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Macwhisper MCP Server

Transcribes local Mac audio through MacWhisper and exposes results to Claude Desktop over MCP.

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Install Macwhisper MCP Server

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

STDIOPython
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "macwhisper-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "macwhisper-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "MACWHISPER_ALLOWED_PATHS": "YOUR_VALUE_HERE",
        "MACWHISPER_CLI": "YOUR_VALUE_HERE",
        "MACWHISPER_LOG_PATH": "YOUR_VALUE_HERE",
        "MACWHISPER_LANGUAGE_DEFAULTS": "YOUR_VALUE_HERE",
        "MACWHISPER_WHISPERCPP_BINARY": "YOUR_VALUE_HERE",
        "MACWHISPER_WHISPERCPP_MODEL_DIR": "YOUR_VALUE_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

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

Values are written into the snippet above so you can paste it as is. They never leave your browser.

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.

uvx macwhisper-mcp-server

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 13d ago.

Overview

The macwhisper-mcp-server MCP server connects Claude Desktop to MacWhisper's local command-line tool for audio transcription. It reads files from configured local directories, sends them to MacWhisper or an optional whisper.cpp engine, and returns transcripts without cloud APIs. Use it when recordings are stored on a Mac and you want Claude to transcribe, summarize, or extract action items from them.

Use cases

  • Transcribe recordings saved on a Mac
  • Summarize local meeting audio with Claude
  • Extract action items from voice recordings
  • Watch a folder and process new audio files
  • Use whisper.cpp for local transcription without a MacWhisper license

Key features

  • MacWhisper CLI transcription
  • Optional whisper.cpp engine
  • Configurable filesystem allow-list
  • Language and per-directory language defaults
  • Folder watching with queued results
  • Local-only processing

Security & health

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

ActiveLast checked 3d ago

Recent health check succeeded.

10/10 checks healthy over the last 52d

Supply-chain signal

No high-severity advisories surfaced by our automated scan.

Critical 0High 0Medium 0Low 0

Scanned 11d ago via OSV.dev · macwhisper-mcp-server (PyPI)

Adoption & maintenance

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

GitHub stars3Stargazers on the source repository.
Last commit8d agoMost recent push to the default branch.
Install checkInconclusiveDidn't respond in our test window — often a slow first install.
Directory activity2 viewsConfig copies, upvotes, and views on AllMCPs.

How Macwhisper MCP Server works

What macwhisper-mcp-server does

The macwhisper-mcp-server MCP server lets Claude Desktop request local audio transcription through MacWhisper. Audio remains on the Mac: the server invokes the MacWhisper CLI, receives the transcript, and returns plain text to Claude for follow-up work such as summarization or action-item extraction.

The server supports .m4a, .mp3, .mp4, .mov, .wav, .aiff, and .flac files when using the MacWhisper engine. Files must already exist on the Mac; files uploaded directly into a Claude chat are stored in Claude's container and cannot be read by the local CLI.

How it works

The normal flow is:

  1. Save an audio recording in an allowed local directory.
  2. Ask Claude Desktop to transcribe the file.
  3. The MCP server checks the resolved path against its allow-list.
  4. MacWhisper performs the transcription locally through its mw command-line tool.
  5. Claude receives the transcript and can process it further.

The server uses standard MCP communication through its configured command. File paths are resolved, including symlinks, before the allow-list check. Commands are passed as argument arrays rather than through a shell.

An alternative whisper-cpp engine can use a locally installed whisper-cli binary and a GGML model. This path does not require MacWhisper or a MacWhisper license, but it supports only WAV, MP3, and FLAC input in the documented version.

Setup and configuration

macOS, a licensed MacWhisper installation, its enabled command-line tool, Python 3.13.x, and Claude Desktop are listed as requirements. Enable the CLI from MacWhisper's Advanced settings, then verify it with mw version.

Install the server with Homebrew or pip. The Homebrew package installs the macwhisper-mcp executable. Add that executable to Claude Desktop's MCP configuration and restart the application.

MACWHISPER_ALLOWED_PATHS controls which colon-separated directories can be read; it defaults to ~/Desktop. Other supported settings select the MacWhisper binary, log path, per-directory language defaults, whisper.cpp binary, and whisper.cpp model directory. Language defaults use ISO 639-1 codes or auto, and an explicit tool argument takes precedence.

Tools and capabilities

The macwhisper-mcp-server MCP server exposes these tools:

  • transcribe_audio: transcribes a file with optional model, language, persistence, and engine settings.
  • list_models: lists installed MacWhisper models and configured whisper.cpp models.
  • cancel_transcription: stops the active transcription.
  • list_allowed_paths: reports readable directories.
  • start_watch: watches a folder and places automatic transcription output in a neighboring done directory.
  • stop_watch: stops the active watcher.
  • get_watch_results: returns completed watcher results and clears the queue.

With the MacWhisper engine, persist=true can save the result to MacWhisper history. The whisper.cpp engine does not provide history persistence and uses English when no language or directory default is supplied.

Limitations and notes

The primary integration is local macOS software, so it is not intended for environments without macOS and MacWhisper. The default configuration allows only the Desktop unless additional directories are added. Audio must be saved in those directories before Claude can access it.

The whisper.cpp option requires a separately installed binary and a manually downloaded GGML model; the server does not download models over the network. Its documented input restrictions exclude M4A, MP4, MOV, and AIFF, and its model argument uses a filename rather than a MacWhisper model identifier.

The project documents no network calls. Logs are written to a file rather than standard output, which remains reserved for MCP communication.

Read the full README View source on GitHub

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Frequently Asked Questions about Macwhisper MCP Server

macwhisper-mcp-server is an MCP server that connects Claude Desktop to MacWhisper on macOS through its local command-line tool. Its main tools transcribe audio, list models, cancel transcription, inspect allowed paths, and watch folders for new recordings. It can also use whisper.cpp as an alternative local engine.

Install it with Homebrew or pip, then add its executable to Claude Desktop's MCP configuration. You also need macOS, a licensed MacWhisper installation with its CLI enabled, and Python 3.13.x. Verify the CLI with `mw version` before restarting Claude Desktop.

The MacWhisper engine supports M4A, MP3, MP4, MOV, WAV, AIFF, and FLAC files. The whisper.cpp engine supports only WAV, MP3, and FLAC in the documented version, so other formats must be converted or processed with MacWhisper.

No. Files uploaded directly to a Claude chat are stored in Claude's container and are not accessible to the local MacWhisper CLI. Save recordings on the Mac in a directory listed by `MACWHISPER_ALLOWED_PATHS` before requesting transcription.

It does not specifically document Cursor setup or behavior.

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