Peekaboo MCP: Screenshots so fast they’re paranormal.

A ghostly macOS utility that haunts your screen, capturing spectral snapshots and peering into windows with supernatural AI vision. 🎃

👁️‍🗨️ "I SEE DEAD PIXELS!" - Your AI Assistant, Probably

🎭 Peekaboo: Because even AI needs to see what the hell you're talking about!

Ever tried explaining a UI bug to Claude or Cursor? It's like playing charades with a blindfolded ghost! 👻

"The button is broken!"
"Which button?"
"The blue one!"
"...I'm an AI, I can't see colors. Or buttons. Or anything really."

Enter Peekaboo - the supernatural sight-giver that grants your AI assistants the mystical power of ACTUAL VISION!

🔮 Why Your AI Needs Eyes

• 🐛 Bug Hunting: "See that weird layout issue?" Now they actually CAN see it!
• 🎨 Design Reviews: Let AI roast your CSS crimes with visual evidence
• 📊 Data Analysis: "What's in this chart?" AI can now divine the answer
• 🖼️ UI Testing: Verify your app looks right without the "works on my machine" curse
• 📱 Multi-Screen Sorcery: Capture any window, any app, any time
• 🤖 Automation Magic: Let AI see what you see, then fix what you broke

Think of Peekaboo as supernatural contact lenses for your coding assistant. No more explaining where the "Submit" button is for the 47th time! 🙄

🦇 Summoning Peekaboo

Ritual Requirements

• macOS 14.0+ (Sonoma or later)
• Node.js 20.0+

🕯️ Quick Summoning Ritual

Summon Peekaboo into your Agent realm:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "peekaboo": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@steipete/peekaboo-mcp@beta"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PEEKABOO_AI_PROVIDERS": "ollama/llava:latest"
      }
    }
  }
}

4. Restart Claude Desktop

That's it! Peekaboo will materialize from the digital ether, ready to haunt your screen! 👻

🔮 Mystical Configuration

Enchantment Variables

Cast powerful spells upon Peekaboo using mystical environment variables:

{
  "PEEKABOO_AI_PROVIDERS": "ollama/llava:latest,openai/gpt-4o",
  "PEEKABOO_LOG_LEVEL": "debug",
  "PEEKABOO_LOG_FILE": "/tmp/peekaboo-mcp.log",
  "PEEKABOO_DEFAULT_SAVE_PATH": "~/Pictures/PeekabooCaptures",
  "PEEKABOO_CONSOLE_LOGGING": "true",
  "PEEKABOO_CLI_PATH": "/opt/custom/peekaboo"
}

🎭 Available Enchantments

Variable	Description	Default
PEEKABOO_AI_PROVIDERS	Comma-separated list of provider_name/default_model_for_provider pairs (e.g., "openai/gpt-4o,ollama/llava:7b"). If a model is not specified for a provider (e.g., "openai"), a default model for that provider will be used. This setting determines which AI backends are available for the analyze tool. Recommended for Ollama: "ollama/llava:latest" for the best vision model.	"" (none)
PEEKABOO_LOG_LEVEL	Logging level (trace, debug, info, warn, error, fatal).	info
PEEKABOO_LOG_FILE	Path to the server's log file.	path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'peekaboo-mcp.log')
PEEKABOO_DEFAULT_SAVE_PATH	Default base absolute path for saving images captured by the image tool. If the path argument is provided to the image tool, it takes precedence. If neither image.path nor this environment variable is set, the Swift CLI saves to its default temporary directory.	(none, Swift CLI uses temp paths)
PEEKABOO_OLLAMA_BASE_URL	Base URL for the Ollama API server. Only needed if Ollama is running on a non-default address.	http://localhost:11434
PEEKABOO_CONSOLE_LOGGING	Boolean ("true"/"false") for development console logs.	"false"
PEEKABOO_CLI_PATH	Optional override for the Swift peekaboo CLI executable path.	(uses bundled CLI)

🧙 AI Spirit Guide Configuration (PEEKABOO_AI_PROVIDERS In-Depth)

The PEEKABOO_AI_PROVIDERS environment variable is your gateway to unlocking Peekaboo's analytical abilities. It should be a comma-separated string defining the AI providers and their default models. For example:

PEEKABOO_AI_PROVIDERS="ollama/llava:latest,openai/gpt-4o,anthropic/claude-3-haiku-20240307"

Each entry follows the format provider_name/model_identifier.

