Apple MCP Server for macOS

What the Orchard MCP server does

orchard mcp is a local stdio MCP server that ships inside Orchard for macOS. Your MCP client starts it directly on your Mac; there is no HTTP server, no listening network port, and no cloud in between. Every tool call travels over a local Unix domain socket to the running Orchard.app, which is the only process that actually talks to your Apple apps.

Orchard reaches your Apple apps through native frameworks instead of driving them with AppleScript: Reminders and Calendar use EventKit, Contacts uses the Contacts framework, Maps uses MapKit and CoreLocation, Weather uses WeatherKit, and Apple Music uses MusicKit. Mail and Messages read your local databases directly and send through Mail.app and Messages.app; Shortcuts runs through the shortcuts command.

11 Apple apps, 52 MCP tools

Reminders, Calendar, and Clock are free on every plan with no usage limits. The remaining 8 apps are Pro. Every card links to that app's full tool reference.

52 tools across all 11 apps — the same set the Orchard Skill and the orchard CLI use.

Works with any MCP client

Any client that speaks the Model Context Protocol over stdio can launch orchard mcp. If it doesn't see yours below, and it supports MCP, it already works the same way.

Set up the Apple MCP server in 5 minutes

1. Download and install Orchard (macOS 13 or later). Open the .dmg, drag Orchard to Applications, launch it, and sign in.
2. Grant permissions once, on first use. The first time a tool touches a new Apple app, macOS shows its standard permission prompt. Only Orchard.app ever holds a permission — the CLI and MCP layer never do.
3. Add orchard mcp to your client's MCP configuration. Orchard's Copy Config button on the app's setup screen copies this JSON to your clipboard; paste it into your client's MCP config file.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "orchard": {
      "command": "/usr/local/bin/orchard",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Full walkthrough, including automatic configuration for Claude Desktop and Cursor, is in the MCP setup guide.

Why a native Apple MCP server instead of AppleScript

• Native frameworks like EventKit, Contacts, MapKit, WeatherKit, and MusicKit are faster and more reliable than driving apps through AppleScript.
• One server covers all 11 Apple apps, instead of maintaining a separate script or integration for each one.
• A single signed app holds every macOS permission grant under its own authorization model; the CLI and the MCP layer never hold a permission themselves.
• The MCP server is one of three channels to the same tools — there's also an Agent Skill and the orchard CLI for clients that prefer those instead.

Private by design

Orchard runs no HTTP server and opens no network port. Tool calls stay on a local Unix socket between your MCP client and Orchard.app, and nothing about your reminders, calendar, mail, or messages is proxied through an Orchard server, because there isn't one. Full details are in the Privacy Architecture guide.

Frequently asked questions

No HTTP server · No open ports · Local Unix socket · macOS 13 or later