MCP Tauri Automation

Automate Tauri desktop apps with AI. An MCP server that lets Claude Code test, debug, and interact with your Tauri applications through natural language.

What is this?

Testing Tauri apps usually means:

• Manually clicking through UIs for every change
• Writing complex test scripts for simple interactions
• Taking screenshots manually to debug visual issues
• Switching between code editor and running app constantly

With this MCP server:

• Ask Claude to "click the submit button and check the result"
• Get instant screenshots of your app state
• Test UI flows through natural language
• Automate repetitive testing while you code

Quick Start

1. Install tauri-driver

cargo install tauri-driver

2. Install this MCP server

git clone <repo-url>
cd mcp-tauri-automation
npm install && npm run build

3. Add to your MCP config

<details> <summary><b>Claude Code (Recommended)</b></summary>

Use the Claude Code CLI to register the server:

# Simplest setup - works with any Tauri app
# (you'll specify which app to launch when you ask Claude)
claude mcp add --transport stdio tauri-automation \
  --scope user \
  -- node /absolute/path/to/mcp-tauri-automation/dist/index.js

Replace /absolute/path/to/mcp-tauri-automation with the actual path where you cloned this repo. For example:

• Linux/macOS: ~/projects/mcp-tauri-automation/dist/index.js
• Windows: C:/Users/YourName/projects/mcp-tauri-automation/dist/index.js

Optional: Set a default app path

If you mainly work with one Tauri app, you can set it as the default:

claude mcp add --transport stdio tauri-automation \
  --env TAURI_APP_PATH=/path/to/your-app/src-tauri/target/debug/your-app \
  --scope user \
  -- node /absolute/path/to/mcp-tauri-automation/dist/index.js

** Can I test multiple apps?** Yes! The TAURI_APP_PATH is just a convenience default. You can still launch any other Tauri app by specifying its path when you ask Claude (e.g., "Launch my calculator app at ~/projects/calculator-app/target/debug/calculator").

Advanced: Customize defaults

claude mcp add --transport stdio tauri-automation \
  --env TAURI_SCREENSHOT_DIR=./my-screenshots \
  --env TAURI_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT=10000 \
  --scope user \
  -- node /absolute/path/to/mcp-tauri-automation/dist/index.js

All environment variables have sensible defaults and are optional:

• TAURI_APP_PATH: No default (specify when launching, or set here for convenience)
• TAURI_SCREENSHOT_DIR: ./screenshots (relative to where you run Claude Code)
• TAURI_WEBDRIVER_PORT: 4444 (where tauri-driver listens)
• TAURI_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT: 5000 ms (how long to wait for UI elements)

Managing servers:

# List all configured servers
claude mcp list

# Get details for a specific server
claude mcp get tauri-automation

# Remove a server
claude mcp remove tauri-automation

# Inside Claude Code, check server status
/mcp

Alternative: JSON format

<details> <summary>Click to see JSON configuration format</summary>

claude mcp add-json tauri-automation '{
  "type": "stdio",
  "command": "node",
  "args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-tauri-automation/dist/index.js"],
  "env": {
    "TAURI_APP_PATH": "/optional/default/app/path"
  }
}'

</details>

Scope options:

• --scope user: Available to you across all projects (recommended)
• --scope local (default): Available only to you in the current project
• --scope project: Shared with everyone in the project via .mcp.json file

</details> <details> <summary><b>Claude Desktop</b></summary>

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tauri-automation": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-tauri-automation/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Optional: Add environment variables

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tauri-automation": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-tauri-automation/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "TAURI_APP_PATH": "/path/to/your/default/app"
      }
    }
  }
}

</details> <details> <summary><b>Claude Code (Manual Config)</b></summary>

Edit ~/.config/claude-code/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tauri-automation": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-tauri-automation/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Optional: Add environment variables

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tauri-automation": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-tauri-automation/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "TAURI_APP_PATH": "/path/to/your/default/app"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: Using the claude mcp add command (see "Claude Code (Recommended)" above) is easier and less error-prone than manual editing.

</details> <details> <summary><b>Other MCP Clients</b></summary>

Any MCP client that supports stdio transport can use this server. Pass the environment variables via the client's configuration mechanism.

</details>

4. Start tauri-driver

Before using the MCP server, start tauri-driver in a separate terminal:

# In a separate terminal, keep this running
tauri-driver

Why is tauri-driver separate?

tauri-driver is a standalone WebDriver server that controls Tauri apps. Keeping it separate means:

• You can restart your MCP server without losing app state
• Multiple tools can connect to the same driver instance
• It runs on a known port (4444) that's easy to configure

Future improvement: This MCP server could be enhanced to auto-start tauri-driver if it's not running. Interested in contributing? See Contributing below!

5. Use with Claude

Launch my Tauri app, click the "Start" button, and take a screenshot

Or if you didn't set a default app path:

Launch my calculator app at ~/projects/calculator/target/debug/calculato…