AppControl MCP
AppControl MCP is a local server connecting AI agents and IDEs like Claude, Cursor, and Windsurf to system history provided by the AppControl desktop app. Ask which apps used CPU, GPU, RAM, or disk, and what caused slowdowns, heat spikes, or webcam,
What is AppControl MCP?
AppControl MCP is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to appcontrol mcp is a local server connecting ai agents and ides like claude, cursor, and windsurf to system history provided by the appcontrol desktop app. ask which apps used cpu, gpu, ram, or disk, a...
AppControl MCP is a local server connecting AI agents and IDEs like Claude, Cursor, and Windsurf to system history provided by the AppControl desktop app. Ask which apps used CPU, GPU, RAM, or disk, and what caused slowdowns, heat spikes, or webcam,
This server falls under the Monitoring & Observability and Developer Tools categories on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- AppControl MCP is a local server connecting AI agents and ID
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx appcontrol-mcp-goConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use AppControl MCP
AppControl MCP is a local Go-based MCP server that connects AI assistants and IDEs (Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code) to historical system resource usage and security data collected by the AppControl desktop application on Windows. It exposes nine read-only tools covering CPU, GPU, RAM, disk, and temperature time-series metrics, running processes, code-signing publishers, quarantine rules, binary tracking with hash change detection, and security event history. This lets you ask natural language questions like which app was roaring the fan while you were away, or which unsigned binaries ran today, without leaving your AI assistant.
Prerequisites
- Windows 10 or Windows 11 (the AppControl desktop app is Windows-only)
- AppControl desktop app installed and running with MCP API enabled — see appcontrol.com
- An MCP client: Claude Desktop (recommended for MCPB install), Claude Code, Cursor, or Windsurf
- The appcontrol-mcp.exe binary or appcontrol.mcpb from the latest GitHub release
Install the AppControl desktop app
Download and install the AppControl app from appcontrol.com. Launch it and enable the MCP API in its settings. AppControl collects system resource history and security data that the MCP server exposes.
Download the MCP server binary
Go to the latest release page on GitHub and download either appcontrol.mcpb (for Claude Desktop automatic install) or appcontrol-mcp.exe (for standalone use with any MCP client).
# Download from: https://github.com/AppControlLabs/appcontrol-mcp-go/releases/latestInstall in Claude Desktop (MCPB method — recommended)
In Claude Desktop, go to Settings → Extensions → Advanced Settings and click Install Extension. Select the downloaded appcontrol.mcpb file. Restart Claude Desktop by quitting via the tray icon and relaunching.
Install in Claude Code (plugin marketplace method)
Alternatively, add and install the plugin directly from Claude Code using the plugin marketplace commands.
/plugin marketplace add appcontrollabs/appcontrol-mcp-go
/plugin install appcontrol-mcp@appcontrollabs
/reload-pluginsConfigure standalone executable for other MCP clients
Place appcontrol-mcp.exe in a permanent location (e.g. C:\MCP\) and add it to your MCP client configuration file. No environment variables are required — the server communicates with the AppControl app locally.
{
"mcpServers": {
"appcontrol": {
"command": "C:/MCP/appcontrol-mcp.exe"
}
}
}AppControl MCP Examples
Client configuration
Standalone executable configuration for Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf. Place appcontrol-mcp.exe at a stable path and reference it in your config.
{
"mcpServers": {
"appcontrol": {
"command": "C:/MCP/appcontrol-mcp.exe",
"args": []
}
}
}Prompts to try
Once connected, ask your AI assistant about system history and security using natural language. All queries are read-only.
- "What unsigned applications have been running on this system?"
- "While I walked up to my locked PC my fan was roaring, what was causing that?"
- "Did any applications access my webcam while my PC was idle, and if so which ones?"
- "Show me all AppControl blocked process events from the last 24 hours"
- "Which binaries have had their hash change recently?"
- "Are there any binaries running from Temp or Downloads folders?"Troubleshooting AppControl MCP
MCP server tools return no data or connection errors
Verify the AppControl desktop app is running and its MCP API is enabled in the app settings. The server communicates with AppControl over a local socket — if the app is not running or the API is disabled, all tool calls will fail.
Claude Desktop does not recognize the .mcpb extension
Ensure you are on a recent version of Claude Desktop that supports the Extensions install flow (Settings → Extensions → Advanced Settings). If the option is missing, fall back to the standalone executable method and add it manually to claude_desktop_config.json.
appcontrol-mcp.exe is blocked by Windows Defender or antivirus
The binary is a Go-compiled executable downloaded from GitHub releases. Add an exclusion in Windows Defender for the C:\MCP\ directory, or build the binary from source with `go build -ldflags "-s -w" -o appcontrol-mcp.exe .` after cloning the repository.
Frequently Asked Questions about AppControl MCP
What is AppControl MCP?
AppControl MCP is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that appcontrol mcp is a local server connecting ai agents and ides like claude, cursor, and windsurf to system history provided by the appcontrol desktop app. ask which apps used cpu, gpu, ram, or disk, and what caused slowdowns, heat spikes, or webcam, It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install AppControl MCP?
Follow the installation instructions on the AppControl MCP GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with AppControl MCP?
AppControl MCP works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is AppControl MCP free to use?
Yes, AppControl MCP is open source and available under the MIT license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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