MobAI MCP Server
MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for MobAI — AI-powered mobile device automation. Lets AI assistants (Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and other MCP-compatible tools) control Android and iOS devices, emulators, and simulators via a single DSL-first interface.
How it works
All device interaction is batched through one primary tool: execute_dsl. Instead of exposing dozens of fine-grained tools (tap, swipe, type…), the server accepts a JSON script describing a sequence of actions with predicates, assertions, waits, and conditional branches. This keeps round-trips low and encodes retry/failure strategies server-side.
A small set of companion tools handles device discovery, screenshots, app management, and running .mob test files.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18+
- MobAI desktop app running locally (HTTP API on
127.0.0.1:8686) - A connected Android or iOS device, emulator, or simulator
Installation
Claude Code
claude mcp add mobai -- npx -y mobai-mcp
Cursor
Add to .cursor/mcp.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"mobai": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mobai-mcp"]
}
}
}
Claude Desktop
Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS):
{
"mcpServers": {
"mobai": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mobai-mcp"]
}
}
}
Windsurf / Cline / other MCP clients
The server speaks stdio — use your client's generic MCP configuration:
{
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mobai-mcp"]
}
Tools
Device management
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
list_devices | List all connected Android and iOS devices |
get_device | Get details about a specific device |
start_bridge | Start the automation bridge on a device (required before interaction) |
stop_bridge | Stop the automation bridge |
claim_device | Claim exclusive use of a device for this session (usually optional: acting on an unclaimed device auto-claims it) |
release_device | Release one or all device leases held by this session |
Screenshots
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
get_screenshot | Fast, low-quality screenshot for LLM visual analysis (may be downscaled; response includes scale factor) |
save_screenshot | Full-quality PNG to disk for reporting, debugging, or sharing |
Apps
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
list_apps | List installed apps on the device |
install_app | Install an .apk or .ipa from a local file path |
uninstall_app | Uninstall an app by bundle ID / package name |
debug_app | Launch an app in debug mode and write stdout/stderr to a log file |
Automation
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
execute_dsl | Primary tool. Execute a batch of DSL steps: tap, type, swipe, observe, assertions, web automation, metrics, screen recording, and more. |
Test management
Tests are .mob files on disk inside project directories. You read, write, and edit them directly using your assistant's filesystem tools — MobAI watches for changes and updates the UI live. MCP is only needed to discover projects and run tests.
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
test_get_active | Get the active test project directory and its .mob cases |
test_list_projects | List all known test project directories with their .mob cases |
test_run | Run a .mob test case on a device (project_dir + case_path + device_id, optional params for ${name} substitution) |
Resources
Read these before attempting any device interaction — they describe the DSL schema, action set, predicates, failure strategies, and .mob syntax.
| URI | Purpose |
|---|---|
mobai://reference/device-automation | How to control devices — guide, all DSL actions, predicates, and failure strategies |
mobai://reference/testing | Testing workflow, rules, error fixes, and .mob script syntax |
Example
Open the iOS Settings app, navigate to Wi-Fi, and verify the toggle exists:
{
"version": "0.2",
"steps": [
{"action": "open_app", "bundle_id": "com.apple.Preferences"},
{"action": "wait_for", "predicate": {"text": "Settings"}, "timeout_ms": 3000},
{"action": "tap", "predicate": {"text_contains": "Wi-Fi"}},
{"action": "wait_for", "predicate": {"type": "switch"}, "timeout_ms": 3000},
{"action": "assert_exists", "predicate": {"type": "switch"}},
{"action": "observe", "include": ["ui_tree"]}
]
}
Pass this as the commands argument (a JSON string) to execute_dsl along with a device_id from list_devices.
Troubleshooting
"Connection refused" / "Could not reach the MobAI desktop app" — Make sure the MobAI desktop app is installed and running, and the API is reachable at http://127.0.0.1:8686. If you don't have it yet, download and install it from https://mobai.run/download.
"Bridge not running" — Call start_bridge first. The iOS bridge can take up to a minute to come up.
Screenshots not visible — get_screenshot saves to /tmp/mobai/screenshots/ by default and returns the file path. Use your assistant's file-reading capability to view them. DSL observe screenshots are extracted from the response and saved to the same directory.
Development
git clone https://github.com/MobAI-App/mobai-mcp.git
cd mobai-mcp
npm install
npm run build
node dist/index.js
License
Apache 2.0 — see LICENSE.