Hunch vs Mac Control MCP
A side-by-side look at the Hunch and Mac Control MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Hunch for os automation work as a local process; choose Mac Control 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 Hunch when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the OS Automation domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
Choose Mac Control MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the OS Automation domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
capture_screen, capture_screen_v2, capture_window.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | OS Automation | OS Automation |
| Quality signal | 43/100 · Fair | 53/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing |
Tools & capabilities
Hunch tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Mac Control MCP tools 10
capture_screenmain display (or a rectangular region within it) to a PNG file, returns the file path + width/height. Simple, synchronous, no size limits applied.capture_screen_v2main display only, but stores the PNG as a content-addressed artifact under `~/.mac-control-mcp/artifacts/<sha256>.png` and returns `{content_ref, bytes, sha256}`. Defaults to `inline=false` and downscales to `max_dimension`/`max_bytes` (4000px / 4MB by default) specifically to avoid blowing up an…capture_windowscreenshots one specific window by PID (optionally filtered by `title_contains`), not the whole display.capture_displayscreenshots one specific physical display by its index from `list_displays`, for multi-monitor setups.list_elementslists actionable elements for a PID (a flat, practical "what can I click" view).find_elementreturns the *first* element matching a role/title filter for a PID.find_elementssame matching as `find_element`, but returns *all* matches, not just the first.query_elementsregex search over role/title/value (falls back to case-insensitive substring on invalid regex); use when a plain role/title filter isn't precise enough.get_ui_treewalks the *full* accessibility tree of a process, including containers, and assigns stable element IDs for follow-up calls. Heavier than `list_elements`/`find_element(s)`, but the only one that gives you structure/hierarchy.ax_tree_augmentedlike `get_ui_tree`, but does one OCR pass and geometrically joins OCR-derived labels onto AX nodes that have no native label. Use it specifically for Electron/Chromium/Canvas apps where the native AX tree is sparse and unlabeled; it's the expensive option (an OCR pass), so reach for `get_ui_tree` f…
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.
Hunch
{
"mcpServers": {
"hunch": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"hunch-sdk"
]
}
}
}
Mac Control MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"mac-control-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"mac-control-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Hunch is categorized under OS Automation and uses a local stdio subprocess. Mac Control MCP belongs to OS Automation and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Hunch for os automation work and Mac Control 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.
Hunch has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Mac Control MCP 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 hunch and mac-control-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Hunch has a quality signal of 43/100 (Fair) with 1 views, 0 installs and 22 GitHub stars. Mac Control MCP has 53/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 16 GitHub stars.