• provider_name: Currently supported values are ollama (for local Ollama instances) and openai. Support for anthropic is planned.
• model_identifier: The specific model to use for that provider (e.g., llava:latest, gpt-4o).

The analyze tool will use these configurations. If the provider_config argument in the analyze tool is set to "auto" (the default), Peekaboo will try providers from PEEKABOO_AI_PROVIDERS in the order they are listed, checking for necessary API keys (like OPENAI_API_KEY) or service availability (like Ollama running at http://localhost:11434 or the URL specified in PEEKABOO_OLLAMA_BASE_URL).

You can override the model or pick a specific provider listed in PEEKABOO_AI_PROVIDERS using the analyze tool's provider_config argument. (The system will still verify its operational readiness, e.g., API key presence or service availability.)

🦙 Summoning Ollama - The Local Vision Oracle

Ollama provides a powerful local AI that can analyze your screenshots without sending data to the cloud. Here's how to summon this digital spirit:

📦 Installing Ollama

macOS (via Homebrew):

brew install ollama

Visit ollama.ai and download the macOS app.

Start the Ollama daemon:

ollama serve

The daemon will run at http://localhost:11434 by default.

🎭 Downloading Vision Models

For powerful machines, LLaVA (Large Language and Vision Assistant) is the recommended model:

# Download the latest LLaVA model (recommended for best quality)
ollama pull llava:latest

# Alternative LLaVA versions
ollama pull llava:7b-v1.6
ollama pull llava:13b-v1.6  # Larger, more capable
ollama pull llava:34b-v1.6  # Largest, most powerful (requires significant RAM)

For less beefy machines, Qwen2-VL provides excellent performance with lower resource requirements:

# Download Qwen2-VL 7B model (great balance of quality and performance)
ollama pull qwen2-vl:7b

Model Size Guide:

• qwen2-vl:7b - ~4GB download, ~6GB RAM required (excellent for lighter machines)
• llava:7b - ~4.5GB download, ~8GB RAM required
• llava:13b - ~8GB download, ~16GB RAM required
• llava:34b - ~20GB download, ~40GB RAM required

🔮 Configuring Peekaboo with Ollama

Add Ollama to your Claude Desktop configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "peekaboo": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@steipete/peekaboo-mcp@beta"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PEEKABOO_AI_PROVIDERS": "ollama/llava:latest"
      }
    }
  }
}

For less powerful machines (using Qwen2-VL):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "peekaboo": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@steipete/peekaboo-mcp@beta"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PEEKABOO_AI_PROVIDERS": "ollama/qwen2-vl:7b"
      }
    }
  }
}

Multiple AI Providers (Ollama + OpenAI):

{
  "env": {
    "PEEKABOO_AI_PROVIDERS": "ollama/llava:latest,openai/gpt-4o",
    "OPENAI_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
  }
}

🧪 Testing Ollama Integration

Verify Ollama is running and accessible:

# Check Ollama is running
curl http://localhost:11434/api/tags

# Test with Peekaboo directly
./peekaboo analyze --image-path ~/Desktop/screenshot.png --question "What do you see?"

🕰️ Granting Mystical Permissions

Peekaboo requires ancient macOS rites to manifest its powers:

1. 👁️ The All-Seeing Eye Permission

Perform the permission ritual:

1. Open System Preferences → Security & Privacy → Privacy
2. Select Screen Recording from the left sidebar
3. Click the lock icon and enter your password
4. Click + and add your terminal application or MCP client
5. Restart the application

Known vessels that can channel Peekaboo:

• Terminal.app: /Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app
• Claude Desktop: /Applications/Claude.app
• VS Code: /Applications/Visual Studio Code.app

2. 🪄 Window Whisperer Permission (Optional)

To whisper commands to windows and make them dance:

1. Open System Preferences → Security & Privacy → Privacy
2. Select Accessibility from the left sidebar
3. Add your terminal/MCP client application

🕯️ Séance Verification

Verify that Peekaboo has successfully crossed over:

