Capture Screen MCP vs WinCtl
A side-by-side look at the Capture Screen MCP and WinCtl MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Capture Screen MCP for os automation work over a hosted endpoint; choose WinCtl for os automation as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Capture Screen MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the OS Automation domain.
- You prefer a remote HTTP/SSE transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
CAPTURE_SCREEN_DEFAULT_DISPLAY, CAPTURE_SCREEN_OUTPUT_DIR, CAPTURE_SCREEN_HIDE_FOREGROUND_WINDOWS_TERMINAL.
Choose WinCtl when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the OS Automation domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
screen_list_monitors, screen_capture, screen_capture_region.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | OS Automation | OS Automation |
| Quality signal | 36/100 · Fair | 49/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Remote HTTP/SSE | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | CAPTURE_SCREEN_DEFAULT_DISPLAYCAPTURE_SCREEN_OUTPUT_DIRCAPTURE_SCREEN_HIDE_FOREGROUND_WINDOWS_TERMINAL | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 3 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | Not listed | 40 |
| Full listing | View Capture Screen MCP | View WinCtl |
Tools & capabilities
Capture Screen MCP tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
WinCtl tools 40
screen_list_monitorsDisplays with position, resolution and DPI scalescreen_captureScreenshot a monitor or the whole virtual desktopscreen_capture_regionScreenshot a rectangular regionscreen_capture_windowScreenshot one window, even if overlappedscreen_list_capturable_windowsWindows available for individual capturewindow_listVisible top-level windows with stable ids and boundswindow_get_activeThe window with keyboard focuswindow_get_desktop_infoVirtual desktop bounds and cursor positionwindow_focusRaise and focus a window, with verificationwindow_set_stateMinimize, maximize, restore, hide, showwindow_moveMove and resize (un-maximizes first)window_closeAsk a window to close- +28 more on the listing page
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Capture Screen MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"capture-screen-mcp": {
"url": "https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json"
}
}
}
WinCtl
{
"mcpServers": {
"winctl": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@sitharaj88/winctl"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Capture Screen MCP is categorized under OS Automation and uses a remote HTTP/SSE transport. WinCtl belongs to OS Automation and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Capture Screen MCP for os automation work and WinCtl for os automation.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Capture Screen MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. WinCtl has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add capture-screen-mcp and winctl as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Capture Screen MCP has a quality signal of 36/100 (Fair) with 0 views, 0 installs and 3 GitHub stars. WinCtl has 49/100 (Fair) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.