https://github.com/sh3ll3x3c/native-devtools-mcp
MCP server for native app testing — screenshot, OCR, click, type, find_text, template matching. macOS, Windows & Android. Works with Claude, Cursor, and any MCP client.
https://github.com/sh3ll3x3c/native-devtools-mcp
accessibility adb ai-agent android claude claude-code computer-use cursor e2e-testing macos mcp mobile-automation mobile-testing model-context-protocol ocr rpa screenshot template-matching ui-automation windows
Last synced: about 2 months ago
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MCP server for native app testing — screenshot, OCR, click, type, find_text, template matching. macOS, Windows & Android. Works with Claude, Cursor, and any MCP client.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/sh3ll3x3c/native-devtools-mcp
- Owner: sh3ll3x3c
- License: mit
- Created: 2026-01-14T09:19:53.000Z (3 months ago)
- Default Branch: master
- Last Pushed: 2026-02-22T11:59:46.000Z (2 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2026-02-22T17:19:51.486Z (2 months ago)
- Topics: accessibility, adb, ai-agent, android, claude, claude-code, computer-use, cursor, e2e-testing, macos, mcp, mobile-automation, mobile-testing, model-context-protocol, ocr, rpa, screenshot, template-matching, ui-automation, windows
- Language: Rust
- Homepage: https://www.npmjs.com/package/native-devtools-mcp
- Size: 11.2 MB
- Stars: 26
- Watchers: 3
- Forks: 1
- Open Issues: 1
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Changelog: CHANGELOG.md
- License: LICENSE
- Security: SECURITY_AUDIT.md
- Agents: AGENTS.md
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
# native-devtools-mcp
**Give your AI agent "eyes" and "hands" for native desktop and mobile applications.**
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides **Computer Use** capabilities: screenshots, OCR, input simulation, and window management — for **native desktop apps** and **Android devices**, not just browsers.
**Works with:** [Claude Desktop](https://claude.ai/download) • [Claude Code](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code) • [Cursor](https://cursor.com) • Any MCP-compatible client
[//]: # "Search keywords: MCP, MCP server, Model Context Protocol, computer use, desktop automation, UI automation, native app testing, test automation, e2e testing, RPA, screenshots, OCR, template matching, accessibility, mouse, keyboard, screen reading, macOS, Windows, Android, ADB, mobile testing, Claude, Claude Code, Cursor, AI agent, native-devtools-mcp"
[Features](#-features) • [Installation](#-installation) • [Getting Started](#-getting-started) • [Security & Trust](#-security--trust) • [For AI Agents](#-for-ai-agents-llms) • [Android](#-android-support)
macOS
Windows
---
## 🚀 Features
- **👀 Computer Vision:** Capture screenshots of screens, windows, or specific regions. Includes built-in OCR (text recognition) to "read" the screen.
- **🖱️ Input Simulation:** Click, drag, scroll, and type text naturally. Supports global coordinates and window-relative actions.
- **🪟 Window Management:** List open windows, find applications, and bring them to focus.
- **🧩 Template Matching:** Find non-text UI elements (icons, shapes) using `load_image` + `find_image`, returning precise click coordinates.
- **🔒 Local & Private:** 100% local execution. No screenshots or data are ever sent to external servers.
- **📱 Android Support:** Connect to Android devices over ADB for screenshots, input simulation, UI element search, and app management — all from the same MCP server.
- **🔌 Dual-Mode Interaction:**
1. **Visual/Native:** Works with *any* app via screenshots & coordinates (Universal).
2. **AppDebugKit:** Deep integration for supported apps to inspect the UI tree (DOM-like structure).
## 🤖 For AI Agents (LLMs)
This MCP server is designed to be **highly discoverable and usable** by AI models (Claude, Gemini, GPT).
- **[📄 Read `AGENTS.md`](./AGENTS.md):** A compact, token-optimized technical reference designed specifically for ingestion by LLMs. It contains intent definitions, schema examples, and reasoning patterns.
**Core Capabilities for System Prompts:**
1. `take_screenshot`: The "eyes". Returns images + layout metadata + text locations (OCR).
2. `click` / `type_text`: The "hands". Interacts with the system based on visual feedback.
