{
  "mcpServers": {
    "desktop-apps-launcher-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["--yes", "@neutralbase/desktop-apps-launcher-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

The server key (desktop-apps-launcher-mcp) must match the binary name in the package.

Option 2: Global Installation

You can install the package globally:

npm install -g @neutralbase/desktop-apps-launcher-mcp

Then add this to your Claude Config JSON file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "desktop-apps-launcher-mcp": {
      "command": "desktop-apps-launcher-mcp",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

list_applications

Lists all applications in the /Applications folder.

launch_app

Launches a macOS application using the standard open command.

Input:

{
  "appName": "Safari"
}

open_with_app

Opens a file or folder with a specific application.

Input:

{
  "appName": "TextEdit",
  "filePath": "/path/to/document.txt"
}

start_app

Starts an application by directly executing its binary with optional arguments. This provides more control than the standard launch_app tool.

Input:

{
  "appName": "Safari",
  "args": ["--new-window", "https://example.com"]
}

stop_app

Stops a running application.

Input:

{
  "appName": "Safari"
}

list_configured_apps

Lists applications that have special configurations built into the server.

Special Application Support

Firecrawl (Desktop Crawler)

The server includes specialized tools for Desktop Crawler (Firecrawl):

start_firecrawl

Starts Firecrawl services in headless mode.

Input:

{}

This is equivalent to calling start_app with:

{
  "appName": "firecrawl",
  "args": ["--headless", "--firecrawl-headless"]
}

stop_firecrawl

Stops running Firecrawl services.

Input:

{}

Troubleshooting

Setting up Claude Desktop

Find your Claude Desktop configuration file:
- macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
- Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Add the MCP server configuration (using either installation method above)
Make sure you have Node.js installed on your system
- You can verify this by running node --version in your terminal
Restart Claude Desktop

Common Issues

Missing hammer icon: Make sure you've restarted Claude Desktop after configuration changes
"Client closed" error: Check Claude's logs for details (~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log)
Failed tool calls: Ensure you have the proper permissions for the applications you're trying to control
Binary not found: Make sure you're using the correct server key in your configuration (must match the binary name)
npx errors: Try installing globally instead (npm install -g @neutralbase/desktop-apps-launcher-mcp)