Thumbly: connect an MCP agent to a real iPhone from your Mac

Description and use

Thumbly enables MCP agents to control a real iPhone from a Mac over USB or Wi‑Fi, providing client approval and activity logging without jailbreak or cloud relays.

Problem

Enabling AI agents to control a real iPhone directly from a Mac without jailbreak or cloud relay.

Outcome

Thumbly allows MCP agents to perform native iPhone interactions over a local connection, eliminating the need for jailbreak or cloud relays, and providing client approval and activity logging on the Mac.

Workflow

• Install Thumbly on macOS 14+
• Connect and unlock the iPhone, tap Trust
• Enable Developer Mode on the iPhone and restart
• Add Thumbly MCP endpoint to Claude Code with claude mcp add --transport http thumbly http://127.0.0.1:8771/mcp
• Approve the client in Thumbly Mac app’s Access screen
• Use Claude Code to send a task (e.g., open Notes and write a note) and observe activity log

Evidence

Thumbly exposes native screenshots, taps, swipes, long presses, text entry, hardware buttons, app launching and device information.

Source

The phone connects to your Mac over USB, or Wi‑Fi after the first USB pairing.

Source

Each new client waits for approval in the Mac app. You can inspect the activity log and use Pause to stop AI access.

Source