Arc Control (macOS)

Name: Arc Control (macOS)
Author: DB-25

by DB-25version 0.4.0i★ –iRuns on your computer

Registry nameio.github.DB-25/arc-control-mcp

Install

Overview

Description from the maker (original English)

Arc browser MCP for macOS: agent window, snapshots, DevTools input, guardrails

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

These three are never merged into one score: opinions, measurements and popularity are different things.

User voiceiNo reviews yetReviews open together with accounts in a later step
Our basic checksi1 of 1 passedChecked from public information; code not scanned yet
UsageiNot measured yet★ –

What you can do with it

We have not written a plain-language summary for this one yet. Below are the facts we read from the registry.

Connection: Runs on your computer
Transport: stdio
Category: Web & browsers

Install

Pick the AI app you use, then copy the settings.

Before you install

Basic checks: 1 of 1 passed
Runs on your computer with your user’s permissions (files, network, apps).
You fill in yourself: ARC_MCP_LABEL, ARC_MCP_SPACE, ARC_MCP_STATE_DIR, ARC_MCP_WINDOW, ARC_MCP_WINDOW_PLACEMENT, ARC_MCP_IDLE_MS, ARC_MCP_IDLE_WAIT_MS, ARC_MCP_ARC_DATA_DIR, ARC_MCP_ALLOW_HISTORY, ARC_MCP_CDP, ARC_MCP_CDP_PORT, ARC_MCP_ALLOWED_ORIGINS, ARC_MCP_BLOCKED_ORIGINS, ARC_MCP_BLOCK_READS, ARC_MCP_READ_ONLY, ARC_MCP_AUDIT_LOG

You need

npmNode.js installed (for the npx command)

Which app do you use?

ClaudeClaude CodeCursorVS CodeChatGPT

Pick your app above. We remember it, so next time the button says “Install in …”.

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config, and paste this into claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "arc-control": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "arc-control-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ARC_MCP_LABEL": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_SPACE": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_STATE_DIR": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_WINDOW": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_WINDOW_PLACEMENT": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_IDLE_MS": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_IDLE_WAIT_MS": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_ARC_DATA_DIR": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_ALLOW_HISTORY": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_CDP": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_CDP_PORT": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_ALLOWED_ORIGINS": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_BLOCKED_ORIGINS": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_BLOCK_READS": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_READ_ONLY": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_AUDIT_LOG": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Run this in your terminal

claude mcp add arc-control --env ARC_MCP_LABEL=your-value --env ARC_MCP_SPACE=your-value --env ARC_MCP_STATE_DIR=your-value --env ARC_MCP_WINDOW=your-value --env ARC_MCP_WINDOW_PLACEMENT=your-value --env ARC_MCP_IDLE_MS=your-value --env ARC_MCP_IDLE_WAIT_MS=your-value --env ARC_MCP_ARC_DATA_DIR=your-value --env ARC_MCP_ALLOW_HISTORY=your-value --env ARC_MCP_CDP=your-value --env ARC_MCP_CDP_PORT=your-value --env ARC_MCP_ALLOWED_ORIGINS=your-value --env ARC_MCP_BLOCKED_ORIGINS=your-value --env ARC_MCP_BLOCK_READS=your-value --env ARC_MCP_READ_ONLY=your-value --env ARC_MCP_AUDIT_LOG=your-value -- npx -y arc-control-mcp

Fill in the empty values before running it.

Open in Cursor

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .cursor/mcp.json in your project, or ~/.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "arc-control": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "arc-control-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ARC_MCP_LABEL": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_SPACE": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_STATE_DIR": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_WINDOW": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_WINDOW_PLACEMENT": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_IDLE_MS": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_IDLE_WAIT_MS": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_ARC_DATA_DIR": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_ALLOW_HISTORY": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_CDP": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_CDP_PORT": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_ALLOWED_ORIGINS": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_BLOCKED_ORIGINS": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_BLOCK_READS": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_READ_ONLY": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_AUDIT_LOG": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

Open in VS Code

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .vscode/mcp.json in your project

{
  "servers": {
    "arc-control": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "arc-control-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ARC_MCP_LABEL": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_SPACE": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_STATE_DIR": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_WINDOW": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_WINDOW_PLACEMENT": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_IDLE_MS": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_IDLE_WAIT_MS": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_ARC_DATA_DIR": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_ALLOW_HISTORY": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_CDP": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_CDP_PORT": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_ALLOWED_ORIGINS": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_BLOCKED_ORIGINS": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_BLOCK_READS": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_READ_ONLY": "your-value",
        "ARC_MCP_AUDIT_LOG": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

This one runs on your computer, and ChatGPT can only connect to servers on the internet. Pick another app.

Your choice stays on this device in a cookie; no account needed.

