What is HomeMCPBridge?
HomeMCPBridge, by the GitHub user coalsi (Corey Silvia), is a macOS menu-bar app built with Mac Catalyst that talks to Apple's HomeKit framework directly, so an MCP client can list homes, rooms and devices, read their state and control them without Homebridge or Home Assistant in between. Control covers on, off and toggle, brightness and colour for lights, lock and open-the-lock actions for door locks, and open and close for garage doors; thermostats are read-only for now. It can also take HomeKit camera snapshots, buffer motion, doorbell and contact-sensor events, and post them to a webhook you set.
The MCP client launches the app's binary as a stdio server, which registers 15 tools. Optional plugins add Govee lights through an API key and Scrypted NVR cameras through a username and password. The project is MIT-licensed Swift, about 7 GitHub stars, with almost all code written on 18 and 19 January 2026 and only a README change since, on 15 October 2026.
How to install HomeMCPBridge
git clone https://github.com/coalsi/HomeMCPBridge.git && open HomeMCPBridge/HomeMCPBridge.xcodeprojIs HomeMCPBridge worth it?
Going through HomeKit itself is the right architecture. Home Assistant's MCP server is far more capable, but it needs a Home Assistant install; Homebridge-style bridges add another always-on service. HomeMCPBridge reads the homes already set up in the Apple Home app and acts through Apple's framework on the same Mac, and the README says nothing leaves the machine apart from the optional webhook, Govee's cloud API and your Scrypted server.
The problem is what the agent can do with that access. One tool, control_device, takes a device name and an action, and the actions include releasing a door lock and opening a garage door. In our reading of the source there is no confirmation step, no allow-list and no way to make locks read-only; the call goes straight to HomeKit. Camera snapshots come back as base64 JPEG images, so frames from inside your home go to your model provider.
There are smaller security shortcuts too. The Scrypted plugin accepts any TLS certificate from the server it connects to, which suits a home NVR with a self-signed certificate but also accepts an impostor on the same network. MCPPost sends motion and doorbell events to any URL you type, including plain HTTP.
The build is the larger obstacle. The README points to a .dmg on the Releases page, but there are no releases, so installing means opening the project in Xcode, choosing your own signing team and building for Mac Catalyst. The single open issue, filed on 27 January 2026, reports the app crashing when an MCP tool is called because of a missing HomeKit usage description; the key is now in Info.plist but the issue has no reply. Nearly all 6,628 lines live in one main.swift file.
Where it earns its place
A developer with a Mac mini as the household HomeKit hub
Turn rooms on and off and check sensors from a terminal agent
Build the app, add its binary path to Claude Code's MCP config and ask for 'living room lamp to 50%' or 'is the garage open'. Free; rename or remove locks and garage doors from the home it sees if you want them off-limits.
A homeowner already running Scrypted for cameras
Get a snapshot when the doorbell rings and have an agent describe it
Enable the Scrypted plugin and MCPPost, then poll get_pending_events and call capture_snapshot. Each image goes to the model provider, so weigh that against a local model through the included Ollama script.
Before you commit
- Setup
- Clone the repository, open HomeMCPBridge.xcodeproj, pick your signing team, build for My Mac (Mac Catalyst), grant HomeKit access, then point your MCP client at /Applications/HomeMCPBridge.app/Contents/MacOS/HomeMCPBridge. Needs macOS 14 or later.
- Integrations
- 15 tools for devices, cameras, motion events and Scrypted; Govee (API key) and Scrypted NVR (username and password) plugins; MCPPost webhooks; an ollama_bridge.py script for local models.
- Data and privacy
- Runs on your Mac over stdio with no listening port; device state and camera snapshots go to your model provider. Plugin credentials are kept in the Keychain. Scrypted connections skip TLS certificate checks.
- Limits
- Thermostat control not built; no releases; one open crash report; control actions time out after 15 seconds; devices are picked by name, so names in Apple Home need to be distinct.
What’s good
- Direct HomeKit access with no hub or bridge server
- Reads what is already set up in Apple Home
- Camera snapshots and motion, doorbell and contact events
- Runs locally over stdio; no open port
What’s not
- Locks and garage doors with no confirmation step
- No published release; build it in Xcode yourself
- Open crash report with no maintainer reply
- Scrypted plugin accepts any TLS certificate
Best for
Mac owners comfortable in Xcode who want an agent to run HomeKit lights, plugs and sensors and will keep locks and garage doors out of its reach.
HomeMCPBridge alternatives
HomeMCPBridge: common questions
- Is HomeMCPBridge worth it?
- A tidy idea, HomeKit straight into your agent with no extra hub, held back by an unfinished build and a control_device tool that opens your front door on the model's say-so. We rate it 2.8 out of 5.
- How much does HomeMCPBridge cost?
- Free and open source (MIT). You build it yourself in Xcode; no release is published.
- What are the downsides of HomeMCPBridge?
- Locks and garage doors with no confirmation step; no published release; build it in Xcode yourself; open crash report with no maintainer reply; scrypted plugin accepts any TLS certificate.
- Who is HomeMCPBridge best for?
- Mac owners comfortable in Xcode who want an agent to run HomeKit lights, plugs and sensors and will keep locks and garage doors out of its reach.
- Is HomeMCPBridge safe for company data?
- Runs on your Mac over stdio with no listening port; device state and camera snapshots go to your model provider. Plugin credentials are kept in the Keychain. Scrypted connections skip TLS certificate checks.
- What are the best HomeMCPBridge alternatives?
- The closest alternatives we have reviewed are Home Assistant MCP Server and Aqara MCP Server.
Answers checked Nov 13, 2026.