An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for executing macOS terminal commands with ZSH shell. This server provides a secure way to execute shell
If you already use Mac Shell, the mac shell mcp server is the piece that lets your assistant work with it directly. An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for executing macOS terminal commands with ZSH shell. This server provides a secure way to execute shell commands with built-in whitelisting and approval mechanisms.
The toolset is worth reading before you wire it up, because it tells you what the integration is really for:
pwd — Print working directoryecho — Print text to standard outputcat — Concatenate and print filesgrep — Search for patterns in filesfind — Find files in a directory hierarchyhead — Output the first part of filestail — Output the last part of filesmkdir — Create directoriestouch — Change file timestamps or create empty fileschmod — Change file mode bitschown — Change file owner and groupsudo — Execute a command as another userInstallation goes through your MCP client rather than a global install: point it at Add on npm and it is fetched when the client starts. The copy-paste blocks for Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor are further down this page.
Among the file and storage access 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. Mac Shell's toolset — pwd, echo, cat and 11 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by cfdude; 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.
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| pwd | Print working directory |
| echo | Print text to standard output |
| cat | Concatenate and print files |
| grep | Search for patterns in files |
| find | Find files in a directory hierarchy |
| head | Output the first part of files |
| tail | Output the last part of files |
| mkdir | Create directories |
| touch | Change file timestamps or create empty files |
| chmod | Change file mode bits |
| chown | Change file owner and group |
| sudo | Execute a command as another user |
| execute_command | The execute_command tool exposed by this server. |
| get_whitelist | The get_whitelist tool exposed by this server. |
{
"mcpServers": {
"mac-shell": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "Add"]
}
}
}Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.
Scoped local file access — read, write, search and reorganise files in directories you explicitly allow.
Search and read your Drive — Docs, Sheets and files become context your assistant can actually use.
Query, modify and analyse local SQLite databases in conversation — the fastest way to chat with a data file.
Build a programmable telecommunications stack for connecting telephony services with the Internet via a cloud-based utility.
Chat with your second brain — search, read and write vault notes through the Local REST API.
Connects AI models to an Obsidian knowledge base for direct access and manipulation of notes and folders.