Mac Apps Launcher MCP server

This server provides a Model Context Protocol (MCP) implementation for launching and managing macOS applications directly from Claude. You can use it to list installed applications, launch them by name, or open files with specific applications.

Installation

To install the Mac Apps Launcher MCP server, you need to add it to your Claude configuration file.

Adding to Claude Config

Add the following configuration to your Claude Config JSON file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "simulator": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "y",
        "@joshuarileydev/mac-apps-launcher-mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Usage

Once configured, you can use the MCP server to interact with your macOS applications through Claude.

Listing Applications

To get a list of all applications installed in the /Applications folder:

You can ask Claude to "List all my installed applications"

Launching Applications

To launch an application by name:

You can ask Claude to "Launch Safari" or "Open Chrome"

Opening Files with Applications

To open a specific file with an application:

You can ask Claude to "Open document.pdf with Preview" or "Use TextEdit to open notes.txt"

Examples

Here are some example prompts you can use with Claude:

• "Can you list all the applications I have installed on my Mac?"
• "Please launch Spotify for me"
• "Open the presentation.pptx file with Keynote"
• "I need to check my emails, can you open Mail app?"

The server will handle interpreting these requests and performing the appropriate actions on your macOS system.

How to add this MCP server to Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > MCP and click "Add new global MCP server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "cursor-rules-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "cursor-rules-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explictly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.