desktop_access_mcp_server 0.1.1

desktop_access_mcp_server

🖥️ Desktop Access MCP Server

The "Eyes and Hands" for LLM Agents to Control Desktop Environments

A Python-based Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides comprehensive desktop access capabilities to LLM agents, enabling them to see and interact with desktop environments through screenshots and input simulation.

Features • Quick Start • Usage • API • Development • License

---

🌟 Why Desktop Access MCP Server?

In the era of AI agents, LLMs need more than just text-based interactions. They need to see the desktop through screenshots and interact with applications through keyboard and mouse simulation. This MCP server bridges that gap, providing LLM agents with the "eyes and hands" they need to:

• 🖼️ See the desktop environment through high-quality screenshots
• ⌨️ Type text and execute key combinations
• 🖱️ Control the mouse cursor for navigation and interaction
• 🖥️ Work with single or multi-monitor setups
• 🤖 Automate complex desktop workflows

🚀 Features

👁️ Eyes - Visual Perception

• Full Desktop Screenshots in PNG or JPEG formats
• Multi-Monitor Support - Capture individual monitors or combined view
• Configurable Quality - Adjust JPEG compression for balance of size and quality
• Base64 Encoding - Ready for direct LLM consumption

🖐️ Hands - Input Control

• Keyboard Simulation
  • Type text with configurable delays
  • Execute key combinations (Ctrl+C, Alt+Tab, etc.)
• Mouse Control
  • Move cursor to precise coordinates
  • Click, double-click, and right-click
  • Scroll vertically
  • Drag from one point to another

🛠️ Technical Excellence

• MCP Compliant - Works with any MCP-compatible client
• Cross-Platform - Linux, macOS, and Windows support
• CLI Interface - Test functionality without an LLM agent
• Extensive Logging - Debug and monitor operations
• Error Handling - Graceful degradation with informative errors

📦 Installation

From Locally Built Package (Current Status)

# Build the package
python -m build

# Install the package
pip install dist/desktop_access_mcp_server-0.1.0-py3-none-any.whl

From Source (Development)

git clone https://github.com/your-username/desktop-access-mcp-server.git
cd desktop-access-mcp-server
pip install -e .

Note: The package is ready for PyPI publishing. See PUBLISHING_INSTRUCTIONS.md for details.

🚀 Quick Start

Run the Server

Method 1: Direct execution (after installation)

desktop-access-mcp-server

Method 2: Using uvx (without installation)

uvx --from desktop-access-mcp-server desktop-access-mcp-server

Test with CLI

# Take a screenshot
desktop-cli screenshot -o my_screenshot.png

# Type text
desktop-cli keyboard -t "Hello World" -d 0.1

# Move and click mouse
desktop-cli mouse move -x 100 -y 200
desktop-cli mouse click

🛠️ Usage

With MCP Clients

Once the server is running, connect using any MCP-compliant client:

Method 1: Direct execution (after installation)

# Example with Python MCP client
from mcp import ClientSession, StdioServerParameters
from mcp.client.stdio import stdio_client

server_params = StdioServerParameters(
    command="desktop-access-mcp-server"
)

async with stdio_client(server_params) as (read, write):
    async with ClientSession(read, write) as session:
        # Take a screenshot
        screenshot = await session.call_tool("take_screenshot", {
            "format": "jpeg",
            "quality": 85
        })
        
        # Type text
        await session.call_tool("keyboard_input", {
            "text": "Hello from LLM!",
            "delay": 0.05
        })

Method 2: Using uvx (without installation)

# Example with Python MCP client
from mcp import ClientSession, StdioServerParameters
from mcp.client.stdio import stdio_client

server_params = StdioServerParameters(
    command=["uvx", "--from", "desktop-access-mcp-server", "desktop-access-mcp-server"]
)

async with stdio_client(server_params) as (read, write):
    async with ClientSession(read, write) as session:
        # Take a screenshot
        screenshot = await session.call_tool("take_screenshot", {
            "format": "jpeg",
            "quality": 85
        })
        
        # Type text
        await session.call_tool("keyboard_input", {
            "text": "Hello from LLM!",
            "delay": 0.05
        })

Command Line Interface

The package includes a comprehensive CLI for testing:

# Screenshot commands
desktop-cli screenshot -o screenshot.png
desktop-cli screenshot -f jpeg -q 90 -m 1 -o monitor1.jpg

# Keyboard commands
desktop-cli keyboard -t "Type this text" -d 0.1
desktop-cli keyboard -c "ctrl+c"

# Mouse commands
desktop-cli mouse move -x 100 -y 200
desktop-cli mouse click -b left
desktop-cli mouse scroll -a 5
desktop-cli mouse drag --from-x 100 --from-y 100 --to-x 200 --to-y 200

🧰 Tools API

take_screenshot

Capture a screenshot of the desktop for visual understanding.

Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Description	Default
format	string	Image format: png or jpeg	png
quality	integer	JPEG quality (1-100)	85
monitor	integer	Monitor index (0=all, 1+=specific)	0

Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "format": "png",
  "data": "base64_encoded_image_data",
  "size": {
    "width": 1920,
    "height": 1080
  },
  "monitor": 0,
  "platform": "linux"
}

keyboard_input

Simulate keyboard input to type text or press key combinations.

Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Description	Default
text	string	Text to type	-
key_combination	string	Key combo (e.g., ctrl+c)	-
delay	number	Delay between key presses (seconds)	0.01

Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "action": "type",
  "text": "Hello World",
  "delay": 0.05
}

mouse_action

Perform mouse actions to interact with the desktop.

Parameters:

Action	Required Parameters	Optional Parameters
move	x, y	-
click	-	button (left/right/middle)
double_click	-	button
right_click	-	button
scroll	scroll_amount	-
drag	from_x, from_y, to_x, to_y	duration

Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "action": "move",
  "x": 100,
  "y": 200
}

🧪 Testing

Automated Tests

# Run all tests
python -m pytest

# Run specific test suites
python test_basic.py
python test_comprehensive.py
python test_screenshot.py

Manual Testing

# Test screenshot functionality
python run_screenshot_tests.py

# Review test results
python review_screenshots.py

📋 Requirements

• Python: 3.8 or higher
• Operating Systems: Linux, macOS, or Windows
• Display Server:
  • Linux: X11 or Wayland
  • macOS: Aqua
  • Windows: Windows Display Driver
• Dependencies:
  • mcp>=1.0.0
  • Pillow>=9.0.0
  • pynput>=1.7.0
  • mss>=9.0.0

🔧 Troubleshooting

Screenshot Issues

1. Linux: Ensure X11/Wayland access

   xhost +SI:localuser:$USER
   

2. macOS: Grant screen recording permissions
3. Windows: Run as administrator if needed

Permission Errors

# Add user to input group (Linux)
sudo adduser $USER input

# Restart session or reboot after adding to group

Dependency Issues

# Install system dependencies (Ubuntu/Debian)
sudo apt-get install python3-dev python3-pip scrot

# Install system dependencies (CentOS/RHEL)
sudo yum install python3-devel python3-pip scrot

🛠️ Development

Setup Development Environment

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/your-username/desktop-access-mcp-server.git
cd desktop-access-mcp-server

# Create virtual environment
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt
pip install pytest black flake8

Code Quality

# Format code
black .

# Check code style
flake8 .

# Run tests
python -m pytest

Project Structure

desktop-access-mcp-server/
├── desktop_access_mcp_server/     # Main package
│   ├── __init__.py               # Package init
│   ├── __main__.py               # MCP server entry point
│   ├── cli.py                    # Command-line interface
│   └── desktop_controller.py     # Core functionality
├── test_*.py                     # Test files
├── run_screenshot_tests.py       # Screenshot test suite
├── review_screenshots.py         # Screenshot review tool
├── requirements.txt              # Python dependencies
├── pyproject.toml                # Package configuration
└── README.md                     # This file

⚙️ JSON Configuration for MCP Clients

Claude Desktop Configuration

To use this server with Claude Desktop, add the following to your MCP configuration file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "desktop-access": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--from",
        "desktop-access-mcp-server",
        "desktop-access-mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

If you have installed the package locally, you can use the direct command instead:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "desktop-access": {
      "command": "desktop-access-mcp-server"
    }
  }
}

Generic MCP Client Configuration

For other MCP clients that use JSON configuration files, the general format is:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "desktop-access": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--from",
        "desktop-access-mcp-server",
        "desktop-access-mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Configuration File Locations

• Claude Desktop: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/mcp-config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\mcp-config.json (Windows)
• Generic MCP Clients: Check your client's documentation for the configuration file location

Available Tools

Once configured, the following tools will be available to your MCP client:

1. take_screenshot - Capture desktop screenshots in PNG or JPEG format
2. keyboard_input - Simulate keyboard typing and key combinations
3. mouse_action - Control mouse movements, clicks, and scrolling

Example Usage in Claude

After configuration, you can ask Claude to:

• "Take a screenshot of my desktop"
• "Type 'Hello World' in the current application"
• "Click on the center of the screen"
• "Press Ctrl+C to copy selected text"

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Here's how you can help:

1. Report Bugs: Use the issue tracker to report bugs
2. Suggest Features: Request new capabilities
3. Submit Pull Requests: Fix bugs or add features
4. Improve Documentation: Enhance this README or add guides

Development Guidelines

• Follow PEP 8 style guide
• Write tests for new functionality
• Document public APIs
• Keep dependencies minimal
• Ensure cross-platform compatibility

📚 Resources

• LLM Agent Guide - How LLM agents can use this server
• Claude Desktop Configuration Guide - Detailed instructions for Claude Desktop setup
• Testing Guide - Comprehensive testing documentation
• MCP Documentation - Official MCP specification
• Example Usage - Sample implementation

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Model Context Protocol for the standardized interface
• pynput for cross-platform input control
• Pillow for image processing capabilities
• MSS for fast screenshot capture

🧾 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

📫 How to Reach Me

                       

🔗 Other Projects

Explore more projects by the author:

• TrendMaster - Advanced trend analysis tool for traders.
• hjalgos_notebooks - Jupyter notebooks for hjAlgos strategies.
• Zerodha-Brokerage-Calculator - A calculator for Zerodha brokerage fees.
• TeleTest - Telegram bot for testing trading signals.
• Tradingview-Webhook-Manager - Manage TradingView webhooks effectively.
• Algotrading_Multi_account_Modern_UI - Modern UI for managing multiple algotrading accounts.
• pyPortMan - Python portfolio manager for tracking investments.

🤝 Sponsorship

This project is sponsored by hjLabs.

---

Built with ❤️ for the AI agent community

Enabling LLMs to see and interact with the world beyond text