Gearboy MCP Server

MCP server for Gearboy Nintendo Game Boy / Game Boy Color emulator

Local serverstdioGo

What is the Gearboy MCP server?

Gearboy MCP server is a locally run integration for AI assistants that speak the Model Context Protocol. MCP server for Gearboy Nintendo Game Boy / Game Boy Color emulator.

What you get

Gearboy is an accurate, cross-platform Game Boy / Game Boy Color / Super Game Boy emulator written in C++ that runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, BSD and RetroArch, with an embedded MCP server for debugging and tooling.

  • Supported cartridges: ROM, ROM + RAM, MBC1, MBC2, MBC3, MBC5, MBC7, HuC-1, HuC-3, MMM01, Pocket Camera, TAMA5, MBC1M, Wisdom Tree, M161, Sachen MMC1, Sachen MMC2 and PKJD
  • Game Boy Color support
  • Super Game Boy support
  • LCD screen ghosting effect as seen in the original Game Boy
  • LCD dot matrix effects
  • Battery powered RAM save support

What the assistant can call

Once Gearboy is connected, these are the calls the assistant has available:

  • Windows — The Windows tool exposed by this server
  • macOS — The macOS tool exposed by this server
  • Linux — If you are using Ubuntu 25.04 or later, you can install SDL3 directly. Use the following commands to build:
  • Libretro — The Libretro tool exposed by this server

Setting it up

skills on npm is all you need. Most clients run it directly, so configuration is a few lines and a restart.

Choosing this one

Among the developer tooling options, the useful question is rarely "what can it do" but "what does it cost you to run" — permissions, credentials, and how much of your context its toolset consumes. Gearboy's toolset — Windows, macOS, Linux and 1 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by drhelius; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

SyncDev reviews every entry in this directory against the project's own documentation before publishing, and revisits them as servers change.

Before you rely on it

  • It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
  • MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the gearboy mcp server does with a few real requests.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
WindowsThe Windows tool exposed by this server.
macOSThe macOS tool exposed by this server.
LinuxIf you are using Ubuntu 25.04 or later, you can install SDL3 directly. Use the following commands to build:
LibretroThe Libretro tool exposed by this server.

How to install the Gearboy MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gearboy": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "skills"]
    }
  }
}

Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.

Example prompts to try

  • Use Gearboy to Windows.
  • Use Gearboy to macOS.
  • Use Gearboy to Linux.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Gearboy to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 4 tools (Windows, macOS, Linux, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Gearboy directly.