Computer Use Linux MCP Server: Setup for Claude, Cursor and Other Apps

• Takes a screenshot and reads the on-screen controls of an app

  Returns a screenshot plus a compact list of the buttons, fields and text the app exposes, each with a number the other tools can use. Large lists are saved to a private file and can be paged through.

  Try: “Look at Firefox and tell me what is on the screen.”

  Files · get_app_state

• Captures the whole screen or one window

  Returns a size-limited PNG or JPEG of the desktop or a chosen window. For a window, it raises that window first.

  Try: “Take a screenshot of my terminal window.”

  Read · screenshot

• Lists open windows with titles, apps and positions

  Returns each window's ID, title, app, process, focus state and size. For terminals it adds the running command.

  Try: “List my open windows.”

  Read · list_windows

• Shows which window has keyboard focus

  Returns the window that currently receives your typing.

  Try: “Which window is focused right now?”

  Read · focused_window

• Lists running desktop apps

  Returns the desktop apps the accessibility service can see.

  Try: “Which apps are running on my desktop?”

  Read · list_apps

• Pages through a long list of on-screen controls

  Returns the next part of the latest control list when it was too large to send in one reply.

  Try: “Show me the next page of the app tree.”

  Read · get_tree_page

• Clicks a control or a point on screen

  Clicks an element by its number, by role and name, or by coordinates. It supports left, right and middle clicks and double clicks.

  Try: “Click the Save button in the open dialog.”

  Write · click

• Types text into the app or terminal in focus

  Enters literal text, optionally in a chosen window or terminal. It can warn when keyboard layout may change what was typed.

  Try: “Type "git status" into the terminal running pytest.”

  Write · type_text

• Presses a key or a shortcut like Ctrl+L

  Sends one key or a chord to the focused window, or to a window it focuses first.

  Try: “Press Ctrl+S in the editor.”

  Write · press_key

• Drags from one screen point to another

  Presses at the start coordinates and releases at the end coordinates.

  Try: “Drag the file icon onto the trash.”

  Write · drag

• Scrolls a page, element or point

  Scrolls vertically or horizontally by pages on an element, window or coordinate.

  Try: “Scroll down two pages in the browser.”

  Write · scroll

• Triggers a control's built-in action

  Runs an action the app exposes for an element, such as Press, Toggle or Activate. It uses the main action when you name none.

  Try: “Toggle the dark mode switch in Settings.”

  Write · perform_action

• Sets the value of a text box, slider or spinner

  Writes straight into a settable field and reads it back to check. It reports a mismatch instead of retrying.

  Try: “Set the volume slider to 40.”

  Write · set_value

• Brings a window to the front

  Focuses a window chosen by ID, process, app, class, title or terminal details.

  Try: “Switch to the Slack window.”

  Write · activate_window

• Moves a window

  Repositions a window in desktop coordinates. It works with the GNOME extension and on X11.

  Try: “Move the terminal to the top left.”

  Write · move_window

• Resizes a window

  Changes a window's size in desktop coordinates, on GNOME with the extension and on X11.

  Try: “Make the browser window 1200 by 800.”

  Write · resize_window

• Checks whether your desktop is ready for control

  Returns a JSON report on your session, portals, accessibility, windows and input, with blockers and a next step.

  Try: “Run the doctor and tell me what is missing.”

  Read · doctor

• Turns on the GNOME accessibility setting

  Enables and checks the GNOME toolkit accessibility option, so apps expose their controls.

  Try: “Enable accessibility so you can read app windows.”

  Write · setup_accessibility

• Installs the GNOME window-control extension

  Installs and enables the bundled GNOME Shell extension when the system locks down window listing.

  Try: “Set up window targeting for GNOME.”

  Write · setup_window_targeting

Watch out for

• It can click and type in any app as you

  The click, drag, press_key, type_text, perform_action and set_value tools are marked destructive in the README. They can submit forms, send messages or run terminal commands, so watch what the agent does. github.com

• Screenshots can show private windows

  get_app_state and screenshot return what is on your screen and the text of app controls. Close anything private first. The README says screenshot consent depends on the desktop portal. github.com

• Opt-in run_shell runs commands as you

  Setting COMPUTER_USE_LINUX_ENABLE_SHELL=1 adds a shell tool with your full file and network access. The README says not to enable it for untrusted or unattended hosts. It is off by default. github.com

• Input goes through a per-user ydotool service

  On some desktops, input uses ydotoold with access to /dev/uinput. Any process that can reach its socket can type and click, so keep the default private socket and do not run it as root. github.com

• Install downloads prebuilt binaries

  The npm package runs a post-install script that downloads binaries from the project's GitHub release and checks a SHA-256 file. The Claude Code and Codex plugins keep private cached binaries. registry.npmjs.org

• Setup tools change desktop settings

  setup_accessibility turns on GNOME accessibility. setup_window_targeting installs and enables a GNOME Shell extension, and you must log out and in once. github.com

• Large screen trees are saved to a file

  When the control list is over 32,000 bytes, get_app_state saves the full list to a private file that can hold on-screen text. It is removed at the next snapshot or when the server exits. github.com

• The overlay shows what the agent types

  The on-screen indicator shows the last 64 characters typed unless the field may be a password. Set COMPUTER_USE_LINUX_INDICATOR_HIDE_TEXT=1 to mask it. github.com

• Opt-in complete_interaction sends a desktop notification

  Setting COMPUTER_USE_LINUX_NOTIFY_ON_COMPLETE=1 adds complete_interaction, a no-argument tool that raises a desktop notification with notify-send. It is off by default and needs notify-send and a notification service. github.com

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