What is the key difference between IMessage MCP and Mac Control MCP?

IMessage MCP belongs to the OS Automation category with local stdio execution, while Mac Control MCP belongs to the OS Automation category with local stdio execution.

How do I install IMessage MCP or Mac Control MCP in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are IMessage MCP and Mac Control MCP free or paid?

IMessage MCP operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). Mac Control MCP operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

IMessage MCP lists 8 tools with 1 views and 25 GitHub stars. Mac Control MCP lists 10 tools with 1 views and 16 GitHub stars.

Can I use both IMessage MCP and Mac Control MCP together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

IMessage MCP vs Mac Control MCP

In-depth architectural comparison of the IMessage MCP and Mac Control MCP MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.

At a Glance & Executive Verdict

IMessage MCP

OS Automation · Local stdio

Quality: 55/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required

Mac Control MCP

OS Automation · Local stdio

Quality: 55/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required

Verdict Summary: Choose IMessage MCP if you need specialized OS Automation tools running via a local process. Choose Mac Control MCP if your workspace requires OS Automation integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose IMessage MCP when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the OS Automation domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: search_messages, get_conversation, list_conversations.

Explore IMessage MCP Details

Choose Mac Control MCP when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the OS Automation domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: capture_screen, capture_screen_v2, capture_window.

Explore Mac Control MCP Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	IMessage MCP OS Automation	Mac Control MCP OS Automation
Summary	25 tools for searching, analyzing, and exploring your iMessage history on macOS.	Native Swift macOS automation MCP — 63 tools: AX, browser, capture, OCR, Spotlight, windows.
Category & Scope	OS Automation	OS Automation
Quality signal

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

IMessage MCP Tools (8)

search_messages

Search by substring, exact text, token, or phrase, in message text, conversation names, or attachment names

get_conversation

Read a conversation by `chat_id` or by a contact or group name, with edits, reactions, receipts, replies, and attachments

list_conversations

Find conversations by contact, service, kind, reply state, or date

get_attachment

Show one attachment: images as a JPEG with metadata removed, text files as text

sync_messages

Pull every change since a cursor: new, edited, unsent, and deleted messages, reactions, and receipts

analyze_communication

Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations

Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).

IMessage MCP Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "imessage-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "imessage-mcp@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Mac Control MCP Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mac-control-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mac-control-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

IMessage MCP is categorized under OS Automation and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Mac Control MCP belongs to OS Automation using local stdio subprocess. Select IMessage MCP when you need capabilities focused on os automation and Mac Control MCP when you require tools for os automation.

More alternatives to IMessage MCP More alternatives to Mac Control MCP OS Automation category hub