Hammerspoon vs Desktop Touch MCP
A side-by-side look at the Hammerspoon and Desktop Touch MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Hammerspoon for os automation work as a local process; choose Desktop Touch MCP 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 Hammerspoon when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the OS Automation domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
hs_list_windows, hs_focus_window, hs_move_window.
Choose Desktop Touch MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the OS Automation domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You have the keys it needs:
DESKTOP_TOUCH_MCP_HOME, GITHUB_TOKEN, GH_TOKEN, DESKTOP_TOUCH_MCP_ALLOW_UNVERIFIED. - You want tools like
desktop_discover, desktop_act, desktop_state.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | OS Automation | OS Automation |
| Quality signal | 53/100 · Good | 65/100 · Great |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | No auth required |
| Pricing | Not declared | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | DESKTOP_TOUCH_MCP_HOMEGITHUB_TOKENGH_TOKENDESKTOP_TOUCH_MCP_ALLOW_UNVERIFIED |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 2 | 22 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 75 | 23 |
| Full listing | View Hammerspoon | View Desktop Touch MCP |
Tools & capabilities
Hammerspoon tools 75
hs_list_windowsAll visible windows with app, title, frame, idhs_focus_windowBring window to front by id or title matchhs_move_windowMove/resize window by idhs_window_layout16 presets (halves, thirds, quarters, grid, cascade, center…) + custom fractional layoutshs_save_layoutSnapshot all window positions as a named layouths_restore_layoutRestore a saved layout (matches by app + title)hs_list_layoutsList saved layout nameshs_spaces_listAll spaces per screen with active markershs_spaces_activeCurrently focused space + screenhs_spaces_gotoSwitch by ID or indexhs_spaces_move_windowMove window to another space (optionally follow)hs_spaces_addCreate a new space- +63 more on the listing page
Desktop Touch MCP tools 23
desktop_discoverObserve the desktop. Returns interactive entities with leases (UIA, CDP, Terminal, Visual SoM).desktop_actPerform actions (click, type, set a value, select) on entities via lease validation. Returns semantic diffs — plus an optional `roiCapture` (changed-region PNG + next-target preview) on visual-only targets.desktop_stateLightweight check of focus, active window, cursor, and Auto-Perception attention signal.screenshotMulti-mode capture: `detail='text'` (UIA/OCR), `diffMode` (P-frame), `dotByDot` (1:1), and `background`. Returns a cheap `screenshot://by-ref/{id}` link to the saved image instead of inlining pixels every time.screenshot_queryInspect and prune the on-disk screenshot cache behind the by-ref links: `screenshot_query` lists saved captures without re-reading pixels; `screenshot_gc` reclaims space by retention policy (dry-run by default).workspace_snapshotInstant session orientation: all window thumbnails + UI summaries in one call.server_statusDiagnostic check for native engine health and feature activation.keyboardSend keyboard input. Supports background input (WM_CHAR) and IME-safe clipboard bypass.mouse_clickPrecision coordinate-based interaction with homing and force-focus protection.scrollMulti-strategy: `raw` (notches), `to_element`, `smart` (virtual lists), and `capture` (stitch).click_elementLegacy UIA-based click by name/ID (fallback when entities are unavailable).browser_openIdempotent debug-mode launch and reliable navigation.- +11 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.
Hammerspoon
{
"mcpServers": {
"hammerspoon": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"hammerspoon-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Desktop Touch MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"harusame64-desktop-touch-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@harusame64/desktop-touch-mcp"
],
"env": {
"DESKTOP_TOUCH_MCP_HOME": "YOUR_DESKTOP_TOUCH_MCP_HOME_HERE",
"GITHUB_TOKEN": "YOUR_GITHUB_TOKEN_HERE",
"GH_TOKEN": "YOUR_GH_TOKEN_HERE",
"DESKTOP_TOUCH_MCP_ALLOW_UNVERIFIED": "YOUR_DESKTOP_TOUCH_MCP_ALLOW_UNVERIFIED_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Hammerspoon is categorized under OS Automation and uses a local stdio subprocess. Desktop Touch MCP belongs to OS Automation and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Hammerspoon for os automation work and Desktop Touch MCP 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.
Hammerspoon has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Desktop Touch MCP is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. 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 hammerspoon and harusame64-desktop-touch-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Hammerspoon has a quality signal of 53/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 2 GitHub stars. Desktop Touch MCP has 65/100 (Great) with 2 views, 0 installs and 22 GitHub stars.