Peekaboo MCP Server

macOS automation MCP server with screen capture, UI interaction, and AI analysis

Remote serverstreamable-httpPython

What is the Peekaboo MCP server?

If you already use Peekaboo, the peekaboo mcp server is the piece that lets your assistant work with it directly. macOS automation MCP server with screen capture, UI interaction, and AI analysis.

What the server does

Peekaboo brings high-fidelity screen capture, AI analysis, and complete GUI automation to macOS. Version 3 adds native agent flows and multi-screen automation across the CLI and MCP server.

Available tools

The toolset is worth reading before you wire it up, because it tells you what the integration is really for:

  • Pixel — accurate captures (windows, screens, menu bar) with optional Retina 2x scaling
  • Natural — language agent that chains Peekaboo tools (see, click, type, scroll, hotkey, menu, window, app, dock, space)
  • Action — first UI automation for routine clicks/scrolls, with background process-targeted input by default when a target is known
  • Multi — provider AI through Tachikoma, including hosted, local, and OpenAI-/Anthropic-compatible providers
  • Architecturedocs/ARCHITECTURE.md
  • Permissionsdocs/permissions.md
  • Requirements — see docs/platform-support.md. Node 22+ is only needed for the npm MCP wrapper and pnpm helper scripts

Installation

Because this one is hosted, setup is mostly authentication — you point your client at the endpoint and approve access. Nothing runs on your machine, so there is no runtime to keep patched.

Credentials and setup notes

Configuration is passed through the environment: PEEKABOO_AI_PROVIDERS, TEXT_FIELD_ID, BUTTON_ID. Treat anything key-shaped as a real credential — scope it to the minimum the server needs, and rotate it if it ever lands in a shared config.

Where it fits

Plenty of AI and media services servers cover similar ground. The differences that matter in practice are scope of access and how much setup stands between you and a working tool call. Peekaboo's toolset — Pixel, Natural, Action and 4 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by steipete; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

We check each listing at SyncDev against the project's documentation before it goes live — if something here drifts out of date, it is a bug worth reporting.

Worth knowing first

  • Your data travels to the provider's service, so the usual questions apply about what you send and what they retain.
  • Keep per-call confirmation enabled while you learn its behaviour; it is the cheapest safeguard you have.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
Pixelaccurate captures (windows, screens, menu bar) with optional Retina 2x scaling.
Naturallanguage agent that chains Peekaboo tools (see, click, type, scroll, hotkey, menu, window, app, dock, space).
Actionfirst UI automation for routine clicks/scrolls, with background process-targeted input by default when a target is known.
Multiprovider AI through Tachikoma, including hosted, local, and OpenAI-/Anthropic-compatible providers.
Architecture[docs/ARCHITECTURE.md](docs/ARCHITECTURE.md)
Permissions[docs/permissions.md](docs/permissions.md)
Requirementssee [docs/platform-support.md](docs/platform-support.md). Node 22+ is only needed for the npm MCP wrapper and pnpm helper scripts.

How to install the Peekaboo MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "peekaboo": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@steipete/peekaboo"],
      "env": {
        "PEEKABOO_AI_PROVIDERS": "your-value",
        "TEXT_FIELD_ID": "your-value",
        "BUTTON_ID": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.

Configuration

VariableDescriptionRequired
PEEKABOO_AI_PROVIDERSConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
TEXT_FIELD_IDConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
BUTTON_IDConfiguration value read at startup.Optional

Example prompts to try

  • Use Peekaboo to Pixel.
  • Use Peekaboo to Natural.
  • Use Peekaboo to Action.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Peekaboo to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 7 tools (Pixel, Natural, Action, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Peekaboo directly.