io.github.Parallels/pdfm-mcp Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server

The io.github.Parallels/pdfm-mcp server is an MCP server that enables control of Parallels Desktop virtual machines from MCP. It supports VM operations including power, screenshot capture, command execution, keyboard input, and keyboard sequences. This server is macOS only.

🛠️ Key Features

Control Parallels Desktop VMs via MCP
Power management
Screenshot capture
Exec (command execution)
Keyboard input
Keyboard sequences
macOS only

🚀 Use Cases

Automate Parallels Desktop VM workflows through MCP
Capture VM screenshots during remote operations
Send keyboard input and sequences to VMs
Execute commands inside the VM environment

⚡ Developer Benefits

Integrates Parallels Desktop VM control into MCP-based tooling
Provides discrete capabilities for power, exec, screenshots, and keyboard interactions

Parallels Desktop MCP

Join the pdfm-mcp community on Discord — join the server, then head to #pdfm-mcp

Connect your AI assistant to Parallels Desktop. pdfm-mcp lets Claude, Codex, and other MCP clients find and manage your virtual machines, run guest commands, read the screen, and automate keyboard input.

Runs locally on macOS, with a universal binary for Apple Silicon and Intel. No Go or Node installation is needed to use the released binary.

What you can do

Find a VM, check its status, and start or stop it.
Run commands inside Windows or Linux guests and collect their output.
Take screenshots, read screen text, and type into the guest.
Create snapshots, clone VMs, and automate multi-step workflows.

Once connected, try asking your assistant: “Find my Ubuntu VM and show its status” or “Take a screenshot of my running Windows VM.”

Install

You need macOS, Parallels Desktop, and an MCP client. Guest command execution also requires Parallels Tools in the guest. Screen capture and keyboard tools need a running VM.

Homebrew and the default installer use stable releases. Until the first stable release and cask are published, use the script's prerelease option below. Check the Releases page for available builds.

Homebrew

brew tap Parallels/tap
brew install --cask Parallels/tap/pdfm-mcp
pdfm-mcp --version

Install script

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Parallels/pdfm-mcp/main/scripts/install.sh | bash
/usr/local/bin/pdfm-mcp --version

The script verifies the release archive's SHA256 checksum and installs to /usr/local/bin. It asks for sudo only when the destination requires it.

To install the latest canary or beta:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Parallels/pdfm-mcp/main/scripts/install.sh | bash -s -- --pre-release

For a particular version or a different directory, add --version <version> or --path <directory> after bash -s --.

Claude Desktop bundle

If the release includes pdfm-mcp-<version>.mcpb, download it and its matching .sha256 file from Releases. Verify it with shasum -a 256 -c pdfm-mcp-<version>.mcpb.sha256, then double-click the bundle to install. This is an alternative to configuring the binary manually below.

Connect your assistant

Your client starts the server for you. Use the binary's absolute path, since desktop apps may not inherit your terminal's PATH.

Installation	Binary path
Homebrew, Apple Silicon	`/opt/homebrew/bin/pdfm-mcp`
Homebrew, Intel	`/usr/local/bin/pdfm-mcp`
Install script, default directory	`/usr/local/bin/pdfm-mcp`
Install script, custom directory	`<directory>/pdfm-mcp`

For Homebrew, "$(brew --prefix)/bin/pdfm-mcp" resolves the right path in terminal commands. In JSON or TOML configuration, use the actual path from the table; $(brew --prefix) is not expanded there.

Claude Code

Choose the command matching your installation:

# Homebrew (Apple Silicon or Intel)
claude mcp add --transport stdio --scope user pdfm-mcp -- "$(brew --prefix)/bin/pdfm-mcp"

# Install script
claude mcp add --transport stdio --scope user pdfm-mcp -- /usr/local/bin/pdfm-mcp

Run claude mcp list to check the connection. These commands make the server available across your projects. See Claude Code's MCP setup for more options.

Codex CLI and IDE extension

Choose the command matching your installation:

# Homebrew (Apple Silicon or Intel)
codex mcp add pdfm-mcp -- "$(brew --prefix)/bin/pdfm-mcp"

# Install script
codex mcp add pdfm-mcp -- /usr/local/bin/pdfm-mcp

Run codex mcp list to confirm registration, then use /mcp in the CLI to check active servers. The CLI and IDE extension share the same MCP configuration.

If you prefer editing ~/.codex/config.toml, add:

toml

[mcp_servers.pdfm-mcp]
command = "/opt/homebrew/bin/pdfm-mcp"

For the script installation or Intel Homebrew, change command to /usr/local/bin/pdfm-mcp. See the official Codex MCP documentation.

