Mac Control MCP vs Desktopinsights MCP

In-depth architectural comparison of the Mac Control MCP and Desktopinsights 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.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

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

Choose Desktopinsights MCP when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the OS Automation domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: API Key required (BYOK (Pay Provider Direct)).
• You have access to required keys: DESKTOPINSIGHTS_API_KEY, DESKTOPINSIGHTS_API_URL.
• Primary tools included: Lookup SDKs and dependencies for individual apps, Search apps by SDK, runtime, platform, or developer, Compare technology stacks side-by-side.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Mac Control MCP OS Automation	Desktopinsights MCP andrewschreiber OS Automation
Summary	Native Swift macOS automation MCP — 63 tools: AX, browser, capture, OCR, Spotlight, windows.	Look up SDKs, frameworks, and dependencies used by 12,000+ macOS and Windows desktop apps. Search by technology adoption, compare stacks, and discover SDK usage patterns via the Desktop Insights API.
Category & Scope	OS Automation

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

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).

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "andrewschreiber-desktopinsights-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "desktopinsights-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "DESKTOPINSIGHTS_API_KEY": "YOUR_DESKTOPINSIGHTS_API_KEY_HERE",
        "DESKTOPINSIGHTS_API_URL": "YOUR_DESKTOPINSIGHTS_API_URL_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

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