MCP server β control remote desktops via VNC with a native Swift daemon and Apple Vision OCR
Copy the AI prompt to install this server into Claude Code, Cursor, or another agent β or use 1-click editor setup below.
π‘ Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows)
Remote Access, Artificial Intelligence
Claude KVM is an MCP tool that controls remote desktop environments over VNC. It consists of a thin JS proxy layer (MCP server) and a platform-native Swift VNC daemon running on your macOS system.
[!TIP] Phantom-WG could be a great alternative for you. Isolate your VNC server within your own network while enjoying self-hosted VPN performance with the extra privacy features you gain along the way.
[!NOTE] Tests are conducted transparently on GitHub Actions β each step is visible in the CI environment. At the end of every test, whether the integration passes or fails, you'll find screenshots of each step the agent took during the session, along with an
.mp4video recording that captures the entire session. By reviewing these recordings and screenshots, you can observe how the agent progressed through each stage, how long the task took, and what decisions were made based on the system prompt. You can use these examples as a reference when crafting your own system prompts or instructions for the MCP server in your own environment.
[!WARNING] Artifacts attached to these runs may have expired due to GitHub's artifact retention policy. Persistent copies are prepared via the Persist Artifacts workflow and can always be accessed by run ID from the
artifacts/directory on the press-kit branch.
| Layer | Language | Role | Communication |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCP Proxy | JavaScript (Node.js) | Communicates with Claude over MCP protocol, manages daemon lifecycle | stdio JSON-RPC |
| VNC Daemon | Swift/C (Apple Silicon) | VNC connection, screen capture, mouse/keyboard input injection | stdin/stdout PC (NDJSON) |
Communication between the proxy and daemon uses the PC protocol over NDJSON:
The VNC server's native resolution is scaled down to fit within --max-dimension (default: 1280px). Claude works more consistently with scaled coordinates β the daemon handles the conversion in the background:
Claude minimizes token cost with a progressive verification approach:
detect_elements uses Apple Vision framework for on-device OCR. Returns text content with bounding box coordinates in scaled space β enables precise click targeting without consuming vision tokens.
[!NOTE]
claude-kvm-daemonis compiled and code-signed via CI (GitHub Actions). The build output is packaged in two formats: a.tar.gzarchive for Homebrew distribution and a.dmgdisk image for notarization. The DMG is submitted to Apple servers for notarization within the same workflow β the process can be tracked from CI logs. The notarized DMG is available as a CI Artifact; the archived.tar.gzis also published as a release on the repository. Homebrew installation tracks this release.
Create a .mcp.json file in your project directory:
[!NOTE] The tool is end-to-end tested via CI β Claude executes tasks over VNC while an independent vision model observes and verifies the results. See the Integration Test for live workflow runs, system prompts, and demo recordings.
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
VNC_HOST | 127.0.0.1 | VNC server address |
VNC_PORT | 5900 | VNC port number |
VNC_USERNAME | Username (required for ARD) | |
VNC_PASSWORD | Password | |
CLAUDE_KVM_DAEMON_PATH | claude-kvm-daemon | Daemon binary path (not needed if already in PATH) |
CLAUDE_KVM_DAEMON_PARAMETERS | Additional CLI arguments for the daemon |
Additional arguments passed to the daemon via CLAUDE_KVM_DAEMON_PARAMETERS:
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
--max-dimension | 1280 | Maximum display scaling dimension (px) |
--connect-timeout | VNC connection timeout (seconds) | |
--bits-per-sample | Bits per pixel sample | |
--no-reconnect | Disable automatic reconnection | |
-v, --verbose | Verbose logging (stderr) |
All timing and display parameters are configurable at runtime via the configure method. Use get_timing to inspect current values.
Set timing:
Change display scaling:
Reset to defaults:
Get current values:
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
max_dimension | 1280 | Max screenshot dimension |
cursor_crop_radius | 150 | Cursor crop radius (px) |
click_hold_ms | 50 | Click hold duration |
double_click_gap_ms | 50 | Double-click gap delay |
hover_settle_ms | 400 | Hover settle wait |
drag_position_ms | 30 | Pre-drag position wait |
drag_press_ms | 50 | Drag press hold threshold |
drag_step_ms | 5 | Between interpolation pts |
drag_settle_ms | 30 | Settle before release |
drag_pixels_per_step | 20 | Point density per pixel |
drag_min_steps | 10 | Min interpolation steps |
scroll_press_ms | 10 | Scroll press-release gap |
scroll_tick_ms | 20 | Inter-tick delay |
key_hold_ms | 30 | Key hold duration |
combo_mod_ms | 10 | Modifier settle delay |
type_key_ms | 20 | Key hold during typing |
type_inter_key_ms | 20 | Inter-character delay |
type_shift_ms | 10 | Shift key settle |
paste_settle_ms | 30 | Post-clipboard write wait |
All operations are performed through a single vnc_command tool:
| Action | Parameters | Description |
|---|---|---|
screenshot | Full screen PNG capture | |
cursor_crop | Crop around cursor with crosshair overlay | |
diff_check | Detect screen changes against baseline | |
set_baseline | Save current screen as diff reference |
| Action | Parameters | Description |
|---|---|---|
mouse_click | x, y, button? | Click (left|right|middle) |
mouse_double_click | x, y | Double click |
mouse_move | x, y | Move cursor |
hover | x, y | Move + settle wait |
nudge | dx, dy | Relative cursor movement |
mouse_drag | x, y, toX, toY | Drag from start to end |
scroll | x, y, direction, amount? | Scroll (up|down|left|right) |
| Action | Parameters | Description |
|---|---|---|
key_tap | key | Single key press (enter|escape|tab|space|...) |
key_combo | key or keys | Modifier combo ("cmd+c" or ["cmd","shift","3"]) |
key_type | text | Type text character by character |
paste | text | Paste text via clipboard |
| Action | Parameters | Description |
|---|---|---|
detect_elements | OCR text detection with bounding boxes (Apple Vision) |
Returns text elements with bounding box coordinates in scaled space:
| Action | Parameters | Description |
|---|---|---|
configure | {<params>} | Set timing/display params at runtime |
configure | {reset: true} | Reset all params to defaults |
get_timing | Get current timing + display params |
| Action | Parameters | Description |
|---|---|---|
wait | ms? | Wait (default 500ms) |
health | Connection status + display info | |
shutdown | Graceful daemon shutdown |
Supported VNC authentication methods:
macOS is auto-detected via the ARD auth type 30 credential request. When detected, Meta keys are remapped to Super (Command key compatibility).
[!NOTE] Running on a bare-metal Mac? See the Mac M1 Preparation Tricks for VNC hardening, SSH tunneling, and session stability tips.
"Claude" is a trademark of Anthropic, PBC. This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic.
Copyright (c) 2026 Riza Emre ARAS β MIT License
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