DisplayBuddy
FreeNot checkedControls Mac external monitors via DisplayBuddy for brightness, contrast, volume, input source, presets, and display sync.
About
Controls Mac external monitors via DisplayBuddy for brightness, contrast, volume, input source, presets, and display sync.
README
An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that lets AI agents control Mac monitors via DisplayBuddy — adjust brightness, contrast, volume, input source, apply presets, sync displays, and more.
Works with Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and any MCP-compatible client.
Prerequisites
- macOS with DisplayBuddy installed and running
- DisplayBuddy CLI installed: open DisplayBuddy > Settings > General > Install CLI Tool
- Node.js 18+
Installation
Claude Desktop
Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"displaybuddy": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "displaybuddy-mcp"]
}
}
}
Cursor
Add to your MCP settings:
{
"mcpServers": {
"displaybuddy": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "displaybuddy-mcp"]
}
}
}
Smithery
npx -y @smithery/cli install displaybuddy-mcp --client claude
Available Tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
displaybuddy_status |
Quick overview of all displays (call this first) |
displaybuddy_list |
Full display details including UUID, type, capabilities |
displaybuddy_get |
Get properties of a specific display |
displaybuddy_set |
Set brightness, contrast, volume, input, rotation |
displaybuddy_preset_list |
List saved presets |
displaybuddy_preset_activate |
Activate a preset (with optional delay) |
displaybuddy_schedule_list |
List automation schedules |
displaybuddy_schedule_toggle |
Enable or disable a schedule |
displaybuddy_sync |
Check/enable/disable multi-display sync |
Example Prompts
Once connected, you can ask your AI assistant things like:
- "Dim all my monitors to 30%"
- "What displays are connected?"
- "Switch my Dell monitor to HDMI"
- "Activate my Night Mode preset"
- "Sync all displays to my main monitor"
- "Turn up the brightness on my external display"
- "Set up my coding environment — brightness 70, contrast 60"
How It Works
The MCP server wraps the displaybuddy CLI, which communicates with the running DisplayBuddy app via URL scheme. All operations are local — no data leaves your machine.
AI Agent → MCP Server → displaybuddy CLI → DisplayBuddy App → Your Monitors
Development
npm install
npm run build
# Test with MCP Inspector
npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node ./build/index.js
License
MIT
Installing DisplayBuddy
This server has no published package — it is built from source. Open the repository and follow its README.
▸ github.com/biocross/displaybuddy-mcpFAQ
Is DisplayBuddy MCP free?
Yes, DisplayBuddy MCP is free — one-click install via Unyly at no cost.
Does DisplayBuddy need an API key?
No, DisplayBuddy runs without API keys or environment variables.
Is DisplayBuddy hosted or self-hosted?
Self-hosted: the server runs locally on your machine via the install command above.
How do I install DisplayBuddy in Claude Desktop, Claude Code or Cursor?
Open DisplayBuddy on unyly.org, pick your client tab (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor) and press Install — the config is generated automatically, no JSON editing.
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