kwin-mcp
Model Context Protocol server for Linux desktop GUI automation on KDE Plasma 6 Wayland
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables AI agents (Claude Code, Cursor, and other MCP clients) to launch, interact with, and observe any Wayland application in a fully isolated virtual KWin session -- without affecting the user's desktop. It also supports live desktop automation by connecting to an existing KWin session (real desktop or container) for collaborative workflows. With 30 MCP tools covering mouse, keyboard, touch, clipboard, accessibility tree inspection, screenshot capture, and window management, kwin-mcp provides everything needed for end-to-end GUI testing and desktop automation on Linux.
Table of Contents
Why kwin-mcp?
- Isolated sessions -- Each session runs in its own
dbus-run-session + kwin_wayland --virtual sandbox. Your host desktop is never affected.
- Live session support -- Connect to a real KDE Plasma desktop or a KWin instance inside a container (e.g.
systemd-nspawn) for collaborative "share my screen" workflows.
- No screenshots required for interaction -- The AT-SPI2 accessibility tree gives the AI agent structured widget data (roles, names, coordinates, states, available actions), so it can interact with UI elements without relying solely on vision.
- Zero authorization prompts -- Uses KWin's private EIS (Emulated Input Server) D-Bus interface directly, bypassing the XDG RemoteDesktop portal. No user confirmation dialogs.
- Works with any Wayland app -- Anything that runs on KDE Plasma 6 Wayland works: Qt, GTK, Electron, and more. Input is injected via the standard
libei protocol.
- Full input coverage -- Mouse, keyboard, multi-touch, and clipboard -- all injected through the isolated session for complete desktop automation.
Use Cases
Automated GUI Testing
Run end-to-end GUI tests for KDE/Qt/GTK applications in headless isolated sessions. kwin-mcp launches each app in its own virtual KWin compositor, interacts via mouse, keyboard, and touch input, then verifies results through screenshots and the accessibility tree -- all without a physical display.
AI-Driven Desktop Automation
Let AI agents like Claude Code autonomously operate desktop applications. The agent reads the accessibility tree to understand the UI, performs actions through 30 MCP tools, and observes the results via screenshots -- creating a complete feedback loop for any Wayland application.
Live Desktop Collaboration
Connect to your real desktop session and let Claude observe and interact with what you see. Use session_connect or pass --default-live-session to make live mode the default. Also supports attaching to KWin running inside containers (e.g. systemd-nspawn) for isolated agent desktops.
Headless GUI Testing in CI/CD
Integrate Linux desktop GUI testing into CI/CD pipelines. kwin-mcp's virtual sessions require no X11 or physical display server, making it suitable for headless environments like GitHub Actions or GitLab CI runners on Linux.
Kiosk and Embedded Device Automation
Automate kiosk interfaces and embedded Linux desktops running KDE Plasma or a bare KWin Wayland compositor. Use session_start for isolated virtual testing of kiosk UIs, or session_connect to attach directly to a live kiosk or embedded device session for real-time automation and diagnostics.
Quick Start
Requires KDE Plasma 6 on Wayland. See System Requirements for details.
1. Install
# Using uv (recommended)
uv tool install kwin-mcp
# Or using pip
pip install kwin-mcp
2. Configure Claude Code
Add to your project's .mcp.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"kwin-mcp": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["kwin-mcp"]
}
}
}
3. Use it
Ask Claude Code to launch and interact with any GUI application:
Start a KWin session, launch kcalc, and press the buttons to calculate 2 + 3.