3. `find_text`: A shortcut to find text on screen and get its coordinates immediately. Uses the platform **accessibility API** (macOS Accessibility / Windows UI Automation) for precise element-level matching, with OCR fallback.
4. `element_at_point`: Inspect the accessibility element at given screen coordinates — returns name, role, label, value, bounds, pid, and app_name. Note: privacy-focused Electron apps (e.g. Signal) may restrict their AX tree, returning only a container — use `take_screenshot` with OCR as a fallback.
5. `load_image` / `find_image`: Template matching for non-text UI elements (icons, shapes), returning screen coordinates for clicking.
## 📦 Installation
The install steps are identical on macOS and Windows.
### Option 1: Run with `npx` (no install needed)
```bash
npx -y native-devtools-mcp
```
### Option 2: Global install
```bash
npm install -g native-devtools-mcp
```
### Option 3: Build from source (Rust)
Click to expand build instructions
**Using the build script** (clones, builds, and runs setup):
```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sh3ll3x3c/native-devtools-mcp/master/scripts/build-from-source.sh | bash
```
**Or manually:**
```bash
git clone https://github.com/sh3ll3x3c/native-devtools-mcp
cd native-devtools-mcp
cargo build --release
# Binary: ./target/release/native-devtools-mcp
```
## 🏁 Getting Started
After installing, run the setup wizard:
```bash
npx native-devtools-mcp setup
```
This will:
1. **Check permissions** (macOS) — verifies Accessibility and Screen Recording, opens System Settings if needed
2. **Detect your MCP clients** — finds Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor
3. **Write the configuration** — generates the correct JSON config and offers to write it for you
Then restart your MCP client and you're ready to go.
> **Claude Desktop on macOS** requires the signed app bundle (Gatekeeper blocks npx). Download `NativeDevtools-X.X.X.dmg` from [GitHub Releases](https://github.com/sh3ll3x3c/native-devtools-mcp/releases), drag to `/Applications`, then run setup — it will detect the app and configure Claude Desktop to use it.
> **VS Code, Windsurf, and other clients:** `setup` doesn't auto-detect these yet. Run `setup` for the permission checks, then see the manual configuration below for the JSON config snippet.
> **Claude Code tip:** To avoid approving every tool call (clicks, screenshots), add this to `.claude/settings.local.json`:
> ```json
> { "permissions": { "allow": ["mcp__native-devtools__*"] } }
> ```
Manual configuration (without setup)
#### macOS — Claude Desktop
Config file: `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"native-devtools": {
"command": "/Applications/NativeDevtools.app/Contents/MacOS/native-devtools-mcp"
}
}
}
```
#### Windows — Claude Desktop
Config file: `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json`
#### Claude Code, Cursor, and other MCP clients
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"native-devtools": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "native-devtools-mcp"]
}
}
}
```
Requires Node.js 18+.
## 🔐 Security & Trust
This tool requires Accessibility and Screen Recording permissions — that's a lot of trust. Here's how to verify it deserves it.
### Verify your binary
```bash
native-devtools-mcp verify
```
Computes the SHA-256 hash of the running binary and checks it against the official checksums published on the [GitHub Releases](https://github.com/sh3ll3x3c/native-devtools-mcp/releases) page. If the hash matches, you're running an unmodified official build.
### Build from source
Don't trust pre-built binaries? Build it yourself:
```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sh3ll3x3c/native-devtools-mcp/master/scripts/build-from-source.sh | bash
```
The script clones the repo, optionally opens it for review before building, compiles the release binary, and runs setup. See [`scripts/build-from-source.sh`](scripts/build-from-source.sh).
### Audit the code
[`SECURITY_AUDIT.md`](SECURITY_AUDIT.md) documents exactly which permissions are used, where in the source code, and includes an LLM audit prompt you can paste into any AI model to perform an independent security review.
### What this server does NOT do
- **No unsolicited network access** — the server never phones home. Network is only used when the MCP client explicitly invokes `app_connect` (WebSocket to a local debug server) or when you run the `verify` subcommand (fetches checksums from GitHub)
- **No file scanning** — does not read or index your files. The only file reads are `load_image` (reads a path the MCP client explicitly provides) and short-lived temp files for screenshots (deleted immediately after capture)
- **No background persistence** — exits when the MCP client disconnects
- **No data exfiltration** — screenshots are returned to the MCP client via stdout, never stored or transmitted elsewhere
## 🔍 Two Approaches to Interaction
We provide two ways for agents to interact, allowing them to choose the best tool for the job.
