MCP Gameboy MCP Server

A gameboy emulator for LLM's

Local serverstdioTypeScript

What is the MCP Gameboy MCP server?

Mcp gameboy mcp server connects MCP Gameboy to AI assistants that speak the Model Context Protocol. A gameboy emulator for LLM's.

What MCP Gameboy does

You can... - control the gameboy emulator using the @modelcontextprotocol/inspector - control the gameboy emulator (and upload ROMs) using a web-interface at http://localhost:3001/emulator - install the gameboy emulator in your favorite MCP-Client

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for serverboy, allowing LLMs to interact with a GameBoy emulator. Your LLM can... - Load ROMS - Press Keys - Look at the Gameboy Screen - skip frames

Key capabilities

  • Supports both stdio and SSE transports
  • Provides tools for GameBoy controls (up, down, left, right, A, B, start, select)
  • Provides tools to load different ROMs
  • Provides tools to get the current screen
  • All tools return an ImageContent with the latest screen frame

Tools it exposes

Once connected, the assistant can call these 10 tools directly:

  • press_up — Press the UP button on the GameBoy
  • press_down — Press the DOWN button on the GameBoy
  • press_left — Press the LEFT button on the GameBoy
  • press_right — Press the RIGHT button on the GameBoy
  • press_a — Press the A button on the GameBoy
  • press_b — Press the B button on the GameBoy
  • press_start — Press the START button on the GameBoy
  • press_select — Press the SELECT button on the GameBoy
  • load_rom — Load a GameBoy ROM file
  • get_screen — Get the current GameBoy screen

Installing the mcp gameboy mcp server

The server is distributed via npm as @smithery/cli, so most clients can run it without a manual build step. Add it to your MCP client's configuration and restart the client to pick it up — the copy-paste configs for Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor are on this page.

Where it fits

AI-service servers chain other models into your assistant, turning a single chat into a small production pipeline. MCP Gameboy sits in that group, and the shape of its toolset — press_up, press_down, press_left among others — tells you what it is really for. Worth comparing against the other ai services servers in this directory before you commit to one, since several overlap in scope but differ sharply in setup cost and permissions.

Practical notes

  • This server runs locally, so it operates with whatever access your machine and its credentials already have. Scope that deliberately rather than by default.
  • With 10 tools exposed, expect a noticeable bump in prompt size — disable it in projects that never use MCP Gameboy.
  • Maintained by mario-andreschak, written in TypeScript.
  • MCP clients ask for confirmation before each tool call by default. Keep that on while you learn what the mcp gameboy mcp server actually does with your data.
  • Every entry in this directory is reviewed by hand before it goes live, and details are checked against the project's own documentation.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
press_upPress the UP button on the GameBoy
press_downPress the DOWN button on the GameBoy
press_leftPress the LEFT button on the GameBoy
press_rightPress the RIGHT button on the GameBoy
press_aPress the A button on the GameBoy
press_bPress the B button on the GameBoy
press_startPress the START button on the GameBoy
press_selectPress the SELECT button on the GameBoy
load_romLoad a GameBoy ROM file
get_screenGet the current GameBoy screen

How to install the MCP Gameboy MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gameboy": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@smithery/cli"]
    }
  }
}

Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.

Example prompts to try

  • Use MCP Gameboy to press up.
  • Use MCP Gameboy to press down.
  • Use MCP Gameboy to press left.

Frequently asked questions

It connects MCP Gameboy to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 10 tools (press_up, press_down, press_left, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with MCP Gameboy directly.