# Commune with the Swift spirit directly
./peekaboo --help

# Check the spectral server's pulse
./peekaboo list server_status --json-output

# Capture a soul (requires permission wards)
./peekaboo image --mode screen --format png

# Open the portal for testing
peekaboo-mcp

Expected ghostly whispers:

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "swift_cli_available": true,
    "permissions": {
      "screen_recording": true
    },
    "system_info": {
      "macos_version": "14.0"
    }
  }
}

🎙 Channeling Peekaboo

Once the portal is open and Peekaboo lurks in the shadows, your AI assistant can invoke its tools. Here's how it might look (these are conceptual MCP client calls):

1. 🖼️ image: Capture Ghostly Visions

To capture the entire main screen and save it:

{
  "tool_name": "image",
  "arguments": {
    "mode": "screen",
    "path": "~/Desktop/myscreen.png",
    "format": "png"
  }
}

Peekaboo whispers back details of the saved file(s).

To capture the active window of Finder and return its data as Base64:

{
  "tool_name": "image",
  "arguments": {
    "app": "Finder",
    "mode": "window",
    "return_data": true,
    "format": "jpg"
  }
}

Peekaboo sends back the image data directly, ready for AI eyes, along with info about where it might have been saved if a path was determined.

To capture all windows of "Google Chrome" and bring it to the foreground first:

{
  "tool_name": "image",
  "arguments": {
    "app": "Google Chrome",
    "mode": "multi",
    "capture_focus": "foreground",
    "path": "~/Desktop/ChromeWindows/" // Files will be named and saved here
  }
}

2. 👁️ list: Reveal Hidden Spirits

To list all running applications:

{
  "tool_name": "list",
  "arguments": {
    "item_type": "running_applications"
  }
}

Peekaboo reveals a list of all active digital entities, their PIDs, and more.

To list all windows of the "Preview" app, including their bounds and IDs:

{
  "tool_name": "list",
  "arguments": {
    "item_type": "application_windows",
    "app": "Preview",
    "include_window_details": ["bounds", "ids"]
  }
}

To get the server's current status:

{
  "tool_name": "list",
  "arguments": {
    "item_type": "server_status"
  }
}

3. 🔮 analyze: Divine the Captured Essence

To ask a question about an image using the auto-configured AI provider:

{
  "tool_name": "analyze",
  "arguments": {
    "image_path": "~/Desktop/myscreen.png",
    "question": "What is the main color visible in the top-left quadrant?"
  }
}

Peekaboo consults its AI spirit guides and returns their wisdom.

To force using Ollama with a specific model for analysis:

{
  "tool_name": "analyze",
  "arguments": {
    "image_path": "~/Desktop/some_diagram.jpg",
    "question": "Explain this diagram.",
    "provider_config": {
      "type": "ollama",
      "model": "llava:13b-v1.6"
    }
  }
}

🕸️ Exorcising Demons

Common Hauntings:

Haunting	Exorcism
Permission denied errors during image capture	Grant Screen Recording permission in System Settings → Privacy & Security. Ensure the correct application (Terminal, Claude, VS Code, etc.) is added and checked. Restart the app after changing permissions.
Window capture issues (wrong window, focus problems)	Grant Accessibility permission if using capture_focus: "foreground" or for more reliable window targeting.
Swift CLI unavailable or PEEKABOO_CLI_PATH issues	Ensure the peekaboo binary is at the root of the NPM package, or if PEEKABOO_CLI_PATH is set, verify it points to a valid executable. You can test the Swift CLI directly: path/to/peekaboo --version. If missing or broken, rebuild: cd peekaboo-cli && swift build -c release (then place binary appropriately or update PEEKABOO_CLI_PATH).
AI analysis failed	Check your PEEKABOO_AI_PROVIDERS environment variable for correct format and valid provider/model pairs. Ensure API keys (e.g., OPENAI_API_KEY) are set if using cloud providers. Verify local services like Ollama are running (PEEKABOO_OLLAMA_BASE_URL). Check the server logs (PEEKABOO_LOG_FILE or console if PEEKABOO_CONSOLE_LOGGING="true") for detailed error messages from the AI provider.
Command not found: peekaboo-mcp	If installed globally, ensure your system's PATH includes the global npm binaries directory. If running from a local clone, use node dist/index.js or a configured npm script. For npx, ensure the package name @steipete/peekaboo-mcp is correct.
General weirdness or unexpected behavior	Check the Peekaboo MCP server logs! The default location is /tmp/peekaboo-mcp.log (or what you set in PEEKABOO_LOG_FILE). Set PEEKABOO_LOG_LEVEL=debug for maximum detail.

