MCP Pointer vs Peekaboo

A side-by-side comparison of two Browser Automation servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	MCP Pointer Point at browser DOM elements with Option+Click and feed them as context to agentic coding tools via MCP. Unverified stdio (local) No auth Stale TypeScript	Peekaboo macOS screen capture, AI visual analysis, and full GUI automation for AI agents. Unverified stdio (local) API key Swift
Category	Browser Automation	Browser Automation
Language	TypeScript	Swift
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	None	API key
GitHub stars	582	4.8k
Last commit	8 months ago	1 month ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx -y @mcp-pointer/server config claude`	`npx -y @steipete/peekaboo`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick MCP Pointer if you want zero-setup with no API key.

Pick Peekaboo if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you need the broadest set of tools.

Add MCP Pointer

Install / run

npx -y @mcp-pointer/server config claude

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-pointer": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@mcp-pointer/server@latest",
        "start"
      ],
      "env": {
        "MCP_POINTER_PORT": "7007"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add Peekaboo

Install / run

npx -y @steipete/peekaboo

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "peekaboo": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@steipete/peekaboo"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PEEKABOO_AI_PROVIDERS": "openai/gpt-5.5,anthropic/claude-opus-4-8"
      }
    }
  }
}

FAQ

MCP Pointer or Peekaboo — which is better?

Pick MCP Pointer if you want zero-setup with no API key. Pick Peekaboo if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you need the broadest set of tools.

Can I use both MCP Pointer and Peekaboo?

Yes — MCP clients let you enable multiple servers at once. Add both configs to your client's mcpServers and use whichever tool fits the task.

Do MCP Pointer and Peekaboo work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View MCP Pointer →View Peekaboo →More comparisons →