Mac Control MCP vs Oswright
A side-by-side look at the Mac Control MCP and Oswright MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Mac Control MCP for os automation work as a local process; choose Oswright 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 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.
Choose Oswright when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the OS Automation domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
screenshot, get_screen_info, find_text_on_screen.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | OS Automation | OS Automation |
| Quality signal | 55/100 · Good | 59/100 · 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 | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 18 | 4 |
| Directory activity | 3 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 10 | 43 |
| Full listing | View Mac Control MCP | View Oswright |
Tools & capabilities
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…
Oswright tools 43
screenshotTake a screenshot of the screen or a region. Returns the image as native MCP image content. Optionally saves to a file path. Args: save_path: Optional file path to save the screenshot. region_left: Left coordinate for a sub-region capture. region_top: Top coordinate for a sub-region capture. region_width: Width of the sub-region. region_height: Height of the sub-region. monitor: Monitor index (0 = all monitors, 1 = primary, etc.).get_screen_infoGet screen dimensions and monitor count. Args: monitor: Monitor index (0 = all monitors combined).find_text_on_screenFind all occurrences of text on screen using OCR. Returns a list of matches with coordinates and confidence. Coordinates are absolute screen coordinates, ready to pass straight to mouse_click. Args: text: The text to search for on screen. exact: If True, requires exact match. If False, substring match. region_left: Optional left bound to restrict search area. region_top: Optional top bound to restrict search area. region_width: Optional width to restrict search area. region_height: Optional height to restrict search area. monitor: Monitor index.read_screen_textRead ALL visible text on the screen using OCR. Returns every detected text element with its position, in absolute screen coordinates that are ready to click. Args: region_left: Optional left bound to restrict OCR area. region_top: Optional top bound to restrict OCR area. region_width: Optional width to restrict OCR area. region_height: Optional height to restrict OCR area. monitor: Monitor index.find_image_on_screenFind all occurrences of a template image on screen. Coordinates are absolute screen coordinates, ready to pass to mouse_click. Args: template_path: Absolute path to the template image file to find. threshold: Minimum match confidence (0.0-1.0, default 0.8). monitor: Monitor index.mouse_clickClick the mouse at coordinates or current position. Returns action result and a screenshot of current screen state. Args: x: X screen coordinate. If not provided, clicks at current position. y: Y screen coordinate. If not provided, clicks at current position. button: Mouse button - 'left', 'right', or 'middle'. clicks: Number of clicks (2 for double-click).mouse_double_clickDouble-click at coordinates or current position. Returns action result and a screenshot of current screen state. Args: x: X screen coordinate. y: Y screen coordinate.mouse_moveMove the mouse cursor to screen coordinates. Args: x: X screen coordinate. y: Y screen coordinate.mouse_scrollScroll the mouse wheel. Returns action result and a screenshot of current screen state. Args: amount: Scroll amount. Positive = up, negative = down. x: Optional X coordinate to scroll at. y: Optional Y coordinate to scroll at.mouse_dragDrag from one point to another. Returns action result and a screenshot of current screen state. Args: start_x: Starting X coordinate. start_y: Starting Y coordinate. end_x: Ending X coordinate. end_y: Ending Y coordinate. button: Mouse button to hold ('left' or 'right'). duration: Duration of the drag in seconds.get_mouse_positionGet the current mouse cursor position.type_textType text using the keyboard (character by character). Returns action result and a screenshot of current screen state. Args: text: The text to type. delay: Delay in seconds between each character.- +31 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.
Mac Control MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"mac-control-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"mac-control-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Oswright
{
"mcpServers": {
"oswright": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"oswright"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Mac Control MCP is categorized under OS Automation and uses a local stdio subprocess. Oswright belongs to OS Automation and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Mac Control MCP for os automation work and Oswright 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.
Mac Control MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Oswright 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 mac-control-mcp and oswright as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Mac Control MCP has a quality signal of 55/100 (Good) with 3 views, 0 installs and 18 GitHub stars. Oswright has 59/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 4 GitHub stars.