# dash-mcp-server

Connects macOS Dash docsets to your coding agent. Lets the model search API references and code snippets without web queries.

- MCP server · `type=mcp` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf (Devin Desktop), Cline, Zed, Gemini CLI · ★ 188
- Author: Kapeli
- License: MIT · policy=link-only · description only; the file stays with the author
- Source: https://github.com/Kapeli/dash-mcp-server
- Updated: 2026-07-31
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/dash-mcp-server

## What it does

The server links AI clients directly to the Dash documentation browser on macOS. It exposes tools to inspect installed docsets with `list_installed_docsets`, query symbols and snippets using `search_documentation`, fetch specific manual pages via `load_documentation_page`, and toggle full-text indexing with `enable_docset_fts`.

This integration requires macOS with Dash 8 installed. It also depends on Python 3.12 or newer alongside `uv`. Without the local Dash 8 app present on the system, search operations will fail.

## Requirements
- Needs: Python and uv (commands run via uvx)

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

**Platform CLI**
```bash
claude mcp add dash-mcp-server -- uvx dash-mcp-server
```
uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from dash-mcp-server <command>

### Codex

**Platform CLI**
```bash
codex mcp add dash-mcp-server -- uvx dash-mcp-server
```
uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from dash-mcp-server <command>

### Cursor

**Config file**
File `.cursor/mcp.json`:
```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "dash-mcp-server": {
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": [
                "dash-mcp-server"
            ]
        }
    }
}
```
uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from dash-mcp-server <command>

### GitHub Copilot

**Config file**
File `.vscode/mcp.json`:
```json
{
    "servers": {
        "dash-mcp-server": {
            "type": "stdio",
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": [
                "dash-mcp-server"
            ]
        }
    }
}
```
uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from dash-mcp-server <command>

### Gemini CLI

**Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini mcp add dash-mcp-server uvx dash-mcp-server
```
uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from dash-mcp-server <command>

## When to use it
- query offline API docsets and code snippets
- retrieve full documentation pages by search URL
- list docsets currently installed in Dash
- enable full-text search index for a docset

## Example prompts
- Search Dash documentation for Python asyncio task group syntax
- List all docsets currently installed in my Dash library
- Enable full-text search for the React docset in Dash

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