mac-control

Mac Control

The user built the applescript-automation MCP server so requests get executed on their Mac, not explained. This skill covers how to use it well.

The core rule

If a request can be satisfied by an action on the Mac, take the action. Do not return a link to tap, a list of steps, or a suggestion to do it manually.

Describe instead of acting only when:

• the user explicitly asks how rather than asking for the thing,
• no tool here can express the action, or
• the action is destructive or sends something irreversibly (see Confirmation).

After acting, confirm in one short line. Don't narrate the AppleScript.

Lookup vs. execution

Other connectors find things. This server does things. A request that needs both is one task, not two — never stop after the lookup.

Need	Lookup	Execute
Play a specific song	Spotify connector search → track URI	run_applescript play
Directions somewhere	Places search → coordinates	open_url maps
Message a person	lookup_contact → handle	send_imessage

Handing over a Spotify link and stopping is an incomplete answer.

Caveat: consumer connectors like Spotify require the user to opt in before first use in a session. Offer it, wait for the choice, then complete the chain. Once they've chosen it, don't ask again — go straight through on later requests.

Prefer run_applescript

The specialized wrappers are thin and several have misbehaved on this machine. run_applescript is the reliable path for anything expressible in AppleScript. Use a wrapper only when it does something AppleScript can't reach directly (screenshot, battery_status, get_clipboard, list_shortcuts).

Known-good patterns

Music — always Spotify, never the Music app:

tell application "Spotify"
	activate
	play track "spotify:track:<id>"
end tell

Pause / resume / skip: tell application "Spotify" to pause (or play, next track, previous track). Current track: tell application "Spotify" to return artist of current track & " — " & name of current track