applescript-mcp MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol server that enables LLM applications to interact with macOS through AppleScript. This server provides a standardized interface for AI applications to control system functions, manage files, handle notifications, and more.

Features

• 🗓️ Calendar management (events, reminders)
• 📋 Clipboard operations
• 🔍 Finder integration
• 🔔 System notifications
• ⚙️ System controls (volume, dark mode, apps)
• 📟 iTerm terminal integration
• 📬 Mail (create new email, list emails, get email)
• 🔄 Shortcuts automation
• 💬 Messages (list chats, get messages, search messages, send a message)
• 🗒️ Notes (create formatted notes, list notes, search notes)
• 📄 Pages (create documents)

Planned Features

• 🧭 Safari (open in Safari, save page content, get selected page/tab)
• ✅ Reminders (create, get)

Prerequisites

• macOS 10.15 or later
• Node.js 18 or later

Available Categories

Calendar

Command	Description	Parameters
add	Create calendar event	title, startDate, endDate, calendar (optional)
list	List today's events	None

Examples

// Create a new calendar event
Create a calendar event titled "Team Meeting" starting tomorrow at 2pm for 1 hour

// List today's events
What events do I have scheduled for today?

Clipboard

Command	Description	Parameters
set_clipboard	Copy to clipboard	content
get_clipboard	Get clipboard contents	None
clear_clipboard	Clear clipboard	None

Examples

// Copy text to clipboard
Copy "Remember to buy groceries" to my clipboard

// Get clipboard contents
What's currently in my clipboard?

// Clear clipboard
Clear my clipboard

Finder

Command	Description	Parameters
get_selected_files	Get selected files	None
search_files	Search for files	query, location (optional)
quick_look	Preview file	path

Examples

// Get selected files in Finder
What files do I currently have selected in Finder?

// Search for files
Find all PDF files in my Documents folder

// Preview a file
Show me a preview of ~/Documents/report.pdf

Notifications

Note: Sending notification requires that you enable notifications in System Settings > Notifications > Script Editor.

Command	Description	Parameters
send_notification	Show notification	title, message, sound (optional)
toggle_do_not_disturb	Toggle DND mode	None

Examples

// Send a notification
Send me a notification with the title "Reminder" and message "Time to take a break"

// Toggle Do Not Disturb
Turn on Do Not Disturb mode

System

Command	Description	Parameters
volume	Set system volume	level (0-100)
get_frontmost_app	Get active app	None
launch_app	Open application	name
quit_app	Close application	name, force (optional)
toggle_dark_mode	Toggle dark mode	None

Examples

// Set system volume
Set my Mac's volume to 50%

// Get active application
What app am I currently using?

// Launch an application
Open Safari

// Quit an application
Close Spotify

// Toggle dark mode
Switch to dark mode

iTerm

Command	Description	Parameters
paste_clipboard	Paste to iTerm	None
run	Execute command	command, newWindow (optional)

Examples

// Paste clipboard to iTerm
Paste my clipboard contents into iTerm

// Run a command in iTerm
Run "ls -la" in iTerm

// Run a command in a new iTerm window
Run "top" in a new iTerm window

Shortcuts

Command	Description	Parameters
run_shortcut	Run a shortcut	name, input (optional)
list_shortcuts	List all available shortcuts	limit (optional)

Examples

// List available shortcuts
List all my available shortcuts

// List with limit
Show me my top 5 shortcuts

// Run a shortcut
Run my "Daily Note in Bear" shortcut

// Run a shortcut with input
Run my "Add to-do" shortcut with input "Buy groceries"

Mail

Command	Description	Parameters
create_email	Create a new email in Mail.app	recipient, subject, body
list_emails	List emails from a mailbox	mailbox (optional), count (optional), unreadOnly (optional)
get_email	Get a specific email by search	subject (optional), sender (optional), dateReceived (optional), mailbox (optional), account (optional), unreadOnly (optional), includeBody (optional)

Examples

// Create a new email
Compose an email to [email protected] with subject "Meeting Tomorrow" and body "Hi John, Can we meet tomorrow at 2pm?"

// List emails
Show me my 10 most recent unread emails

// Get a specific email
Find the email from [email protected] about "Project Update"

Messages

Command	Description	Parameters
list_chats	List available iMessage and SMS chats	includeParticipantDetails (optional, default: false)
get_messages	Get messages from the Messages app	limit (optional, default: 100)
search_messages	Search for messages containing specific text	searchText, sender (optional), chatId (optional), limit (optional, default: 50), daysBack (optional, default: 30)
compose_message	Open Messages app with pre-filled message or auto-send	recipient (required), body (optional), auto (optional, default: false)

Examples

// List available chats
Show me my recent message conversations

// Get recent messages
Show me my last 20 messages

// Search messages
Find messages containing "dinner plans" from John in the last week