Ghost Hunter Mode:

# Unleash the ghost hunters
PEEKABOO_LOG_LEVEL=debug peekaboo-mcp

# Divine the permission wards
./peekaboo list server_status --json-output

Summon the Spirit Guides:

• 📚 Documentation
• 🐛 Issues
• 💬 Discussions

🧿 Alternative Summoning Rituals

🧪 From the Ancient Scrolls

If you dare to invoke Peekaboo from the ancient source grimoires:

# Clone the cursed repository
git clone https://github.com/steipete/peekaboo.git
cd peekaboo

# Gather spectral dependencies
npm install

# Forge the TypeScript vessel
npm run build

# Craft the Swift talisman
cd peekaboo-cli
swift build -c release

# Transport the enchanted binary
cp .build/release/peekaboo ../peekaboo

# Return to the haunted grounds
cd ..

# Optional: Cast a global summoning spell
npm link

Then bind Peekaboo to Claude Desktop (or another MCP vessel) using your local incantations. If you performed npm link, the spell peekaboo-mcp echoes through the command realm. Alternatively, summon directly through node:

Example MCP Client Configuration (using local build):

If you ran npm link and peekaboo-mcp is in your PATH:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "peekaboo_local": {
      "command": "peekaboo-mcp",
      "args": [],
      "env": {
        "PEEKABOO_LOG_LEVEL": "debug",
        "PEEKABOO_CONSOLE_LOGGING": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

Alternatively, running directly with node:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "peekaboo_local_node": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/Users/steipete/Projects/Peekaboo/dist/index.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PEEKABOO_LOG_LEVEL": "debug",
        "PEEKABOO_CONSOLE_LOGGING": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

Remember to replace /Users/steipete/Projects/Peekaboo/dist/index.js with the actual absolute path to the dist/index.js in your cloned project if it differs. Also, when using these local configurations, ensure you use a distinct key (like "peekaboo_local" or "peekaboo_local_node") in your MCP client's server list to avoid conflicts if you also have the npx-based "peekaboo" server configured.

🍎 Ancient AppleScript Ritual

For those who seek a simpler conjuring without the full spectral server, invoke the ancient AppleScript:

# Run the AppleScript directly
osascript peekaboo.scpt

This provides a simple way to capture screenshots but doesn't include the MCP integration or AI analysis features.

Manual Configuration for Other MCP Clients

For MCP clients other than Claude Desktop:

{
  "server": {
    "command": "node",
    "args": ["/path/to/peekaboo/dist/index.js"],
    "env": {
      "PEEKABOO_AI_PROVIDERS": "ollama/llava,openai/gpt-4o"
    }
  }
}

---

🎭 Spectral Powers

Once summoned, Peekaboo grants you three supernatural abilities:

🖼️ image - Soul Capture

Parameters:

• mode: "screen" | "window" | "multi" (default: "screen")
• app: Application identifier for window/multi modes
• path: Custom save path (optional)

Example:

{
  "name": "image", 
  "arguments": {
    "mode": "window",
    "app": "Safari"
  }
}

👻 list - Spirit Detection

Parameters:

• item_type: "running_applications" | "application_windows" | "server_status"
• app: Application identifier (required for application_windows)

Example:

{
  "name": "list",
  "arguments": {
    "item_type": "running_applications"
  }
}

🔮 analyze - Vision Divination

Parameters:

• image_path: Absolute path to image file
• question: Question/prompt for AI analysis

Example:

{
  "name": "analyze",
  "arguments": {
    "image_path": "/tmp/screenshot.png",
    "question": "What applications are visible in this screenshot?"
  }
}

🌙 Supernatural Abilities

🖼️ Ethereal Vision Capture

• Multi-realm vision: Captures each spectral display separately
• Soul targeting: Supernatural app/window divination with ethereal matching
• Essence preservation: PNG, JPEG, WebP, HEIF soul containers
• Mystical naming: Temporal runes and descriptive incantations
• Ward detection: Automatic permission ward verification

