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HIG Doctor

Searches Apple HIG references, audits source files, and explains interface findings through MCP tools.

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Install HIG Doctor

Pick your client, then add it in one click or paste the config.

STDIONode.js
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "hig-doctor": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "hig-doctor"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Settings → Developer → Edit Config, merge this into mcpServers, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.

We couldn’t confirm it starts correctly

We ran the install command but it didn't respond within our test window — this can mean a slow first-time install rather than a real problem.

npx -y hig-doctor

Process exited before answering initialize.

This is an experimental automated check and can have false negatives — missing environment variables, a slow cold install, etc. It doesn’t necessarily mean something’s wrong. Last checked 4d ago.

Overview

HIG Doctor MCP server provides coding agents with tools for searching a frozen Apple Human Interface Guidelines reference corpus, looking up topics, auditing projects or files, and explaining findings. It runs over stdio or streamable HTTP and shares its catalog and analysis engine with the HIG Doctor CLI. Reach for it when an agent needs bounded interface guidance or source-level checks across Apple, web, and cross-platform frameworks. Findings include severity, locations, rule IDs, fix guidance, and supporting references, but do not establish full HIG conformance.

Use cases

  • Search HIG topics during implementation
  • Audit source files before release
  • Explain interface findings to coding agents
  • Check accessibility patterns across frameworks

Key features

  • HIG topic search and lookup
  • Project and file audits
  • Finding explanations with source references
  • Support for stdio and streamable HTTP
  • Coverage across 14 frameworks
  • Six MCP tools for guidance and analysis

Security & health

What it can reach and how reliably it runs — from our own checks, not the maintainer’s claims.

ActiveLast checked 1d ago

Recent health check succeeded.

10/10 checks healthy over the last 50d

Supply-chain signal

No high-severity advisories surfaced by our automated scan.

Critical 0High 0Medium 0Low 0

Scanned 17d ago via OSV.dev · hig-doctor (npm)

Adoption & maintenance

Factual signals from GitHub, npm, and our automated checks — not a rating.

GitHub stars148Stargazers on the source repository.
npm downloads1.8kPackage downloads in the last 30 days.
Last commit3d agoMost recent push to the default branch.
Install checkInconclusiveDidn't respond in our test window — often a slow first install.

How HIG Doctor works

What HIG Doctor MCP server does

HIG Doctor MCP server gives AI coding agents access to interface guidance and source-audit functions. Its reference tools search and retrieve topics from a frozen snapshot containing 14 skills and 156 topics. The corpus covers areas such as accessibility, layout, navigation, controls, platform behavior, privacy, motion, and Apple technologies. Apple’s live Human Interface Guidelines remain the canonical source; the repository organizes and cross-references attributed reference material rather than replacing it.

The server also exposes the same rule catalog used by the project’s command-line interface and core package. It can inspect a project or individual file, identify potential interface and accessibility concerns, and explain a finding using its rule and reference information. Apple-platform code is checked against the HIG directly, while web and cross-platform code uses universal accessibility and interface-quality rules aligned with those principles.

How it works

The MCP package supports stdio and streamable HTTP transports. Its six tools cover skill listing, topic lookup, corpus search, project audits, file audits, and finding explanations. Agents can first discover available skills or search for a topic, then request an audit and use the explanation tool to understand a reported rule.

Audit analysis follows framework detection, a comment- and string-aware regular-expression scan, structural refinement where supported, and categorized reporting. Swift analysis follows chained modifiers to remove findings that are handled in context. When available, the TypeScript compiler refines selected JSX accessibility checks. Each finding records the analysis engine that produced it.

The rule catalog spans 14 frameworks, including SwiftUI, UIKit, AppKit, watchOS, visionOS, React and Next.js, CSS and SCSS, Vue, Angular, Svelte, Flutter, Jetpack Compose, Android XML, and React Native. The published inventory contains 431 rules, but that number represents catalog coverage rather than complete HIG compliance.

Setup and configuration

Run the MCP package with npx -y hig-mcp. Configuration details depend on the MCP client and are documented in the repository’s MCP package README. The server can be connected through either supported transport: stdio for local process-based clients or streamable HTTP for an HTTP-based setup.

The broader project also provides a separate audit CLI, started with npx hig-doctor ., and a core package for embedding the rule engine. Those are alternative surfaces rather than prerequisites for using the MCP server.

Tools and capabilities

  • List the available HIG skills.
  • Search the frozen reference corpus.
  • Look up individual guidance topics.
  • Audit complete projects or individual files.
  • Explain reported findings with rule and reference context.
  • Report severity, location, rule ID, fix guidance, and a supporting source reference.

Limitations and notes

HIG Doctor MCP server provides review support, not proof of accessibility, design quality, or conformance. Regex fallback analysis can have different precision from structural analysis, and project-specific circumstances may justify a documented suppression. The reference corpus is a dated snapshot, and content changes are human-reviewed rather than automatically converted into new guidance.

Apple owns the Human Interface Guidelines content. Reference material retains attribution and canonical source URLs. Web and cross-platform checks are aligned with HIG principles but are not presented as direct Apple HIG coverage. Generated explanations should therefore be treated as bounded assistance alongside developer review and the current Apple documentation.

Read the full README View source on GitHub

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Frequently Asked Questions about HIG Doctor

HIG Doctor is an MCP server that connects AI coding agents to a frozen Apple Human Interface Guidelines reference corpus and a shared interface-audit engine. Its main tools list skills, search and look up topics, audit projects or files, and explain findings with severity, rule, fix, and source-reference context.

Run `npx -y hig-mcp` to start the MCP package. Client-specific configuration is documented in the repository’s MCP package README, and the server supports both stdio and streamable HTTP transports.

It can audit projects or individual files across 14 supported frameworks. Coverage includes Apple platforms such as SwiftUI, UIKit, AppKit, watchOS, and visionOS, plus web, Flutter, Android, React Native, and other listed frameworks.

No. Its findings support review but do not prove accessibility, design quality, or complete HIG conformance. Web and cross-platform checks use HIG-aligned universal rules, and project context can justify documented suppressions.

It supports stdio and streamable HTTP. Use stdio for a local process-based client or streamable HTTP for an HTTP-based MCP setup.

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