### 1. The "Visual" Approach (Universal)
**Best for:** 99% of apps (Electron, Qt, Games, Browsers).
* **How it works:** The agent takes a screenshot, analyzes it visually (or uses OCR), and clicks at coordinates.
* **Tools:** `take_screenshot`, `find_text`, `click`, `type_text` (plus `load_image` / `find_image` for icons and shapes).
* **Example:** "Click the button that looks like a gear icon." → use `find_image` with a gear template.
### 2. The "Structural" Approach (AppDebugKit)
**Best for:** Apps specifically instrumented with our AppDebugKit library (mostly for developers testing their own apps).
* **How it works:** The agent connects to a debug port and queries the UI tree (like HTML DOM).
* **Tools:** `app_connect`, `app_query`, `app_click`.
* **Example:** `app_click(element_id="submit-button")`.
## 🧩 Template Matching (find_image)
Use `find_image` when the target is **not text** (icons, toggles, custom controls) and OCR or `find_text` cannot identify it.
**Typical flow:**
1. `take_screenshot(app_name="MyApp")` → `screenshot_id`
2. `load_image(path="/path/to/icon.png")` → `template_id`
3. `find_image(screenshot_id="...", template_id="...")` → `matches` with `screen_x/screen_y`
4. `click(x=..., y=...)`
**Fast vs Accurate:**
- **fast** (default): uses downscaling and early-exit for speed.
- **accurate**: uses full-resolution, wider scale search, and smaller stride for thorough matching.
Optional inputs like `mask_id`, `search_region`, `scales`, and `rotations` can improve precision and performance.
## 📱 Android Support
Android support is built-in. The MCP server communicates with Android devices over ADB (USB or Wi-Fi), providing screenshots, input simulation, UI element search, and app management.
### Prerequisites
1. **ADB installed** on the host machine (`brew install android-platform-tools` on macOS, or install via [Android SDK](https://developer.android.com/tools/releases/platform-tools))
2. **USB debugging enabled** on the Android device (Settings > Developer options > USB debugging)
3. **ADB server running** — starts automatically when you run `adb devices`
### Android tools
All Android tools are prefixed with `android_` and appear dynamically after connecting to a device:
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `android_list_devices` | List all ADB-connected devices (always available) |
| `android_connect` | Connect to a device by serial number |
| `android_disconnect` | Disconnect from the current device |
| `android_screenshot` | Capture the device screen |
| `android_find_text` | Find UI elements by text (via uiautomator) |
| `android_click` | Tap at screen coordinates |
| `android_swipe` | Swipe between two points |
| `android_type_text` | Type text on the device |
| `android_press_key` | Press a key (e.g., `KEYCODE_HOME`, `KEYCODE_BACK`) |
| `android_launch_app` | Launch an app by package name |
| `android_list_apps` | List installed packages |
| `android_get_display_info` | Get screen resolution and density |
| `android_get_current_activity` | Get the current foreground activity |
### Typical workflow
```
android_list_devices → find your device serial
android_connect(serial="...") → connect (unlocks android_* tools)
android_screenshot → see what's on screen
android_find_text(text="OK") → locate a button
android_click(x=..., y=...) → tap it
```
### Known issues
> **MIUI / HyperOS (Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO devices):** Input injection (`android_click`, `android_type_text`, `android_press_key`, `android_swipe`) and `android_find_text` (via uiautomator) require an additional security toggle:
>
> **Settings > Developer options > USB debugging (Security settings)** — enable this toggle. MIUI may require you to sign in with a Mi account to enable it.
>
> Without this, you'll see `INJECT_EVENTS permission` errors for input tools and `could not get idle state` errors for `android_find_text`. Screenshot and device info tools work without this toggle.
> **Wireless ADB:** To connect without a USB cable, first connect via USB and run:
> ```bash
> adb tcpip 5555
> adb connect :5555
> ```
> Then use the `:5555` serial in `android_connect`.
