/unstaged/untracked files, and recent commits.

git_diff

Show git diff for unstaged or staged changes.

Sub-Agent Orchestration

Tool

What it does

list_agents

List available sub-agents with names and descriptions

run_agent

Delegate a focused task to a named sub-agent (explorer, analyst, researcher, writer) running in an isolated subprocess with restricted tools. Requires allow_agents.

Self-Extension

Tool

What it does

create_tool

Write, validate, and install a new MCP tool into server.py. Requires allow_tool_creation.

list_user_tools

List all tools installed via create_tool


Overclocking Support

Detected automatically from hardware and platform:

Platform

CPU OC

GPU OC

Apple Silicon (M-series)

✗ Not supported

✗ Not supported

Intel Mac

✗ Not supported (no BIOS)

✗ Not supported (macOS)

Intel K/KF/KS — Windows/Linux

✅ Intel XTU or BIOS

✅ MSI Afterburner

AMD Ryzen — Windows/Linux

✅ Ryzen Master / PBO

✅ MSI Afterburner


Project Structure

SysControl/
├── agent.py                 # CLI entry-point shim
├── install-cli.sh           # One-line CLI installer (curl one-liner)
├── agent/
│   ├── cli.py               # Interactive terminal REPL
│   ├── core.py              # Shared agent logic: MCP client, streaming loop, helpers
│   ├── bridge.py            # JSON-over-stdio bridge for the Swift app
│   ├── agents.py            # Sub-agent specs: AgentSpec, AgentRegistry, built-in agents
│   ├── runner.py            # Sub-agent runner: isolated context, filtered tools
│   └── paths.py             # Path resolution (repo root, user data dir, memory file)
├── mcp/
│   ├── server.py            # MCP tool server (104 tools + self-extension)
│   └── prompt.json          # System prompt for the agent
├── deep_research/           # Deep research agent (iterative web research with citation verification)
├── swift/
│   ├── Package.swift         # SwiftPM package definition
│   ├── build.sh              # Builds the .app bundle and DMG
│   ├── install.sh            # One-line source installer
│   └── SysControl/           # SwiftUI source (App, Models, Views, Services, Storage)
├── scripts/
│   └── make_icon.py          # Generates the .icns app icon from source PNGs
├── pyproject.toml            # Python project config, dependencies, linting
├── VERSION                   # Current release version (single source of truth)
└── tests/                    # Pytest suite for agent core + MCP helpers

Architecture

┌──────────────────────┐
│    SwiftUI App       │   Native macOS frontend
│  (swift/SysControl/) │   Onboarding, chat, settings, history
└────────┬─────────────┘
         │  JSON-over-stdio (bridge.py)
┌────────▼─────────────┐
│    Agent Core        │   Streaming agentic loop, LLM client
│  (agent/core.py)     │   Provider selection, tool dispatch
└────────┬─────────────┘
         │  JSON-RPC (stdio)
┌────────▼─────────────┐
│    MCP Server        │   104 tools, self-extension, permission checks
│  (mcp/server.py)     │   Concurrent tool execution via client pool
└──────────────────────┘

The Swift frontend communicates with the Python backend through agent/bridge.py, which speaks a simple JSON-over-stdio protocol. The bridge reuses the same MCPClientPool and streaming loop used by the CLI, so all tools and capabilities are shared across every interface.


Entry Points

After installing via the one-liner (or pip install -e . from a clone):

Script

Description

syscontrol

Interactive CLI agent

syscontrol --update

Check for and install the latest release in place

syscontrol --version

Print the installed version and exit

syscontrol-server

MCP server (stdio)

syscontrol-cli-update

Standalone updater script (same as syscontrol --update)

From a clone without installing, use uv run:

Command

Description

uv run agent.py

Interactive CLI agent

uv run -m mcp.server

MCP server (stdio) — for Claude Desktop integration


License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE.

A
license - permissive license
-
quality - not tested
A
maintenance

Maintenance

Maintainers
Response time
1dRelease cycle
37Releases (12mo)
Commit activity

Resources

Unclaimed servers have limited discoverability.

Looking for Admin?

If you are the server author, to access and configure the admin panel.

Latest Blog Posts

MCP directory API

We provide all the information about MCP servers via our MCP API.

curl -X GET 'https://glama.ai/api/mcp/v1/servers/ks6573/SysControl'

If you have feedback or need assistance with the MCP directory API, please join our Discord server