cupertino MCP — Use Cases, Install & Live Demo

Why use it

Key features

Fully local — works offline, no Apple API dependency
Full-text search with BM25 ranking, sub-100ms
HIG platform-scoped search separate from reference docs
Apple sample-project index: search + read source files

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

cupertino.replay ▶ ready

0/0

Install

Pick your client

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cupertino": {
      "command": "TODO",
      "args": [
        "See README: https://github.com/mihaelamj/cupertino"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cupertino": {
      "command": "TODO",
      "args": [
        "See README: https://github.com/mihaelamj/cupertino"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cupertino": {
      "command": "TODO",
      "args": [
        "See README: https://github.com/mihaelamj/cupertino"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cupertino": {
      "command": "TODO",
      "args": [
        "See README: https://github.com/mihaelamj/cupertino"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "cupertino",
      "command": "TODO",
      "args": [
        "See README: https://github.com/mihaelamj/cupertino"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "cupertino": {
      "command": {
        "path": "TODO",
        "args": [
          "See README: https://github.com/mihaelamj/cupertino"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add cupertino -- TODO 'See README: https://github.com/mihaelamj/cupertino'

One-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use cupertino

Stop API hallucinations with cupertino for Apple docs

👤 iOS / macOS / visionOS developers ⏱ ~10 min beginner

When to use: Claude keeps inventing API signatures; you want it grounded in real docs.

Prerequisites

cupertino installed — Download Swift 6.2+ binary; run cupertino setup to pull the index

Flow

Setup index

Run cupertino setup then cupertino serve. Confirm MCP server is listening.✓ Copied

→ Server online
Force agent to cite

Before writing any SwiftUI code, search cupertino docs for the exact API. Quote the signature.✓ Copied

→ Verified API with URI
Use it

Now write the code using only the APIs you quoted.✓ Copied

→ Compiles first try

Outcome: Dramatically fewer API hallucinations.

Review a design against Apple's Human Interface Guidelines

👤 iOS designers, PMs ⏱ ~20 min intermediate

When to use: Before shipping, you want to check a flow against HIG.

Flow

Describe the screen

I'm building a settings screen with a destructive 'Delete account' button. Use search_hig for iOS to find relevant guidance.✓ Copied

→ HIG passages about destructive actions
Apply

Given those guidelines, critique my mockup [paste]. What violates HIG?✓ Copied

→ Specific violations + fixes

Outcome: HIG-compliant UI without reading the whole doc yourself.

Combine with: claude-talk-to-figma

Learn from Apple's sample projects via cupertino

👤 Developers learning new frameworks ⏱ ~15 min beginner

When to use: You need to know 'how does Apple actually use this API'.

Flow

Find relevant samples

search_samples for 'SwiftData relationships'. List matching projects.✓ Copied

→ Project names + descriptions
Read the source

In project X, read ContentView.swift and explain the relationship setup.✓ Copied

→ Annotated walkthrough

Outcome: Real, Apple-endorsed patterns instead of forum guesses.

Combinations

Pair with other MCPs for X10 leverage

cupertino + claude-talk-to-figma

Design in Figma, validate against HIG via cupertino

For the selected Figma screen, search HIG for relevant rules and flag inconsistencies.✓ Copied

cupertino + filesystem

Compare your SwiftUI code against Apple's sample for the same pattern

Read my ./Sources/ContentView.swift and diff against Apple's SwiftData sample structure.✓ Copied

Tools

What this MCP exposes

Tool	Inputs	When to call
search_docs	query, framework?	Reference API lookup
search_hig	query, platform?	Design guidance
list_frameworks		Discover what's indexed
read_document	uri	Expand a search hit
search_samples	query	Sample code discovery
list_samples		Browse
read_sample_file	sample, path	Read a specific file

Cost & Limits

What this costs to run

API quota: None — local FTS5
Tokens per call: Doc pages: 500-5000 each
Monetary: Free
Tip: Use search_docs + read_document on only the top hit rather than dumping multiple pages

Security

Permissions, secrets, blast radius

Credential storage: None

Data egress: None at runtime; cupertino setup fetches from developer.apple.com once

Troubleshooting

Common errors and fixes

Search returns nothing after install

cupertino setup didn't complete — re-run and watch for network errors

Verify: Database file size should be ~2.4GB

Stale docs after an OS release

Re-run cupertino setup to refresh the crawl

Index DB too large for machine

Use framework-scoped setup to index only what you need (e.g. only SwiftUI)

Alternatives

cupertino vs others

Alternative	When to use it instead	Tradeoff
DuckDuckGo / web search MCP	You don't mind hallucination risk and need latest	Not authoritative; can return third-party blogs
Apple Developer website directly	Human-driven reading	No agent automation

More

Resources

📖 Read the official README on GitHub

🐙 Browse open issues

🔍 Browse all 400+ MCP servers and Skills