How to control Android with Claude using the ScreenSync MCP server

Requirements

1Install the hub on your computer

You need: Node.js 18+; Android phone with the ScreenSync MCP app (or ADB for control tools).

1. Download the hub zip from https://www.screensyncmcp.tech/extension.html and unzip it anywhere on your computer.
2. Windows: double-click start-hub.bat · macOS/Linux: sh start-hub.sh (or node screensync-hub.js). Needs free Node 18+.
3. The terminal prints a pairing link + QR and serves on http://localhost:3000 — keep it running.
4. Scan the QR with the ScreenSync Android app; install the browser extension from the same page.
5. Developers: the extension source is public — git clone https://github.com/KhizarJamshaidIqbal/screensync-extension.git (the clone root IS the extension folder; Load unpacked on it). Hub + app source stay private.

start-hub.bat

sh start-hub.sh

Leave that terminal open: the hub has to keep running while your agent works.

2Connect your AI client

Every client below runs the hub the same way: the command node with the path to screensync-hub.js as its argument. Replace <HUB_DIR> with the folder where you unzipped the hub (on Windows, use forward slashes or doubled backslashes inside JSON) and <TOKEN> with the hub's SCREEN_SYNC_TOKEN (default: screensync-local-dev).

Claude Code

Add the server to .mcp.json (project root):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "screensync": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["<HUB_DIR>/screensync-hub.js"],
      "env": { "SCREEN_SYNC_TOKEN": "<TOKEN>" }
    }
  }
}

Or register it from the terminal with one command:

claude mcp add screensync node "<HUB_DIR>/screensync-hub.js"

Claude Desktop

Open claude_desktop_config.json (Settings → Developer) and add the server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "screensync": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["<HUB_DIR>/screensync-hub.js"],
      "env": { "SCREEN_SYNC_TOKEN": "<TOKEN>" }
    }
  }
}

Restart the client after saving. Then try a first prompt such as “Take a screenshot of my phone and tell me which app is open.”

Cursor, VS Code and any other stdio MCP client

Any client that runs local (stdio) MCP servers needs the same three values: the command node, one argument with the full path to screensync-hub.js, and the SCREEN_SYNC_TOKEN environment variable. Where the config lives and the top-level key differ between clients, so check your client's MCP docs. Two common layouts:

• Cursor: .cursor/mcp.json in your project (or ~/.cursor/mcp.json for every project), using the same mcpServers block as Claude Code above.
• VS Code: .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace, with a servers key and "type": "stdio":

{
  "servers": {
    "screensync": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "<HUB_DIR>/screensync-hub.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SCREEN_SYNC_TOKEN": "<TOKEN>"
      }
    }
  }
}

HTTP only (no MCP client)

Tools that do not speak MCP can call the hub over HTTP at http://<HUB-IP>:3000 with the header Authorization: Bearer <TOKEN>. The browser extension uses this mode — no stdio needed.

3Pair the phone with the hub

Open the ScreenSync MCP app and scan the QR code that the hub prints in its terminal (or shows at /pair).

Automatic discovery (mDNS service _screensync-hub._tcp): The phone app auto-discovers via mDNS. Browsers cannot use mDNS — the extension probes localhost and accepts manual URLs / pairing links.

If you pair by hand, the app and extension accept any of these formats:

screensync://pair?url=http%3A%2F%2F<IP>%3A3000&token=<TOKEN>
{"url":"http://<IP>:3000","token":"<TOKEN>"}
http://<IP>:3000#<TOKEN>

Grant the screen-capture prompt when the app asks. Frames then stream to the hub, and your agent can call get_latest_screenshot.

4Turn on the control tools (ADB)

Capture needs nothing more. To let the agent tap, swipe, type and launch apps, the hub sends those actions through ADB:

1. Install ADB (Android platform-tools) on the computer that runs the hub.
2. On the phone, turn on developer options, then USB debugging or wireless debugging.
3. Connect the phone by cable or pair it for wireless debugging, accept the prompt on the phone, and check that it is listed:

adb devices

With more than one device attached, set SCREEN_SYNC_ADB_TARGET to the phone's serial. If adb is not on your PATH, point SCREEN_SYNC_ADB_BIN at it.

Environment variables

HTTP endpoints

The hub serves these on port 3000. Endpoints marked “Bearer token” need Authorization: Bearer <TOKEN>.

Troubleshooting

• Hub not reachable — ensure start-hub.bat / start-hub.sh (or node screensync-hub.js) is running and your firewall allows port 3000 on the LAN.
• 401 Unauthorized — the token must match SCREEN_SYNC_TOKEN on the hub (default: screensync-local-dev).
• 429 Too many live connections — /api/events allows 10 concurrent clients; close another dashboard.
• Extension shows offline on another machine — grant the LAN origin permission in the extension's setup step.

Still stuck? Email info@epsoldev.com with the hub's terminal output.

Privacy and next steps

Frames go from the phone to the hub over your own network with the bearer token, and nothing goes to EpsolDev servers. Screenshots that your AI agent requests are sent to that agent's model provider, so close sensitive apps before a session. The data policy lists where every byte is stored.

• Learn how capture, control and live streaming work in the screen MCP guide.
• See how ScreenSync MCP stacks up: compare Android MCP servers.
• Give the agent your browser too with the ScreenSync browser extension.
• Back to the Android MCP server for Claude home page.