tauri-plugin-mcp
Cross-platform Tauri test automation plugin via MCP (Model Context Protocol).
Enables AI assistants like Claude to interact with your Tauri desktop app for testing and automation.
Features
- Cross-platform: Windows (Named Pipes) + macOS/Linux (Unix Sockets)
- No CDP dependency: Works on all WebView backends including macOS WKWebView
- MCP integration: Direct integration with Claude Code and other MCP clients
Prerequisites
- Node.js >= 18
- Tauri v2.x
- pnpm (recommended) or npm
- Rust with cargo
Quick Start
- Add Rust plugin to
src-tauri/Cargo.toml - Install npm package:
pnpm add github:DaveDev42/tauri-plugin-mcp#main - Register plugin in
src-tauri/src/lib.rs - Add
mcp:defaultpermission - Initialize bridge in
main.tsx - Create
.mcp.jsonfor Claude Code
Installation
1. Rust Plugin (src-tauri/Cargo.toml)
[dependencies]
tauri-plugin-mcp = { git = "https://github.com/DaveDev42/tauri-plugin-mcp" }
2. Frontend API (package.json)
pnpm add github:DaveDev42/tauri-plugin-mcp#main
3. MCP Server
The MCP server is included in the package at:
node_modules/tauri-plugin-mcp/packages/tauri-mcp/dist/index.js
Setup
1. Register the plugin (src-tauri/src/lib.rs)
pub fn run() {
tauri::Builder::default()
.plugin(tauri_plugin_mcp::init())
.run(tauri::generate_context!())
.expect("error while running tauri application");
}
2. Add permissions
Option A: In tauri.conf.json or config/*.json5 (recommended)
{
"security": {
"capabilities": [{
"identifier": "main-capability",
"windows": ["main"],
"permissions": ["core:default", "mcp:default"]
}]
}
}
Option B: Separate file (src-tauri/capabilities/default.json)
{
"$schema": "../gen/schemas/desktop-schema.json",
"identifier": "default",
"windows": ["main"],
"permissions": ["core:default", "mcp:default"]
}
3. Initialize the bridge (main.tsx)
// Initialize MCP bridge for E2E testing (dev mode only)
if (import.meta.env.DEV) {
import('tauri-plugin-mcp').then(({ initMcpBridge }) => {
initMcpBridge().catch(err => {
console.warn('[MCP] Bridge initialization failed:', err);
});
});
}
MCP Server Configuration
Add to .mcp.json in your project root:
{
"mcpServers": {
"tauri-mcp": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["node_modules/tauri-plugin-mcp/packages/tauri-mcp/dist/index.js"],
"env": {
"TAURI_PROJECT_ROOT": "."
}
}
}
}
Available Tools
| Tool | Parameters | Description |
|---|---|---|
app_status | - | Check if app is running |
launch_app | wait_for_ready?: boolean, timeout_secs?: number, features?: string[] | Launch Tauri app via pnpm tauri dev |
stop_app | - | Stop the app |
snapshot | - | Get accessibility tree (returns ref numbers) |
click | ref?: number, selector?: string | Click element by ref or CSS selector |
fill | ref?: number, selector?: string, value: string | Fill input field |
press_key | key: string | Press keyboard key |
navigate | url: string | Navigate to URL |
screenshot | - | Take screenshot (uses html2canvas) |
evaluate_script | script: string | Execute custom JavaScript |
get_console_logs | - | Get console logs |
get_network_logs | - | Get network logs |
Using features parameter
To launch with Cargo features:
launch_app({ features: ["my_feature"] })
This runs: pnpm tauri dev --features my_feature
Usage Example
Typical testing workflow:
1. launch_app({ timeout_secs: 120 })
2. snapshot() # Get element refs
3. click({ ref: 5 }) # Click button by ref
4. fill({ selector: "input[name='email']", value: "test@example.com" })
5. screenshot() # Verify result
6. stop_app()
How It Works
Claude Code <-> MCP Server <-> Socket <-> Tauri Plugin <-> JS Bridge <-> Your App
- Rust Plugin creates IPC server (Unix socket or Windows named pipe)
- MCP Server connects to IPC and exposes tools to Claude
- JS Bridge (
initMcpBridge()) enables DOM operations in WebView
Socket Paths
- Unix:
{project_root}/.tauri-mcp.sock - Windows:
\\.\pipe\tauri-mcp-{hash}(hash derived from project path)
Troubleshooting
"MCP bridge not initialized"
The JS bridge isn't running. Check:
initMcpBridge()is called in your frontend code- App is running in dev mode (
import.meta.env.DEV) - Check browser console for initialization errors
Socket connection failed
- Ensure the app is running (
launch_appfirst) - On Windows, check pipe path in logs:
[tauri-plugin-mcp] full_path: \\.\pipe\tauri-mcp-XXXXX - On Unix, check if
.tauri-mcp.sockexists in project root
App launch timeout
- Increase
timeout_secs(default: 60) - Check if
pnpm tauri devworks manually - Look for build errors in terminal output
snapshot returns empty
- Wait for app to fully load (use
wait_for_ready: true) - Check if bridge initialized (look for
[MCP]logs in console)
License
MIT OR Apache-2.0