Mac Power Tools MCP

mac-power-tools-mcp is a macOS-focused MCP server for power-user workflows. It started as a fork of a lightweight AppleScript MCP server, but it has since diverged into a broader tool suite that combines AppleScript-backed app automation with shell-backed system, cleanup, and bookmark management tools.

This server is oriented around practical Mac operator tasks:

• app and system control
• Finder, clipboard, notes, calendar, iTerm, and notifications
• Apple Shortcuts and Keyboard Maestro integration
• launchd inspection and lifecycle management
• safe cleanup inside ~/Library
• bookmark inspection and reorganization for Safari, Brave, and Chrome

Mutation-heavy categories are intentionally constrained:

• library_* destructive actions are limited to ~/Library
• library_* mutations require confirm=true
• bookmarks_* mutations require confirm=true
• bookmarks_* mutations create timestamped backups before editing bookmark files
• some launchd_* operations may require elevated privileges depending on domain and plist location

This project favors explicit target paths, explicit folder paths, and explicit confirmation over convenience shortcuts.

• system_*: app launch/quit, frontmost app, dark mode, volume, battery status
• finder_*: selected files, Spotlight-backed search, Quick Look
• clipboard_*: get, set, clear clipboard
• notifications_*: send notifications, toggle DND shortcut
• iterm_*: run commands and paste clipboard into iTerm
• shortcuts_*: run Apple Shortcuts
• calendar_*: create events and list today's events
• notes_*: folder and note CRUD in Apple Notes, folder-view reads, and tag lookup with folder/Smart Folder fallback plus plaintext search
• pages_*: create Pages documents

• automation_list_shortcuts
• automation_run_keyboardmaestro_macro

• research_open_url_in_browser
• research_get_current_timestamp

• launchd_list_services
• launchd_get_service
• launchd_print_domain
• launchd_kickstart
• launchd_bootstrap
• launchd_bootout
• launchd_validate_plist

• library_find_large_app_support_dirs
• library_list_preferences
• library_move_to_trash
• library_reset_app_preferences

• bookmarks_list_bookmarks
• bookmarks_list_folders
• bookmarks_read_folder
• bookmarks_create_folder
• bookmarks_update_folder
• bookmarks_delete_folder
• bookmarks_move_folder
• bookmarks_read_bookmark
• bookmarks_create_bookmark
• bookmarks_update_bookmark
• bookmarks_delete_bookmark
• bookmarks_move_bookmark
• bookmarks_find_duplicates
• bookmarks_remove_duplicates
• bookmarks_sort_folder

Bookmark tooling is strongest for:

• brave
• safari

It also supports:

• chrome

Chromium-family tools use the profile-aware bookmarks JSON file. Safari tools operate on ~/Library/Safari/Bookmarks.plist.

• Keyboard Maestro for automation_run_keyboardmaestro_macro
• iTerm for iterm_*
• Pages for pages_*

• inspect and restart a user LaunchAgent
• identify the largest Application Support directories before cleanup
• reset one app’s preference plist safely by moving it to Trash
• sort a Brave bookmarks folder and remove in-folder duplicates
• move a Safari bookmark from one folder to another after creating a backup
• trigger an existing Keyboard Maestro macro from MCP

Prerequisites:

• macOS 10.15 or later
• Node.js 18 or later

Example mcpServers entry:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mac-power-tools": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/absolute/path/to/mac-mcp/dist/index.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CATEGORIES": "all"
      }
    }
  }
}

Category selection is controlled by CATEGORIES:

• unset: enable every category
• all: enable every category
• comma-separated list: enable only those categories

Available category names:

• system
• calendar
• finder
• clipboard
• notifications
• iterm
• shortcuts
• notes
• pages
• automation
• research
• launchd
• library
• bookmarks

Example selective config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mac-power-tools": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/absolute/path/to/mac-mcp/dist/index.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CATEGORIES": "system,finder,launchd,library,bookmarks"
      }
    }
  }
}

Install and run:

npm install
npm run build
npm start

For local development:

npm run dev

The server entrypoint is src/index.ts. The shared execution framework is src/framework.ts. Tool categories live under src/categories/.

When adding tools:

• prefer direct APIs or shell utilities over UI scripting where possible
• return stable, machine-readable output where possible
• require explicit confirmation for destructive actions
• keep environment-specific integrations clearly labeled

This repository began as a fork of an AppleScript-centric MCP server. It is no longer just a thin AppleScript wrapper.

Major changes since the fork:

• rebranded from a generic AppleScript framework into a Mac power-user tool suite
• added shell-backed categories alongside AppleScript-backed ones
• expanded into launchd, safe Library cleanup, and bookmark management
• introduced stricter confirmation requirements around destructive operations
• updated package and server identity for the new direction

This project began as a fork of the original AppleScript MCP repository and has since diverged substantially in scope and product direction.