// Compose a message
Send a message to 555-123-4567 saying "I'll be there in 10 minutes"

Notes

Command	Description	Parameters
create	Create a note with markdown-like formatting	title, content, format (optional with formatting options)
createRawHtml	Create a note with direct HTML content	title, html
list	List notes, optionally from a specific folder	folder (optional)
get	Get a specific note by title	title, folder (optional)
search	Search for notes containing specific text	query, folder (optional), limit (optional, default: 5), includeBody (optional, default: true)

Examples

// Create a new note with markdown formatting
Create a note titled "Meeting Minutes" with content "# Discussion Points\n- Project timeline\n- Budget review\n- Next steps" and format headings and lists

// Create a note with HTML
Create a note titled "Formatted Report" with HTML content "<h1>Quarterly Report</h1><p>Sales increased by <strong>15%</strong></p>"

// List notes
Show me all my notes in the "Work" folder

// Get a specific note
Show me my note titled "Shopping List"

// Search notes
Find notes containing "recipe" in my "Cooking" folder

Pages

Command	Description	Parameters
create_document	Create a new Pages document with plain text	content

Examples

// Create a new Pages document
Create a Pages document with the content "Project Proposal\n\nThis document outlines the scope and timeline for the upcoming project."

Architecture

The applescript-mcp server is built using TypeScript and follows a modular architecture:

Core Components

1. AppleScriptFramework (framework.ts): The main server class that:

   • Manages MCP protocol communication
   • Handles tool registration and execution
   • Provides logging functionality
   • Executes AppleScript commands

2. Categories (src/categories/*.ts): Modular script collections organized by functionality:

   • Each category contains related scripts (e.g., calendar, system, notes)
   • Categories are registered with the framework in index.ts

3. Types (src/types/index.ts): TypeScript interfaces defining:

   • ScriptDefinition: Structure for individual scripts
   • ScriptCategory: Collection of related scripts
   • LogLevel: Standard logging levels
   • FrameworkOptions: Configuration options

Execution Flow

1. Client sends a tool request via MCP protocol
2. Server identifies the appropriate category and script
3. Script content is generated (static or dynamically via function)
4. AppleScript is executed via macOS osascript command
5. Results are returned to the client

Logging System

The framework includes a comprehensive logging system that:

• Logs to both stderr and MCP logging protocol
• Supports multiple severity levels (debug, info, warning, error, etc.)
• Provides detailed execution information for troubleshooting

Development

Setup

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the server
npm run build

# Launch MCP Inspector
# See: https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/tools/inspector
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node path/to/server/index.js args...

Adding New Functionality

1. Create Category File

Create src/categories/newcategory.ts:

import { ScriptCategory } from "../types/index.js";

export const newCategory: ScriptCategory = {
  name: "category_name",
  description: "Category description",
  scripts: [
    // Scripts will go here
  ],
};

2. Add Scripts

{
  name: "script_name",
  description: "What the script does",
  schema: {
    type: "object",
    properties: {
      paramName: {
        type: "string",
        description: "Parameter description"
      }
    },
    required: ["paramName"]
  },
  script: (args) => `
    tell application "App"
      // AppleScript code using ${args.paramName}
    end tell
  `
}

3. Register Category

Update src/index.ts:

import { newCategory } from "./categories/newcategory.js";
// ...
server.addCategory(newCategory);

Advanced Script Development

For more complex scripts, you can:

1. Use dynamic script generation:

   script: (args) => {
     // Process arguments and build script dynamically
     let scriptContent = `tell application "App"\n`;
     
     if (args.condition) {
       scriptContent += `  // Conditional logic\n`;
     }
     
     scriptContent += `end tell`;
     return scriptContent;
   }
   

2. Process complex data:

   // Example from Notes category
   function generateNoteHtml(args: any): string {
     // Process markdown-like syntax into HTML
     let processedContent = content;
     
     if (format.headings) {
       processedContent = processedContent.replace(/^# (.+)$/gm, '<h1>$1</h1>');
       // ...
     }
     
     return processedContent;
   }
   

Debugging

Using MCP Inspector

The MCP Inspector provides a web interface for testing and debugging your server:

npm run inspector

Logging

Enable debug logging by setting the environment variable:

DEBUG=applescript-mcp* npm start

Example configuration

After running npm run build add the following to your mcp.json file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "applescript-mcp-server": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/applescript-mcp/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Common Issues

• Permission Errors: Check System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Automation
• Script Failures: Test scripts directly in Script Editor.app before integration
• Communication Issues: Check stdio streams aren't being redirected
• Database Access: Some features (like Messages) require Full Disk Access permission

Resources

• AppleScript Language Guide
• MCP Protocol Documentation
• Issue Tracker

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Commit your changes
4. Push to the branch
5. Create a Pull Request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details