### Smoke tests
Smoke tests verify all Android tools against a real connected device. They are `#[ignore]`d by default and must be run explicitly:
```bash
cargo test --test android_smoke_tests -- --ignored --test-threads=1
```
Tests must run sequentially (`--test-threads=1`) since they share a single physical device. The device must be unlocked and awake.
## 🏗️ Architecture
```mermaid
graph TD
Client[Claude / LLM Client] <-->|JSON-RPC 2.0| Server[native-devtools-mcp]
Server -->|Direct API| Sys[System APIs]
Server -->|WebSocket| Debug[AppDebugKit]
Server -->|ADB Protocol| Android[Android Device]
subgraph "Your Machine"
Sys -->|Screen/OCR| macOS[CoreGraphics / Vision]
Sys -->|Input| Win[Win32 / SendInput]
Sys -->|Text Search| UIA[UI Automation]
Debug -.->|Inspect| App[Target App]
end
subgraph "Android Device (USB/Wi-Fi)"
Android -->|screencap| Screen[Screenshots]
Android -->|input| Input[Tap / Swipe / Type]
Android -->|uiautomator| UITree[UI Hierarchy]
end
```
🔧 Technical Details (Under the Hood)
| OS | Feature | API Used |
|----|---------|----------|
| **macOS** | Screenshots | `screencapture` (CLI) |
| | Input | `CGEvent` (CoreGraphics) |
| | Text Search (`find_text`) | `Accessibility API` (primary), Vision OCR (fallback) |
| | Element Inspection (`element_at_point`) | `AXUIElementCopyElementAtPosition` + AX tree walk fallback (Accessibility API) |
| | OCR | `VNRecognizeTextRequest` (Vision Framework) |
| **Windows** | Screenshots | `BitBlt` (GDI) |
| | Input | `SendInput` (Win32) |
| | Text Search (`find_text`) | `UI Automation` (primary), WinRT OCR (fallback) |
| | Element Inspection (`element_at_point`) | `IUIAutomation::ElementFromPoint` (UI Automation) |
| | OCR | `Windows.Media.Ocr` (WinRT) |
| **Android** | Screenshots | `screencap` / ADB framebuffer |
| | Input | `adb shell input` (tap, swipe, text, keyevent) |
| | Text Search (`find_text`) | `uiautomator dump` (accessibility tree) |
| | Device Communication | `adb_client` crate (native Rust ADB protocol) |
### Screenshot Coordinate Precision
Screenshots include metadata for accurate coordinate conversion:
- `screenshot_origin_x/y`: Screen-space origin of the captured area (in points)
- `screenshot_scale`: Display scale factor (e.g., 2.0 for Retina displays)
- `screenshot_pixel_width/height`: Actual pixel dimensions of the image
- `screenshot_window_id`: Window ID (for window captures)
**Coordinate conversion:**
```
screen_x = screenshot_origin_x + (pixel_x / screenshot_scale)
screen_y = screenshot_origin_y + (pixel_y / screenshot_scale)
```
**Implementation notes:**
- **Window captures** (macOS): Uses `screencapture -o` which excludes window shadow. The captured image dimensions match `kCGWindowBounds × scale` exactly, ensuring click coordinates derived from screenshots land on intended UI elements.
- **Region captures**: Origin coordinates are aligned to integers to match the actual captured area.
## ⚠️ Operational Safety
* **Hands Off:** When the agent is "driving" (clicking/typing), **do not move your mouse or type**.
* *Why?* Real hardware inputs can conflict with the simulated ones, causing clicks to land in the wrong place.
* **Focus Matters:** Ensure the window you want the agent to use is visible. If a popup steals focus, the agent might type into the wrong window unless it checks first.
## 🪟 Windows Notes
Works out of the box on **Windows 10/11**.
* Uses standard Win32 APIs (GDI, SendInput).
* `find_text` uses **UI Automation (UIA)** as the primary search mechanism, querying the accessibility tree for element names. This is the same accessibility-first approach used on macOS (with the Accessibility API). Falls back to OCR automatically when UIA finds no matches.
* OCR uses the built-in Windows Media OCR engine (offline).
* **Note:** Cannot interact with "Run as Administrator" windows unless the MCP server itself is also running as Administrator.
## 📜 License
MIT © [sh3ll3x3c](https://github.com/sh3ll3x3c)