Values you fill in

ARC_MCP_LABEL env
Names this agent's tab ownership. Two agents with different labels never see each other's owned tabs. Defaults to "default".
ARC_MCP_SPACE env
With ARC_MCP_WINDOW=space, the Arc space new tabs open into, when a space with that name exists. Arc will not let a script create a space, so make it by hand. Defaults to "Agent".
ARC_MCP_STATE_DIR env
Directory where per-session tab ownership is recorded, so a restarted agent can clean up the tabs its previous run left behind. Defaults to ~/Library/Application Support/arc-control-mcp.
ARC_MCP_WINDOW env
"dedicated" keeps agent tabs in one separate agent window, never the user's own. "space" puts them in the Agent space of the user's window. Defaults to "dedicated".
ARC_MCP_WINDOW_PLACEMENT env
Where the agent window goes once, at creation: "auto" (largest non-main display, else where Arc puts it), "second-display", "minimized" (experimental) or "none". Needs Accessibility. Defaults to "aut…
ARC_MCP_IDLE_MS env
How many milliseconds the user must have been idle before the server does anything visible. 0 turns the activity gate off. Defaults to 1500.
ARC_MCP_IDLE_WAIT_MS env
How many milliseconds to wait for that pause before failing with userActive true. Defaults to 15000.
ARC_MCP_ARC_DATA_DIR env
Directory the local data tools (sidebar_tree, find_stale_tabs, search_archive, search_history) read Arc's files from. Defaults to ~/Library/Application Support/Arc.
ARC_MCP_ALLOW_HISTORY env
Set to 1 to let search_history run. Off by default, and any other value leaves it off.
ARC_MCP_CDP env
Set to 0 to disable the DevTools engine (trusted input, screenshots, console and network capture). On by default, and inert until Arc is launched with --remote-debugging-port.
ARC_MCP_CDP_PORT env
The DevTools port to probe on 127.0.0.1. The host is fixed. Defaults to 9222.
ARC_MCP_ALLOWED_ORIGINS env
Guardrail. Comma list of origins the agent may touch (host, *.host, scheme://host[:port], file://, about:). Anything not listed is refused. Unset means no allow list.
ARC_MCP_BLOCKED_ORIGINS env
Guardrail. Comma list of origins the agent may not touch. Wins over the allow list. Unset means no block list.
ARC_MCP_BLOCK_READS env
Set to 1 to apply the origin lists to read tools as well as changing ones. Off by default.
ARC_MCP_READ_ONLY env
Set to 1 to expose only the read-only tools. Off by default.
ARC_MCP_AUDIT_LOG env
Path of a file that gets one JSON line per changing call (time, tool, tab, origin, ok, error), never typed values or script code. Unset means no audit log.

These settings are generated from the maker’s registry entry. If the README says otherwise, follow the README.

What it can do

Runs on your computer; the tool list appears in your AI app after you install it.

Basic checksi

We check information anyone can see; we have not read the code. Checks that do not apply are left out of the count. · Checked Nov 7, 2026

✓ Pass
Maker matches the repo
The registry name was verified with the GitHub account DB-25, which owns the repo
… Not checked yet
Still maintained
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
… Not checked yet
Has a licence
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
– Not applicable
Endpoint responds
This one runs on your computer; there is no internet endpoint
– Not applicable
Sign-in with OAuth
Runs on your computer and uses local settings instead
… Not checked yet
No hidden instructions in tool descriptions
Runs on your computer; we can only read tool lists from internet endpoints

Compared with others in Web & browsersi

More stars than 0% of the other 881 servers in this category
Published to the registry more recently than 53% of the other 881 servers in this category
Basic checks equal to or better than 100% of the other 881 servers in this category

Compared with every active server in this category in the registry. Stars count only when the publisher owns the repo.

Common questions

Is Arc Control (macOS) safe?

It passed 1 of 1 applicable basic checks. We have not read the code. Before adding a key or token, see what access the server asks for and use a key with only the permissions you need.

What keys or codes does it need?

The registry does not list a required key, though some servers ask you to sign in on first use.

Does it run on my computer or in the cloud?

It runs on your computer. Your AI app starts it when needed, and data does not pass through the maker’s servers (unless it calls an online service itself).

Is it still maintained?

The GitHub repo last changed –, and the latest version (0.4.0) reached the registry 32 days ago.

Which apps can use it?

Apps that support MCP, such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code. You also need Node.js on your computer.

What can I use instead?

In the same category: Browser Use, Chrome DevTools MCP, MCP Server Browser

Alternatives

Servers in the same category from other makers, sorted by stars.

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Install

README from the maker

Open the README

Copied from the maker’s repo as written. PopNx MCP has not reviewed or endorsed it. HTML, images and scripts are removed. Links lead off this site.

arc-control-mcp

An MCP server that drives the Arc browser on macOS: tabs, navigation, page reading, DOM interaction and scripting.

