Keynote
FreeNot checkedProvides direct control over Apple Keynote presentations through AppleScript automation on macOS, enabling slide management, content creation, layout selection,
About
Provides direct control over Apple Keynote presentations through AppleScript automation on macOS, enabling slide management, content creation, layout selection, navigation, and export functionality for automated presentation workflows.
README
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables AI assistants to control Keynote presentations through AppleScript automation.
🎉 This is an enhanced fork featuring modular architecture, theme-aware content management, and comprehensive documentation improvements.
Features
- Presentation Management: Create, open, save, close presentations
- Slide Operations: Add, delete, duplicate, move slides
- Theme-Aware Content: Professional content placement using Keynote's design elements
- Modular Architecture: Maintainable codebase with specialized AppleScript modules
- Export Functions: Screenshots, PDF export
Quick Setup
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/betancur/keynote-mcp.git cd keynote-mcpInstall dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txtGrant macOS permissions
- System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy
- Add Terminal and Python to Accessibility permissions
- Add Python to Automation permissions for Keynote
Configure Claude Desktop Edit
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:{ "mcpServers": { "keynote": { "command": "python3", "args": ["/path/to/keynote-mcp/mcp_server.py"] } } }Test the server
python3 test_server.py
Note: Make sure Keynote is installed and you have appropriate permissions for automation.
Available Tools (26 total)
Presentation Management
create_presentation- Create new presentationopen_presentation- Open existing presentationsave_presentation- Save presentationclose_presentation- Close presentation
Slide Operations
add_slide- Add new slidedelete_slide- Delete slideduplicate_slide- Copy slidemove_slide- Reorder slides
Content Management
add_text_box- Add text to slideadd_image- Add image to slideset_slide_content- 🆕 Set content using theme elements (recommended)get_slide_default_elements- 🆕 Check available theme elements
Export & Capture
screenshot_slide- Take slide screenshotexport_pdf- Export as PDF
Theme-Aware Features
Our latest update includes theme-aware content management that uses Keynote's built-in design elements for professional-looking presentations with consistent styling.
📚 Documentation
Comprehensive documentation is available in the docs/ directory:
- 📖 Documentation Index - Complete documentation overview
- 🏗️ Modular Architecture - AppleScript modular structure
- 🎨 Theme-Aware Content - Best practices for theme elements
- 🗺️ Project Roadmap - Future development plans and features
Quick Links
- Getting Started: Follow the Quick Setup section above
- For Developers: Modular Architecture
- Best Practices: Theme-Aware Content
💡 Usage Examples
Theme-Aware Content (Recommended)
# Create new presentation
result = await call_tool("create_presentation", {
"name": "My Presentation"
})
# Add slide with theme-aware content
result = await call_tool("add_slide", {
"title": "Welcome",
"layout": "Title & Content"
})
# Set content using theme elements (automatic positioning & styling)
result = await call_tool("set_slide_content", {
"title": "Project Overview",
"subtitle": "Q4 2024 Results",
"bullet_points": ["Revenue up 15%", "New markets entered", "Team expansion"]
})
# Check what theme elements are available
result = await call_tool("get_slide_default_elements", {"slide_number": 1})
Manual Content Placement
# Add text to specific position
result = await call_tool("add_text_box", {
"text": "Custom positioned text",
"x": 100,
"y": 200
})
# Add image with precise placement
result = await call_tool("add_image", {
"image_path": "/path/to/image.jpg",
"x": 300,
"y": 150
})
🚀 What's New in This Fork
This enhanced version includes significant improvements over the original:
✨ Major Enhancements
- 🏗️ Modular Architecture: Split monolithic AppleScript into 5 specialized modules for better maintainability
- 🎨 Theme-Aware Content: Smart content placement using Keynote's built-in design elements
- 📚 Comprehensive Documentation: Complete guides in the
docs/folder - 🔧 Enhanced Integration: Improved Python-AppleScript modular execution
- 🌍 Internationalization: All Chinese comments translated to English
🎯 Key Benefits
- Professional Results: Theme-aware functions create presentations with consistent styling
- Better Performance: Modular loading only loads necessary AppleScript code
- Easier Maintenance: Specialized files for different functionality areas
- Developer Friendly: Complete documentation and architecture guides
Credits: This fork is based on the original keynote-mcp by @easychen. We've enhanced it with modern architecture and professional content management features.
License
MIT License
Installing Keynote
This server has no published package — it is built from source. Open the repository and follow its README.
▸ github.com/betancur/keynote-mcpFAQ
Is Keynote MCP free?
Yes, Keynote MCP is free — one-click install via Unyly at no cost.
Does Keynote need an API key?
No, Keynote runs without API keys or environment variables.
Is Keynote hosted or self-hosted?
Self-hosted: the server runs locally on your machine via the install command above.
How do I install Keynote in Claude Desktop, Claude Code or Cursor?
Open Keynote on unyly.org, pick your client tab (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor) and press Install — the config is generated automatically, no JSON editing.
Related MCPs
GitHub
PRs, issues, code search, CI status
by GitHubFilesystem
Secure file operations with configurable access controls.
Memory
Knowledge graph-based persistent memory system.
Template MCP Server
A CLI tool to create a new Model Context Protocol server project with TypeScript support, dual transport options, and an extensible structure
by mcpdotdirectCompare Keynote with
Not sure what to pick?
Find your stack in 60 seconds
Author?
Embed badge for your README
Browse similar
All development MCPs
