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Claude Desktop can access your screenpipe recordings via MCP (Model Context Protocol), allowing Claude to search your screen history, recall information, and access meeting transcriptions.

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one-click setup

the easiest way:
1

Open screenpipe connections

open the screenpipe app → settings → connections
2

Install extension

click “install extension” in the Claude Desktop section
3

Confirm in Claude

Claude Desktop will open and prompt you to confirm. click install — done!
4

Test it

try asking Claude: “what did I do in the last 5 minutes?”
make sure screenpipe is running when you use Claude with screenpipe features.

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manual setup

if the one-click method doesn’t work, you can configure manually: 
// ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "screenpipe": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "screenpipe-mcp"]
    }
  }
}
after editing the config file:
  1. save the file
  2. restart Claude Desktop (important!)
  3. look for the MCP indicator in Claude’s interface

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what you can do

once connected, Claude can: search your screen history: 
> what was I working on this morning?

> find that documentation page I was reading about React hooks

> show me what was on my screen in Chrome yesterday afternoon
access meeting transcriptions: 
> what did we discuss in the standup about the API?

> find what John said in our meeting about the database migration

> summarize my last Zoom call
recall clipboard and inputs: 
> what did I copy to my clipboard recently?

> show me what I typed in Slack today

> which apps did I switch between most this morning?
export screen recordings: 
> export a video of my screen from 2-3pm today

> create a video of my screen during the meeting

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available tools

Claude gets access to these screenpipe tools via MCP:

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search-content

search screen OCR, audio transcriptions, and input events with filters:
  • time range (start_time, end_time)
  • content type (all, ocr, audio, input, accessibility)
  • app/window filtering
  • speaker filtering for audio
  • pagination support

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export-video

create MP4 videos from screen recordings for specific time ranges.

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activity-summary

get app usage statistics and activity overview for a time range.

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list-meetings

list detected meetings with duration, app, and attendees.

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search-elements

search structured UI elements (lighter than search-content).

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frame-context

get detailed context for a specific frame including accessibility tree and URLs. see the MCP server documentation for detailed parameter reference.

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example workflows

context-aware research: 
user: I was researching kubernetes networking earlier, what were the key concepts?

Claude: [searches screenpipe for kubernetes content, summarizes findings]
meeting follow-up: 
user: create a summary of what we discussed about the database migration in today's meeting

Claude: [searches audio transcriptions, generates summary with action items]
code review with context: 
user: I saw an error message earlier in my terminal, help me debug it

Claude: [searches screen history, finds error, provides solution]
time tracking: 
user: how much time did I spend in VS Code today?

Claude: [uses activity-summary to analyze app usage]

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tips for best results

be specific with time ranges: 
✅ "what did I work on this morning"
✅ "find my meeting notes from yesterday afternoon"
✅ "show me what I was doing between 2-3pm"

❌ "what have I been working on" (too vague)
mention the app when relevant: 
✅ "what was I looking at in Chrome"
✅ "show me my Slack messages from today"
✅ "what code was I editing in VS Code"
for meetings, mention audio: 
✅ "what was said in my last meeting"
✅ "find audio transcriptions from the standup"
✅ "who spoke in my Zoom call this morning"

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privacy & data

  • all data stays local on your machine
  • Claude only accesses screenpipe via localhost (no external access)
  • you can disable the MCP connection anytime by removing it from config
  • screenpipe never sends data to Anthropic’s servers

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troubleshooting

MCP not connecting?
  • verify screenpipe is running: curl http://localhost:3030/health
  • restart Claude Desktop after config changes
  • check for the MCP indicator in Claude’s interface (should show “screenpipe”)
Claude says “no data found”?
  • ensure screenpipe has been running and recording
  • check you have screen recording permissions granted
  • try a broader time range
queries returning errors?
  • update to latest screenpipe version
  • ensure port 3030 is not blocked
  • check screenpipe logs for errors
configuration file not found?
  • create the directory if it doesn’t exist:
    • macOS: mkdir -p ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude
    • Windows: directory should exist after Claude installation
  • create the claude_desktop_config.json file manually
still stuck? ask in our discord — we can help debug setup issues.

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