Claude KVM
Give your agent VNC-driven control of a remote desktop with OCR-backed screen understanding for reproducing bugs or running GUI-only tools.
Overview
Claude KVM is an MCP server for the Operate phase that controls remote desktops over VNC using a Swift daemon and Apple Vision OCR.
What is this MCP server?
- MCP server (npm claude-kvm 2.0.9) drives remote desktops over VNC with a native Swift claude-kvm-daemon
- Apple Vision OCR on captured frames so agents can reason about on-screen text and UI state
- Required env: VNC_HOST, VNC_PORT, CLAUDE_KVM_DAEMON_PATH; optional ARD/VNC username and password secrets
- stdio MCP transport suited to local Claude Code workflows against one controlled remote host
- npm package claude-kvm version 2.0.9 with stdio transport
- Five documented environment variables including required VNC_HOST, VNC_PORT, and CLAUDE_KVM_DAEMON_PATH
- Repository: github.com/ARAS-Workspace/claude-kvm
Community signal: 14 GitHub stars.
What problem does it solve?
You cannot automate or debug GUI-only flows from the repo when the app only runs on a remote machine behind VNC.
Who is it for?
Advanced solo builders operating remote Mac or VM desktops who need agent-driven VNC sessions for support, QA, or legacy GUI tooling.
Skip if: Simple website testing (use browser MCP), headless CI-only pipelines, or hosts where you cannot install the claude-kvm-daemon binary.
What do I get? / Deliverables
After configuration, your agent can view and interact with the remote desktop through MCP with OCR-assisted screen understanding.
- Agent-driven VNC session control exposed as MCP tools
- Screen captures interpreted with Apple Vision OCR via the Swift daemon
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Journey fit
Remote desktop control matters once you operate real environments—staging VMs, legacy GUIs, or machines you cannot SSH into—rather than during initial ideation. Claude KVM sits in infra: it wires MCP to VNC plus a native Swift daemon using Apple Vision OCR for reading the remote screen.
How it compares
Full VNC desktop MCP with native OCR daemon, not a lightweight Playwright-style browser skill.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is Claude KVM for?
Technical solo builders and operators who already use VNC to reach remote machines and want Claude Code to drive those sessions via MCP.
When should I use Claude KVM?
Use it during operate and infra work when reproducing or fixing issues requires interacting with a remote GUI the agent cannot reach through APIs alone.
How do I add Claude KVM to my agent?
Install claude-kvm from npm (2.0.9), set VNC_HOST, VNC_PORT, and CLAUDE_KVM_DAEMON_PATH, add VNC credentials if required, and register the package as a stdio MCP server in Claude Code or a compatible client.