iTerm Terminal

by lite

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About

Provides AI models with direct access to iTerm terminal sessions for reading output, writing commands, and sending control characters, enabling efficient troubleshooting and task delegation in interactive terminal environments.

Details

Author: lite
Repository: lite/iterm-mcp
License: MIT License
Categories: Developer Tools, Productivity, Design, Workplace, AI, Communication, Frontend

Setting up with Highlight

This MCP is not yet compatible with Highlight’s one-click setup. However, you can still use it with Highlight by following these steps:

Download and install Highlight from highlightai.com/download
Navigate to the plugins tab and select "Add Custom Plugin"
Configure the plugin with the settings below
Plugin Name iTerm Terminal

Command (node, npx, python, etc.) npx
Arguments
- Argument 1 -y
- Argument 2 iterm-mcp
Please refer to the README for specific instructions on how to obtain API keys or other required environment variables.
Enable "Start Automatically" if you want the plugin to start when Highlight launches

Setting up with Cursor

Open Cursor's settings
Navigate to the MCP section
Click "Add new Global MCP server"
Copy and paste the configuration below based on your operating system

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "iterm terminal": {
            "cwd": "string",
            "env": {},
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "iterm-mcp"
            ],
            "shell": false,
            "command": "npx"
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "iterm terminal": {
            "cwd": "string",
            "env": {},
            "args": [
                "/c",
                "npx",
                "-y",
                "iterm-mcp"
            ],
            "shell": false,
            "command": "cmd"
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "iterm terminal": {
            "cwd": "string",
            "env": {},
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "iterm-mcp"
            ],
            "shell": false,
            "command": "npx"
        }
    }
}

Setting up with Claude Desktop

Open Claude Desktop's settings
Go to the Integrations tab
Click "Add MCP Server"
Use the configuration below based on your operating system

Note: Make sure Claude Desktop is running before attempting to connect.

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "iterm terminal": {
            "cwd": "string",
            "env": {},
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "iterm-mcp"
            ],
            "shell": false,
            "command": "npx"
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "iterm terminal": {
            "cwd": "string",
            "env": {},
            "args": [
                "/c",
                "npx",
                "-y",
                "iterm-mcp"
            ],
            "shell": false,
            "command": "cmd"
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "iterm terminal": {
            "cwd": "string",
            "env": {},
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "iterm-mcp"
            ],
            "shell": false,
            "command": "npx"
        }
    }
}

Setting up with Windsurf

Open Windsurf's preferences
Go to the Integrations section
Click "Add MCP Integration"
Use the configuration below based on your operating system

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "iterm terminal": {
            "cwd": "string",
            "env": {},
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "iterm-mcp"
            ],
            "shell": false,
            "command": "npx"
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "iterm terminal": {
            "cwd": "string",
            "env": {},
            "args": [
                "/c",
                "npx",
                "-y",
                "iterm-mcp"
            ],
            "shell": false,
            "command": "cmd"
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "iterm terminal": {
            "cwd": "string",
            "env": {},
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "iterm-mcp"
            ],
            "shell": false,
            "command": "npx"
        }
    }
}

Setting up with Cline

Open Cline's settings
Navigate to the Integrations section
Click "Add MCP Server"
Copy and paste the configuration below based on your operating system

Note: Make sure to restart Cline after adding the configuration.

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "iterm terminal": {
            "cwd": "string",
            "env": {},
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "iterm-mcp"
            ],
            "shell": false,
            "command": "npx"
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "iterm terminal": {
            "cwd": "string",
            "env": {},
            "args": [
                "/c",
                "npx",
                "-y",
                "iterm-mcp"
            ],
            "shell": false,
            "command": "cmd"
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "iterm terminal": {
            "cwd": "string",
            "env": {},
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "iterm-mcp"
            ],
            "shell": false,
            "command": "npx"
        }
    }
}

Setting up with Goose

Open Goose's preferences
Go to the Integrations tab
Select "MCP Servers"
Click "Add New Server"
Use the configuration below based on your operating system

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "iterm terminal": {
            "cwd": "string",
            "env": {},
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "iterm-mcp"
            ],
            "shell": false,
            "command": "npx"
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "iterm terminal": {
            "cwd": "string",
            "env": {},
            "args": [
                "/c",
                "npx",
                "-y",
                "iterm-mcp"
            ],
            "shell": false,
            "command": "cmd"
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "iterm terminal": {
            "cwd": "string",
            "env": {},
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "iterm-mcp"
            ],
            "shell": false,
            "command": "npx"
        }
    }
}

From the repository

To use with Claude Desktop, add the server config:

On macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
On Windows: %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

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

To install iTerm for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install iterm-mcp --client claude

`write_to_terminal`

Writes to the active iTerm terminal, often used to run a command. Returns the number of lines of output produced by the command.

