Pointcast — Claude Code MCP server: what it does, how to install
Turns browser clicks and microphone notes into Markdown specs for coding agents. Helps supply exact component file paths when explaining frontend bugs.
claude mcp add --env POINTCAST_DIR=<POINTCAST_DIR> --env POINTCAST_HANDOFF=<POINTCAST_HANDOFF> --transport stdio cli -- npx -y pointcastWhat Pointcast does
The tool bridges a Chrome extension and local coding agents. You click around a React or Vue development build while describing changes out loud. Pointcast captures the component hierarchy, tracks matching text in your project files, and notes the precise line numbers inside the generated report.
Agent sessions read the recording data over stdio MCP without modifying your local history. A local listener on 127.0.0.1 receives recordings directly from the browser, skipping the downloads folder. For accurate path resolution in monorepos, launch the tool from the repository root.
Node.js 22.12 or newer is mandatory. The Chrome extension handles speech recognition directly in the browser, so local transcription engines are omitted by default. If you force local Whisper processing with @huggingface/transformers, expect an initial download of around 450 MB.
What it helps with
- trace clicked UI elements back to source code lines
- convert voice recordings from the browser into Markdown specs
- stream interface recordings into coding agents via stdio MCP
- publish recorded inspection sessions as GitHub issues
Example prompts for the agent
- Read the latest Pointcast session and fix the export button styling
- Inspect the recent Pointcast recording to update the table component
How to install Pointcast
Platform CLI
claude mcp add --env POINTCAST_DIR=<POINTCAST_DIR> --env POINTCAST_HANDOFF=<POINTCAST_HANDOFF> --transport stdio cli -- npx -y pointcastReplace <…> with your own values
Platform CLI
codex mcp add cli --env POINTCAST_DIR=<POINTCAST_DIR> --env POINTCAST_HANDOFF=<POINTCAST_HANDOFF> -- npx -y pointcastReplace <…> with your own values
Config file
{
"mcpServers": {
"cli": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"pointcast"
],
"env": {
"POINTCAST_DIR": "<POINTCAST_DIR>",
"POINTCAST_HANDOFF": "<POINTCAST_HANDOFF>"
}
}
}
}Replace <…> with your own values
Config file
{
"servers": {
"cli": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"pointcast"
],
"env": {
"POINTCAST_DIR": "<POINTCAST_DIR>",
"POINTCAST_HANDOFF": "<POINTCAST_HANDOFF>"
}
}
}
}Replace <…> with your own values
Platform CLI
gemini mcp add -e POINTCAST_DIR=<POINTCAST_DIR> -e POINTCAST_HANDOFF=<POINTCAST_HANDOFF> cli npx -y pointcastReplace <…> with your own values
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to add an MCP server to Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI and more
Questions about Pointcast
How to install Pointcast in Claude Code?
Run claude mcp add pointcast -- npx -y pointcast in your terminal. If you need custom session directories, supply environment flags: claude mcp add --env POINTCAST_DIR=<POINTCAST_DIR> --env POINTCAST_HANDOFF=<POINTCAST_HANDOFF> --transport stdio cli -- npx -y pointcast.
What does Pointcast do?
It captures voice explanations alongside UI elements clicked in a browser extension and resolves those elements to lines in your component source files. The resulting spec is served to coding agents over MCP or copied as Markdown to your clipboard.
What are the runtime requirements for Pointcast?
You need Node.js 22.12 or newer on your machine. Voice transcription runs in the browser extension by default, but local CLI transcription requires installing @huggingface/transformers.
