ScreenRead FAQs

Question 1

Can ScreenRead be integrated with existing AI agent frameworks like MCP?

Accepted Answer

Yes, ScreenRead includes an MCP server (`screenread-mcp`) that exposes five distinct tools (`screenread_snapshot`, `screenread_list`, `screenread_find_text`, `screenread_clickable`, `screenread_watch`) to any MCP-compatible client, such as Claude Code or Claude Desktop, for seamless integration into AI agent workflows.

Question 2

Is ScreenRead compatible with all applications and operating systems?

Accepted Answer

ScreenRead is specifically designed for macOS 13+ (Ventura or later) and works with any macOS application. It leverages Apple's unique `AXUIElement` accessibility API, meaning it is not compatible with Windows or Linux, as they require fundamentally different accessibility APIs.

Question 3

What kind of UI information can ScreenRead extract?

Accepted Answer

ScreenRead can extract a wealth of information including visible text across all windows, lists of interactive UI elements with their click coordinates, and detailed structural data of the accessibility tree. It can also monitor UI for changes (additions, removals, state updates) and output data in structured JSON or plain text formats.

Question 4

What is ScreenRead and how does it benefit AI agents?

Accepted Answer

ScreenRead is a macOS tool that provides AI agents with instant, structured access to the macOS accessibility tree. It eliminates the need for slow and error-prone screenshot-based vision processing, allowing agents to 'read' UI elements directly from the OS, leading to faster, more accurate, and hallucination-free text-based UI interactions.

Question 5

How much faster is ScreenRead compared to traditional screenshot methods?

Accepted Answer

ScreenRead can access structured UI data in approximately 100ms, a significant improvement over the 1-3 seconds typically required for capturing, encoding, and processing screenshots with vision models. This speed boost is crucial for responsive AI agent workflows.

ScreenRead

ScreenRead

Key Features

Use Cases

Key Features

Use Cases