MCP Directory

How to add Cupertino to Claude Desktop

Local Apple documentation index served to AI agents over MCP — docs, HIG, Swift Evolution, packages, and sample code. Paste the config into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json and restart Claude Desktop.

Last updated June 14, 2026 · 832★ · stdio · no auth

Claude Desktop config for Cupertino

brew tap mihaelamj/tap && brew install cupertino && cupertino setup
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cupertino": {
      "command": "/usr/local/bin/cupertino",
      "args": [
        "serve"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Setup steps

  1. 1Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config (this opens ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json).
  2. 2Paste the Cupertino config below under the top-level "mcpServers" key.
  3. 3Fill in any placeholder secrets (API keys, paths) in the snippet.
  4. 4Save the file, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.
  5. 5Open a chat and confirm Cupertino's tools appear under the 🔌 tools menu.

Before you start

  • macOS 15+ (Sequoia)
  • ~4.2 GB free disk for the full v1.3.0 bundle (compressed download ~742 MB)
  • Cupertino binary installed (Homebrew, install script, or build from source)
  • Run `cupertino setup` to download the pre-built databases before serving
  • Building from source additionally requires Swift 6.3+ and Xcode 26+

What Cupertino can do in Claude Desktop

search

Unified full-text search across every indexed source. Parameters: query (required), source, framework, language, include_archive, limit, and min_ios/min_macos/min_tvos/min_watchos/min_visionos/min_swift platform filters (AND-combined).

list_frameworks

List the available Apple frameworks in the indexed corpus.

list_documents

List documents within the corpus or a given scope.

list_children

List the child pages/documents of a given documentation node.

read_document

Read a full document by URI. Pass format=json for agents or format=markdown for humans.

list_samples

List indexed Apple sample-code projects.

read_sample

Read a sample-code project; pass format=json for a typed project payload.

read_sample_file

Read an individual file from a sample-code project; pass format=json for a typed file payload.

Security

Runs entirely locally; the served databases ship read-only (rollback journal mode) so no query, read, or serve connection can write or delete rows. No API keys or credentials required. Requires macOS 15+ and ~4.2 GB free disk for the full bundle. MCP JSON-RPC wire traffic is written to stderr (stdout carries the protocol). Intended for educational and development use; respect Apple's Terms of Service when using their documentation.

Cupertino + Claude Desktop FAQ

Where is the Claude Desktop config file?

Claude Desktop reads MCP servers from ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. Paste the Cupertino config there under the "mcpServers" key and restart the client.

Is Cupertino safe to use with Claude Desktop?

Runs entirely locally; the served databases ship read-only (rollback journal mode) so no query, read, or serve connection can write or delete rows. No API keys or credentials required. Requires macOS 15+ and ~4.2 GB free disk for the full bundle. MCP JSON-RPC wire traffic is written to stderr (stdout carries the protocol). Intended for educational and development use; respect Apple's Terms of Service when using their documentation.

Does Cupertino need an API key or internet access?

No. It serves a local SQLite corpus over stdio with no API key. After a one-time `cupertino setup` download, search and reads work fully offline.

How do I add it to Claude Code?

Run `claude mcp add cupertino --scope user -- $(which cupertino)`, which registers Cupertino globally for all your projects. For Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, Zed, Windsurf, Codex, and others, copy-paste config is in docs/mcp-clients.md.

What platforms does it run on?

macOS 15+ (Sequoia). The full v1.3.0 bundle needs ~4.2 GB free disk (~742 MB compressed download). A Linux port is on the roadmap.

View repo Full Cupertino page