dash-mcp

MCP server for Dash, the macOS documentation browser — search documentation, read pages, list docsets, and manage full-text search right from your AI assistant.

Features

| Tool | Description | Data Source | |------|-------------|-------------| | search_documentation | Search across installed docsets and snippets | Dash HTTP API (local) | | read_documentation | Fetch and read documentation page content | Dash HTTP API (local) | | list_installed_docsets | List all installed documentation sets | Dash HTTP API (local) | | enable_docset_fts | Enable full-text search for a docset | Dash HTTP API (local) |

Prerequisites

• macOS with Dash installed and running
• Dash's HTTP API must be active (it starts automatically with Dash)
• Node.js >= 18

Setup

No installation needed — just configure your MCP client:

Add to .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "dash": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "dash-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Add to .cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dash": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "dash-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dash": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "dash-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Add to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dash": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "dash-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

claude mcp add --transport stdio dash -- npx -y dash-mcp

Or add to .mcp.json (shared with team):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dash": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "dash-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Add to settings.json:

{
  "context_servers": {
    "dash": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "dash-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Open Settings → Tools → AI Assistant → MCP, click +, and paste:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dash": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "dash-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

gemini mcp add dash -- npx -y dash-mcp

Or add to ~/.gemini/settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dash": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "dash-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Any MCP client that supports stdio transport can use this server. The command is:

npx -y dash-mcp

See the full list of MCP clients.

Local development

git clone https://github.com/anvme/dash-mcp.git
cd dash-mcp
npm install
node index.js

How It Works

Dash runs a local HTTP API server on a dynamic port. The port is stored at:

~/Library/Application Support/Dash/.dash_api_server/status.json

This MCP server reads the port on startup and connects to the local Dash API. All data stays on your machine — no external network requests.

Tool Reference

search_documentation

Search for documentation across installed docsets and snippets.

| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description | |-----------|------|----------|---------|-------------| | query | string | yes | — | The search string | | docset_identifiers | string | no | — | Comma-separated list of docset identifiers to search in | | search_snippets | boolean | no | true | Whether to include snippets in search results | | max_results | number | no | 100 | Maximum number of results (1–1000) |

Example: { "query": "useState", "docset_identifiers": "pxegrqfb", "max_results": 5 }

read_documentation

Fetch and read the content of a documentation page. Use search_documentation first to find the load_url.

| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description | |-----------|------|----------|---------|-------------| | load_url | string | yes | — | The load_url from search results | | max_length | number | no | 5000 | Max characters to return (500–50000) | | start_index | number | no | 0 | Character offset for pagination |

Example: { "load_url": "http://127.0.0.1:62306/Dash/.../index.html", "max_length": 10000 }

list_installed_docsets

List all installed documentation sets in Dash.

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description | |-----------|------|----------|-------------| | platform | string | no | Filter by platform, e.g. python, react, go | | query | string | no | Filter docsets by name substring |

Examples:

• {} — list all docsets
• { "platform": "python" } — list Python-related docsets
• { "query": "React" } — find React docsets

enable_docset_fts

Enable full-text search for a specific docset. This triggers reindexing in Dash.

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description | |-----------|------|----------|-------------| | identifier | string | yes | The docset identifier (from list_installed_docsets) |

Example: { "identifier": "vmpixcmw" }

License

MIT