Installation

CLI Install (Fastest)

The quickest way to set up ScreenshotsMCP is with the CLI. Run these two commands in your terminal:

npx screenshotsmcp login
npx screenshotsmcp install cursor    # or: vscode, windsurf, claude, claude-code

This will:

1. Open your browser to authenticate via OAuth
2. Auto-configure the MCP server in your chosen client

You can also install it globally for ongoing use:

npm install -g screenshotsmcp
screenshotsmcp --help

VS Code Extension Preview

A native ScreenshotsMCP VS Code extension is now being developed in the monorepo for a dedicated Activity Bar sidebar, automatic browser OAuth sign-in, API key fallback, command palette actions, output logs, a live activity timeline panel, and native MCP registration.

Current preview commands include:

• ScreenshotsMCP: Sign In
• ScreenshotsMCP: Check Status
• ScreenshotsMCP: Take Screenshot
• ScreenshotsMCP: Open Timeline
• ScreenshotsMCP: Install MCP Server in Workspace

The sidebar also surfaces quick actions and recent activity directly inside VS Code, and the extension opens the browser sign-in flow automatically when no credentials are stored.

Until the Marketplace release is ready, the recommended path for VS Code users is still:

• npx screenshotsmcp setup --client vscode
• or the manual .vscode/mcp.json configuration below

Manual Configuration

ScreenshotsMCP works with any client that supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Here's how to configure each one manually.

Cursor

Open Cursor Settings → MCP Servers, or edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json directly:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "screenshotsmcp": {
      "url": "https://screenshotsmcp-api-production.up.railway.app/mcp/YOUR_API_KEY"
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

Open Windsurf Settings → MCP, or edit the config file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "screenshotsmcp": {
      "serverUrl": "https://screenshotsmcp-api-production.up.railway.app/mcp/YOUR_API_KEY"
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop

Edit claude_desktop_config.json (found in ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/ on macOS or %APPDATA%\Claude\ on Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "screenshotsmcp": {
      "url": "https://screenshotsmcp-api-production.up.railway.app/mcp/YOUR_API_KEY"
    }
  }
}

VS Code (Copilot)

Add to your VS Code settings (.vscode/mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "screenshotsmcp": {
      "url": "https://screenshotsmcp-api-production.up.railway.app/mcp/YOUR_API_KEY"
    }
  }
}

Any MCP Client

The server endpoint is:

https://screenshotsmcp-api-production.up.railway.app/mcp/YOUR_API_KEY

It supports Streamable HTTP transport — compatible with all MCP clients that support HTTP-based servers.

Verify Installation

After configuring, ask your AI assistant:

Take a screenshot of https://example.com

If you see a screenshot returned inline, you're all set.

Available Tools

Once connected, your AI assistant has access to 46+ tools: