Windows-MCP Server: Setup for Claude Desktop, Cursor and Other Apps

• Takes a screenshot of the screen and lists open windows

  A fast capture of the desktop with the cursor position, the open windows and an image. You can limit it to one display or a rectangle. The README says to use it as the first call when you mainly need to see the screen.

  Try: “Take a screenshot and tell me what is open.”

  Read · Screenshot

• Reads the screen with numbered clickable elements

  A fuller capture that lists interactive elements and scrollable areas so the assistant can click them by number. It can include a screenshot and can read a web page in a browser.

  Try: “Look at the screen and find the Save button.”

  Read · Snapshot

• Clicks at a spot on the screen

  Clicks at the coordinates the assistant picks from the screen state.

  Try: “Click the Submit button.”

  Write · Click

• Types text into a field

  Types text into an element, and can clear what was there first.

  Try: “Type my email address in the sign-in box.”

  Write · Type

• Scrolls a window up, down or sideways

  Scrolls vertically or horizontally in a window or in a chosen region.

  Try: “Scroll down to the bottom of this page.”

  Write · Scroll

• Moves the mouse or drags something

  Moves the pointer, or presses at one spot and releases at another to drag. The README says drag does nothing on Start menu tiles and pinned taskbar buttons, while the call still reports success.

  Try: “Drag this file into the Documents folder.”

  Write · Move

• Presses keyboard shortcuts

  Sends key combinations such as Ctrl+C or Alt+Tab.

  Try: “Press Ctrl+S to save.”

  Write · Shortcut

• Opens, resizes, moves and switches between apps

  Launches an app by its Start Menu name or by an executable path, and resizes, moves or switches windows.

  Try: “Open Notepad and put it on the left half of the screen.”

  Runs code · App

• Runs PowerShell commands on your PC

  Executes any PowerShell command you or the assistant write, with the same rights as your Windows account. This is the most powerful tool in the set.

  Try: “List the five biggest files in my Downloads folder.”

  Delete · PowerShell

• Reads, writes, copies, moves, deletes and searches files

  Handles files and folders on your PC: read, write, copy, move, delete, list, search and inspect.

  Try: “Find all PDFs in Documents modified this week.”

  Delete · FileSystem

• Reads or sets what is on your clipboard

  Reads the current clipboard content or replaces it.

  Try: “Copy this text to my clipboard.”

  Write · Clipboard

• Lists running programs or stops them

  Lists running processes or ends one by its ID or name.

  Try: “Close Chrome, it is frozen.”

  Delete · Process

• Reads, changes and deletes Windows registry entries

  Reads, writes, deletes or lists keys and values in the Windows Registry.

  Try: “Show me the registry value that controls the default browser.”

  Delete · Registry

• Reads the text of a whole web page

  Pulls the information from an entire web page.

  Try: “Scrape this article and summarise it.”

  Network · Scrape

• Selects several files, folders or boxes at once

  Selects multiple items, optionally holding Ctrl, resolving labels to positions in bulk.

  Try: “Tick all three checkboxes in this form.”

  Write · MultiSelect

• Fills in several text fields in one go

  Enters text into multiple input fields in one call.

  Try: “Fill in the name, address and phone fields.”

  Write · MultiEdit

• Pauses for a set time

  Waits for a number of seconds before continuing.

  Try: “Wait five seconds for the page to load.”

  Read · Wait

• Waits until something appears on screen

  Polls the screen until some text, a window or an element appears.

  Try: “Wait until the Install finished window shows up.”

  Read · WaitFor

• Shows who is controlling the desktop

  Reports whether the AI or you currently has control, and how long until control returns to you after you move the mouse.

  Try: “Who has control of the desktop right now?”

  Read · ControlStatus

• Lists your monitors and their sizes

  Reads the layout, work areas, scaling and DPI of each display.

  Try: “How many monitors do I have and what size are they?”

  Read · DisplayInventory

• Shows a Windows pop-up notification

  Sends a toast notification with a title and message, attributed to a registered Windows app ID.

  Try: “Notify me when the download finishes.”

  Write · Notification

Watch out for

• It can run any PowerShell command

  The PowerShell tool runs commands with your account rights. Exclude it unless you need it. github.com

• It can delete files and edit the registry

  The file tool deletes files, the registry tool deletes and writes keys, and the process tool ends programs. The README calls some operations irreversible. github.com

• It controls your mouse and keyboard

  The assistant can click anything you can see. Moving your mouse or pressing Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Backspace hands control back to you. github.com

• Network mode exposes your PC

  The optional SSE and HTTP modes listen on a network address. Use the auth key, IP allowlist and TLS the README describes, and keep the default stdio mode if you can. github.com

• Anonymous telemetry is on by default

  The README says no personal data, tool arguments or outputs are collected. Set the telemetry variable to false to turn it off. github.com

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