Agent connection

Automatic connection

1. Drag Noru to Applications and open that installed copy. Client configuration must point to a permanent app location, not the mounted DMG.
2. Allow Screen Recording when macOS asks. If it was denied before, use Allow Screen Recording... in the Noru menu to open the correct System Settings pane.
3. Choose Allow Agent Observations in Noru. Screen Recording permission by itself does not authorize an agent to request captures.
4. Noru registers its bundled local server with every supported client it detects, while preserving other MCP servers and unrelated client settings.
5. Restart any open agent session once so it reloads its MCP configuration.

Later launches run a readiness check against the same installed binary. If you add or reconfigure an agent, choose Check & Repair Agent Connection...from the Noru menu. Re-running repair is safe: an already-correct registration is left unchanged, and a stale Noru path is refreshed.

Supported client handling

Cursor and VS Code also need one global routing instruction. Follow theCursor and VS Code rule after registration.

Install and repair from Terminal

Register or repair every detected supported client:

/Applications/Noru.app/Contents/MacOS/noru-mcp install

Preview the exact changes without writing client configuration:

/Applications/Noru.app/Contents/MacOS/noru-mcp install --dry-run

The installer reports each client as changed, already correct, skipped with a manual hint, or failed. It exits unsuccessfully if any detected client update fails, and leaves a configuration it cannot safely parse untouched.

Generic manual stdio configuration

For another MCP client, register a server named noruwhose command is the bundled binary and whose argument list is empty. A commonmcpServers shape is:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "noru": {
      "command": "/Applications/Noru.app/Contents/MacOS/noru-mcp",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

VS Code uses a top-level servers map and requirestype: "stdio":

{
  "servers": {
    "noru": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "/Applications/Noru.app/Contents/MacOS/noru-mcp",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

Verify the complete path

Doctor checks the running app, Screen Recording permission, agent authorization and pause state, visible acknowledgement readiness, and every detected client registration. It does not take a screenshot.

/Applications/Noru.app/Contents/MacOS/noru-mcp doctor

It prints JSON and exits successfully only when the app is running, permission and acknowledgement are ready, perception is active, at least one client is correctly registered, and no detected client needs repair.

For a real observation test, put unique text in a native window and ask your agent what is on your screen. Do not press the shortcut or attach a screenshot. The agent should call get_latest_capture, Noru should show Capture ready, and the agent should answer from that fresh result.

Pause, revoke, or disconnect