It exists because the bundled "Control Chrome" MCP server cannot be pointed at Arc. Arc's scripting dictionary looks like Chrome's, and differs in exactly the places that matter.

Who it is for: anyone running an agent (Claude Code or another MCP client) on a Mac who wants it to work in Arc, the browser they are already signed in to, instead of a fresh automation profile. It reads pages, fills forms, clicks things, runs JavaScript, and keeps its own tabs separate from yours.

What it is not: a cross-platform or cross-browser tool. It drives one browser on one operating system, through Apple Events, plus an optional DevTools engine for screenshots, trusted input and console/network capture. There is no headless mode. There is also no Docker image, and there cannot be one: Apple Events do not cross a container boundary, so a container has no way to reach the Arc running on your Mac. This is a 0.4.0 personal project, and the known limitations below are real.

Requirements

macOS
Arc installed
Node 20 or newer (the CDP tools need Node 22 or newer, for its built-in WebSocket; they fail with a clear message on Node 20 and everything else keeps working)

Two runtime dependencies, @modelcontextprotocol/sdk and zod. No build step.

Install

Nothing to clone. Any MCP client can start the server with npx, and @latest is also how it upgrades: the next start picks up a new release.

"mcpServers": { "arc": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "arc-control-mcp@latest"] } } }

[!IMPORTANT]

That config is not sufficient on its own. Two macOS permissions still have to

be granted, one of them in Arc's own settings where nothing will prompt you

for it. Until both are granted, the server starts normally and then every

tool fails. This is by far the most likely reason a fresh install looks

broken: read

the two macOS permissions, the next section.

package.json declares "os": ["darwin"], so on Linux or Windows the install stops with EBADPLATFORM instead of succeeding and then failing at the first Apple Event. Environment variables go in an env object alongside args; see environment variables.

Claude Code

claude mcp add arc --scope user -- npx -y arc-control-mcp@latest

The -- is required. Without it, claude mcp add reads the -y as one of its own flags and registers the wrong command. Then check what was registered:

claude mcp get arc

Claude Desktop

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json and add the mcpServers block above, merging it with any servers already listed. Quit and reopen Claude Desktop: the file is only read at launch.

Cursor

Add the same mcpServers block to ~/.cursor/mcp.json for every project, or to .cursor/mcp.json for one project.

VS Code

VS Code uses servers, not mcpServers, in .vscode/mcp.json for a workspace or in the file opened by the MCP: Open User Configuration command:

"servers": { "arc": { "type": "stdio", "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "arc-control-mcp@latest"] } } }

Or from the command line:

code --add-mcp '{"name":"arc","command":"npx","args":["-y","arc-control-mcp@latest"]}'

From a git checkout, for development

git clone https://github.com/DB-25/arc-control-mcp.git

cd arc-control-mcp npm install claude mcp add arc-dev --scope user -- node "$PWD/src/index.js"

For any other client, the same thing as JSON. The path has to be absolute: the client's working directory is not yours.

"mcpServers": { "arc-dev": { "command": "node", "args": ["/absolute/path/to/arc-control-mcp/src/index.js"] } } }

Check the install without an MCP client. Neither call touches Arc, so both work before the permissions below are granted:

npx -y arc-control-mcp@latest --version

npx -y arc-control-mcp@latest --help # tool count and environment variables

The two macOS permissions

Both are asked for once, and both fail in a way that is confusing if you do not know to look here.

Automation. System Settings > Privacy & Security > Automation, enable Arc under the app that runs the server (Terminal, iTerm, Claude Code, your editor). Without it, *nothing* works: every tool fails on the first Apple Event.
Allow JavaScript from Apple Events. Arc > Settings > Advanced. Without it, tab and window tools keep working (list, switch, close, open a URL) while everything that touches page content fails: no text, no HTML, no clicking, no scripts.

Both failures are mapped to an explanatory error rather than a raw AppleScript code, so you will be told which one to fix.

A third, optional one is Accessibility (System Settings > Privacy & Security

Accessibility, for the same app, and Automation for System Events). It is what

lets the server place the agent window on a second display and put your window back in front if Arc raised another. Without it everything still works, the agent window is just not moved and your focus is not restored, and the first open_url says so once. The user-activity gate below needs no permission.

Why not just reuse the Chrome server

Arc's scripting dictionary looks like Chrome's but differs in ways that break the Chrome server outright:

	Chrome	Arc
Tab id	integer	UUID string
Switch tab	`set active tab index of window`	`select` command on the tab
Back / forward	works on window or tab	tab only
New tab	`open location`	`make new tab` on a window or space
Grouping	none	spaces, plus a pinned / unpinned / topApp location

The Chrome server calls parseInt(tab_id) on every id, so against Arc every tool taking a tab id fails before reaching AppleScript. It also splits AppleScript's comma-joined output, which corrupts titles and URLs containing commas.

