What is Cua?
Cua is a MCP server by trycua that creates and manages macOS and Linux VMs on Apple Silicon for AI agents. It is listed under Developer tools and has 29,000 GitHub stars.
| Type | Mcp server |
|---|---|
| Author | trycua |
| Repository | trycua |
| Popularity | 29,000 GitHub stars |
| Category | Developer tools |
| Security | Low risk (80/100) |
| Rank | #29 of 4,418 MCP servers; #16 in Developer tools |
| Runs | Not stated |
Is Cua safe to install?
Cua scores 80/100 on the MCPMods security check: Low risk. Things to review: can take actions such as send, write or deploy. It passed 3 of 6 checks.
MCP server results come from listing signals: who publishes it, where your data goes and what it can do. The code itself is not scanned yet.
| Check | Result |
|---|---|
| Community-built server | Note |
| Where data goes is not stated | Note |
| No credentials mentioned | Pass |
| Can take actions such as send, write or deploy | Review |
| No code execution | Pass |
| Source on GitHub | Pass |
How do I install Cua?
- Find the launch command. The README says how the server starts (npx, uvx, docker or a remote URL) and which API keys it needs.
https://github.com/trycua
- Add it to Claude Code. Replace the part after -- with the command from the README. Remote servers use --transport http with a URL.
claude mcp add cua -- <command from README> claude mcp add --transport http cua <server-url>
- Check it connected. This lists your MCP servers and their status.
claude mcp list
Or ask Claude to set it up
Paste this into Claude Code and it installs Cua for you:
Add the "Cua" MCP server from https://github.com/trycua to Claude Code. Read its README for the launch command and any API keys I need, run claude mcp add, then check that it connects.