Claude Desktop

Open ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json and add the server to mcpServers, preserving any existing entries:

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pdfm-mcp": {
      "command": "/opt/homebrew/bin/pdfm-mcp"
    }
  }
}

This example uses Homebrew on Apple Silicon. For the script installation or Intel Homebrew, change command to /usr/local/bin/pdfm-mcp. Restart Claude Desktop after saving.

VS Code / GitHub Copilot

Add the server to .vscode/mcp.json in your project, preserving any existing servers:

json

{
  "servers": {
    "pdfm-mcp": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "/opt/homebrew/bin/pdfm-mcp"
    }
  }
}

For the script installation or Intel Homebrew, change command to /usr/local/bin/pdfm-mcp. Run MCP: List Servers from the Command Palette to start the server and check its status. See VS Code's MCP setup.

Available tools

By default, your assistant can work with all local VMs. Tools that target a VM accept its UUID or exact name. To restrict the server to one VM, add --vm-id "My VM" to its launch arguments.

Tool	What it does
`parallels_list_vms`	List your VMs and their details.
`parallels_search_vms`	Find VMs by part of their name or UUID, optionally filtering by state.
`parallels_vm_info`	Get detailed information about one VM.
`parallels_vm_start`, `parallels_vm_resume`	Start or resume a VM.
`parallels_vm_pause`, `parallels_vm_suspend`	Pause execution or save the VM's running state.
`parallels_vm_stop`, `parallels_vm_restart`	Stop or gracefully restart a VM.
`parallels_vm_reset`, `parallels_vm_reset_uptime`	Hard-reset a VM or reset its uptime counter.
`parallels_vm_capture`	Take a screenshot of the VM.
`parallels_vm_observe`	Read screen text, find text, or report changes using local OCR.
`parallels_vm_exec`	Run a guest command and return its exit code and output.
`parallels_vm_exec_start`, `parallels_vm_exec_result`, `parallels_vm_exec_cancel`	Start, monitor, or cancel a background command job.
`parallels_vm_type`, `parallels_vm_send_key`	Type text or send keys and shortcuts to the guest.
`parallels_vm_sequence`	Run a workflow of tool calls, waits, and checks in one request.
`parallels_vm_snapshot_create`, `parallels_vm_snapshot_list`	Create checkpoints and browse a VM's snapshots.
`parallels_vm_snapshot_switch`, `parallels_vm_snapshot_delete`	Restore a checkpoint or delete a snapshot.
`parallels_vm_clone`	Create a copy of a VM.
`parallels_vm_delete`	Permanently delete a VM and its files; requires explicit confirmation.
`parallels_vm_reclaim_disk`	Estimate or reclaim unused VM disk space.
`parallels_vm_encrypt`, `parallels_vm_decrypt`, `parallels_vm_change_encryption_password`	Manage VM encryption and its password.

See the tool reference for arguments, limits, and automation examples.

Choose what your assistant can access

Add launch arguments to limit access:

--read-only: expose observation tools for inspecting VMs and their screens.
--vm-id "My VM": target one VM.
--allow-vms "My VM,Another VM": restrict access to selected VMs.
--allow-tools / --deny-tools: expose or hide specific tools.

For example, add "args": ["--read-only", "--vm-id", "My VM"] beside command in a JSON client configuration. In Codex TOML, use args = ["--read-only", "--vm-id", "My VM"].

Screenshots, recognized text, command output, and tool arguments reach your MCP client and its model provider. VM deletion, snapshot rollback, guest commands, and encryption can change or destroy data; review those actions before approving them.

Release builds can collect anonymised tool usage telemetry. To opt out, set PDFM_MCP_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=true in your server's environment. See configuration and privacy for all settings.

Update or uninstall

With Homebrew:

brew upgrade --cask pdfm-mcp
brew uninstall --cask pdfm-mcp

With the install script:

# Update to the latest stable release
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Parallels/pdfm-mcp/main/scripts/install.sh | bash -s -- --update

# Uninstall
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Parallels/pdfm-mcp/main/scripts/install.sh | bash -s -- --uninstall

Add --pre-release when updating a canary or beta installation, or --path <directory> if you installed to a custom directory. Remove the server from your client's MCP settings after uninstalling.

Help and contributing

Join Discord and open #pdfm-mcp, or report an issue.

To build, test, debug, or add tools, see CONTRIBUTING.md.

Parallels Desktop VMs

io.github.Parallels/pdfm-mcp Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server

🛠️ Key Features

🚀 Use Cases

⚡ Developer Benefits

Parallels Desktop MCP

What you can do

Install

Homebrew

Install script

Claude Desktop bundle

Connect your assistant

Claude Code

Codex CLI and IDE extension

Claude Desktop

VS Code / GitHub Copilot

Available tools

Choose what your assistant can access

Update or uninstall

Help and contributing

Install

Configuration

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