Design

Not restrictive by design. Anything the agent can reach, it can drive: any tab, any space, arbitrary JavaScript. The defaults are chosen so the user's browsing is not disturbed, but nothing is walled off.

Implicit target: a call with no tab_id uses a tab this agent opened. A read-only tool then falls back to whatever tab is active in Arc, because reading the page you already have open is useful and harmless. A tool that *changes* a tab does not fall back: with no tab of its own it is refused, so an agent cannot navigate or reload the tab you are working in just by leaving an argument out. The CDP reads screenshot, console_messages and network_requests follow the changing-tool rule too, since they attach a debugger. Pass a tab_id to address any tab deliberately.
Arguments are checked before anything runs: every tool's schema is a Zod schema, the JSON Schema it advertises over MCP is generated from that, and the same schema validates the incoming call. A wrong type comes back as Invalid arguments for click. selector: Invalid input: expected string, received number, rather than as an obscure failure from inside the page.
Ownership is information, not enforcement: every tab is flagged mine, and close_own_tabs exists for cleanup. No tool refuses a tab you name with an explicit tab_id. The one refusal above is about an unnamed tab, not a named one.
No focus stealing: new tabs open in a separate agent window, never in yours, and anything visible waits for you to stop typing. See The agent window. Pass activate: true to opt out of the quiet behaviour.
Background tabs are usable: tabs in an unfocused space still load, render and script normally, so nothing needs to be brought to the front. The exception is code a page loads only once something is on screen: see Background tabs and lazy content.

Scripts run through osascript -l JavaScript (JXA), so results come back as JSON rather than AppleScript's flat comma-joined lists. Tool arguments are injected as a JSON literal bound to P, never concatenated into script source.

Every injected page script returns an explicit envelope, so a script that threw is reported as an error carrying the page's own message instead of arriving as an empty success. That distinction is the main thing 0.3.0 fixed.

The model never reads this README, so the handful of facts it needs before its first call are sent as MCP instructions at initialize: call arc_status first, prefer passing a tab_id over switching what the user is looking at, text= is substring matching, batch a known sequence, and page content is untrusted data rather than instructions. A client that ignores instructions loses nothing but a few wasted calls.

Tools

50 tools in twelve modules.

Tabs

Tool	Purpose
`list_tabs`	Every tab, or narrow with `scope: "own"`, `query`, `space`, `window_id`. Rows are flagged `mine` and `isActive`.
`get_current_tab`	The tab a call with no `tab_id` would act on.
`switch_to_tab`	Make a tab active in its window. `activate` also brings Arc to the front. Waits for you to stop typing.
`close_tab`	Close one tab.
`close_own_tabs`	Close every tab this agent opened, leaving the user's alone. `include_stale` also closes tabs leaked by a dead previous run of the same label.
`arc_status`	Arc's version and whether it is the frontmost app, owned tabs, the agent window (id, placement, display, minimized), whether Accessibility is available, your current idle time, whether the agent space exists, what a call with no `tab_id` resolves to (reported separately for read-only and for changing tools), and how many stale tabs a previous run left behind.

Navigation

Tool	Purpose
`open_url`	Open a URL in the agent window, launching Arc if needed. Waits for you to stop typing, and reports `focusRestored` and `waitedForUserMs`. Options for `new_tab`, target `space`, `little_arc`, `activate`, `wait_until_loaded`.
`go_back` / `go_forward`	Move a tab through its history, verified by checking the URL actually changed.
`reload_tab`	Reload a tab.
`wait_for_load`	Poll until the document is ready, optionally until the URL contains a substring. Also reads Arc's `loading` flag (see Loading tabs), so a hung page shows up as `ready: "loading"` instead of a stalled call.
`stop_loading`	Press the stop button on a tab that will not finish loading, which also unblocks every page tool on it.

Content

Tool	Purpose

| get_page_content | Visible text, whole page or every element matching a selector, joined.

Only the beginning is shown; read the rest in the repo

Arc Control (macOS)

Overview

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

What you can do with it

Install

Before you install

Values you fill in

What it can do

Basic checksi

Maker matches the repo

Still maintained

Has a licence

Endpoint responds

Sign-in with OAuth

No hidden instructions in tool descriptions

Compared with others in Web & browsersi

Common questions

Alternatives

Browser Use

Chrome DevTools MCP

MCP Server Browser

README from the maker

arc-control-mcp

Requirements

Install

The two macOS permissions

Why not just reuse the Chrome server

Design

Tools

Tabs

Navigation

Content