`read_terminal_output`

Reads the requested number of lines from the active iTerm terminal.

`send_control_character`

Sends a control character to the active iTerm terminal.

- write_to_terminal - Writes to the active iTerm terminal, often used to run a command. Returns the number of lines of output produced by the command.
- read_terminal_output - Reads the requested number of lines from the active iTerm terminal.
- send_control_character - Sends a control character to the active iTerm terminal.

Claude Desktop / Cursor

Paste into your MCP client config file to install this server.

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "iterm terminal": {
            "cwd": "string",
            "env": {},
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "iterm-mcp"
            ],
            "shell": false,
            "command": "npx"
        }
    }
}

Linux

{
    "cwd": "string",
    "env": [],
    "args": [
        "-y",
        "iterm-mcp"
    ],
    "shell": false,
    "command": "npx"
}

Macos

{
    "cwd": "string",
    "env": [],
    "args": [
        "-y",
        "iterm-mcp"
    ],
    "shell": false,
    "command": "npx"
}

Windows

{
    "cwd": "string",
    "env": [],
    "args": [
        "/c",
        "npx",
        "-y",
        "iterm-mcp"
    ],
    "shell": false,
    "command": "cmd"
}

A Model Context Protocol server that provides access to your iTerm session.

Efficient Token Use:iterm-mcp gives the model the ability to inspect only the output that the model is interested in. The model typically only wants to see the last few lines of output even for long running commands.

Natural Integration:You share iTerm with the model. You can ask questions about what's on the screen, or delegate a task to the model and watch as it performs each step.

Full Terminal Control and REPL support:The model can start and interact with REPL's as well as send control characters like ctrl-c, ctrl-z, etc.

Easy on the Dependencies:iterm-mcp is built with minimal dependencies and is runnable via npx. It's designed to be easy to add to Claude Desktop and other MCP clients. It should just work.

- The user is responsible for using the tool safely.
- No built-in restrictions: iterm-mcp makes no attempt to evaluate the safety of commands that are executed.
- Models can behave in unexpected ways. The user is expected to monitor activity and abort when appropriate.
- For multi-step tasks, you may need to interrupt the model if it goes off track. Start with smaller, focused tasks until you're familiar with how the model behaves.

- write_to_terminal- Writes to the active iTerm terminal, often used to run a command. Returns the number of lines of output produced by the command.
- read_terminal_output- Reads the requested number of lines from the active iTerm terminal.
- send_control_character- Sends a control character to the active iTerm terminal.

- iTerm2 must be running
- Node version 18 or greater

To use with Claude Desktop, add the server config:

On macOS:~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.jsonOn Windows:%APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

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

To install iTerm for Claude Desktop automatically viaSmithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install iterm-mcp --client claude

Since MCP servers communicate over stdio, debugging can be challenging. We recommend using the MCP Inspector, which is available as a package script:

yarn run inspector yarn debug <command>

The Inspector will provide a URL to access debugging tools in your browser.

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iTerm Terminal

About

Details

Jump to

Setting up with Highlight

Setting up with Cursor

JSON

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Setting up with Claude Desktop

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Setting up with Windsurf

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Setting up with Cline

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Setting up with Goose

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From the repository

`write_to_terminal`

`read_terminal_output`

`send_control_character`

Claude Desktop / Cursor

Linux

Macos

Windows

Install

About

Details

Jump to

Setting up with Highlight

From the repository

write_to_terminal

read_terminal_output

send_control_character

Claude Desktop / Cursor

Linux

Macos

Windows

Install

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`write_to_terminal`

`read_terminal_output`

`send_control_character`