👻 Spirit Management

• Spirit census: Complete digital ghost registry
• Portal detection: Per-spirit window scrying with ethereal metadata
• Spectral matching: Divine apps by partial essence, soul ID, or spirit number
• Life force monitoring: Active/slumbering status, portal counts

🧿 Oracle Integration

• Oracle agnostic: Currently channels Ollama (via direct API calls) and OpenAI (via its official Node.js SDK). Support for other mystical seers like Anthropic is anticipated.
• Image analysis: Natural language querying of captured content
• Configurable: Environment-based provider selection

🏩 Haunted Architecture

Peekaboo/
├── src/                      # Node.js MCP Server (TypeScript)
│   ├── index.ts             # Main MCP server entry point
│   ├── tools/               # Individual tool implementations
│   │   ├── image.ts         # Screen capture tool
│   │   ├── analyze.ts       # AI analysis tool  
│   │   └── list.ts          # Application/window listing
│   ├── utils/               # Utility modules
│   │   ├── peekaboo-cli.ts   # Swift CLI integration
│   │   ├── ai-providers.ts  # AI provider management
│   │   └── server-status.ts # Server status utilities
│   └── types/               # Shared type definitions
├── peekaboo-cli/            # Native Swift CLI
│   └── Sources/peekaboo/    # Swift source files
│       ├── main.swift       # CLI entry point
│       ├── ImageCommand.swift    # Image capture implementation
│       ├── ListCommand.swift     # Application listing
│       ├── Models.swift          # Data structures
│       ├── ApplicationFinder.swift   # App discovery logic
│       ├── WindowManager.swift      # Window management
│       ├── PermissionsChecker.swift # macOS permissions
│       └── JSONOutput.swift        # JSON response formatting
├── package.json             # Node.js dependencies
├── tsconfig.json           # TypeScript configuration
└── README.md               # This file

🔬 Arcane Knowledge

📜 Ancient Runes (JSON Output)

The Swift CLI outputs structured JSON when called with --json-output:

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "applications": [
      {
        "app_name": "Safari",
        "bundle_id": "com.apple.Safari", 
        "pid": 1234,
        "is_active": true,
        "window_count": 2
      }
    ]
  },
  "debug_logs": ["Found 50 applications"]
}

🌌 Portal Integration

The Node.js server translates between MCP's JSON-RPC protocol and the Swift CLI's JSON output, providing:

• Schema validation via Zod
• Error handling with proper MCP error codes
• Logging via Pino logger
• Type safety throughout the TypeScript codebase

🚪 Permission Wards

Peekaboo respects macOS security by:

• Checking screen recording permissions before capture operations
• Graceful degradation when permissions are missing
• Clear error messages guiding users to grant required permissions

🧿 Ghost Hunting

🕯️ Manual Séances

# Channel the Swift spirit
./peekaboo list apps --json-output | head -20

# Test the spectral portal  
echo '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": 1, "method": "tools/list"}' | node dist/index.js

# Test image capture
echo '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": 2, "method": "tools/call", "params": {"name": "image", "arguments": {"mode": "screen"}}}' | node dist/index.js

🤖 Automated Exorcisms

# TypeScript compilation
npm run build

# Swift compilation  
cd peekaboo-cli && swift build

🕸️ Known Curses

• FileHandle warning: Non-critical Swift warning about TextOutputStream conformance
• AI Provider Config: Requires PEEKABOO_AI_PROVIDERS environment variable for analysis features

🌀 Future Hauntings

• OCR Integration: Built-in text extraction from screenshots
• Video Capture: Screen recording capabilities
• Annotation Tools: Drawing/markup on captured images
• Cloud Storage: Direct upload to cloud providers
• Hotkey Support: System-wide keyboard shortcuts

📜 Ancient Pact

MIT License - bound by the ancient pact in the LICENSE grimoire.

🧛 Join the Coven

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

---

🎃 Peekaboo awaits your command! This spectral servant bridges the veil between macOS's forbidden APIs and the ethereal realm of Node.js, granting you powers to capture souls and divine their secrets. Happy haunting! 👻