Snapshot
The current layout is saved to your Mac before anything is sent.
macOS app + MCP server · iPhone & iPad · USB or Wi-Fi
Rearrange your iPhone from your Mac. By hand, or by agent.
Your real home screen (real icons, real grid, real widgets) in a window on your Mac, and the same editor handed to AI agents as sixteen MCP tools. Every write is snapshotted first, then read back and verified. In the app, nothing is written until you've seen the exact diff. An agent writes once its plan validates; to approve each agent write yourself, turn on Confirm agent writes (it's off by default).
Developer ID signed and notarized. Not on the Mac App Store; the reason is written down, not hidden.
One home screen. Two ways in.
Screenshot coming soon
What an agent actually did
From Claude Code, over USB, on an iPhone 16 Pro running iOS 27.0.
preview_layout→ok · diff: 6 lines · dock + page 11 only
apply_layout→20260901-011349.680-mcp-apply.plist · verifiedClean: true
preview_layout→ok · Smart Stack 4B5D8634-… page 1 → page 2 · 147 changes
apply_layout→20260901-011440.097-mcp-apply.plist · verifiedClean: true
Patch 1 swapped Zwift and Music in the dock. Patch 2 moved a Smart Stack by its UUID onto a full page; four apps flowed into the freed slots. Both previewed, both snapshotted, both verified clean. The worked example →
Afterwards, without having watched: Write History in the app (⌘Y) lists recent writes like these two, marked AGENT, with the same sentences. What the app can tell you →
01 The problem
Why this exists
With a couple of hundred apps, rearranging by thumb is a ritual: hold, wiggle, drag to the edge, wait for the page flip, miss. And in our tests in August 2026, Apple Configurator, Apple's own desktop editor, failed in two ways on an iPhone 16 Pro running iOS 27.0.
Reproduced
Folder renames don't stick.
Type a name, press Return, and it reverts to the auto-generated App Store category (“Folder”, “Finance”) as soon as the view redraws.
Reproduced
It duplicates icons.
Merge two apps into a folder and one ends up inside the folder and still on the page. ScreenWright's validator refuses that state: an app can't be in two places.
Gap
Widgets were invisible to every tool we checked.
In our August 2026 survey: not Configurator, not 3uTools or AnyTrans, not sbmanager, not MDM layout payloads. ScreenWright reads Smart Stacks and widgets at their real footprint and moves, resizes, or removes them without touching what's inside.
Gap
We found no API.
Every route we found is drag-and-drop, a push-only MDM payload on a supervised device, or a robot driving simulated touches. ScreenWright exposes read → diff → write as structured calls.
An agent reorganizing 265 apps should be a structured call, not a robot dragging icons.the engineering brief, day one
02 The safety model
The safety model is the product.
The device's acknowledgement for a home-screen write carries no information, so every write, from either face, is a five-step transaction. There is no other way to write.
Validate
Compiled against the real installed-app list and real grid. Any error refuses the write.
Dry-run
The exact diff, with nothing written: the Review sheet, or preview_layout, which also says what SpringBoard will make of it. An agent's preview isn't shown to you unless you turn on Confirm agent writes.
Write, then settle
One push, then about three seconds for SpringBoard to settle.
Verify
Read back and diffed against the prediction. “Verified clean” is the only success signal.
03 The MCP server
Sixteen tools. Three of them write.
screenwright-mcp speaks Model Context Protocol over stdio, exposes sixteen tools and nothing else, and works with the app closed. The layout grammar lives inside the tool descriptions.
list_devices→get_layout→get_installed_apps→preview_layout→apply_layoutlist_devices read
Name, model, iOS version, transport, UDID. A Wi-Fi-visible device appears twice.
get_layout read
Dock, pages, folders, widgets with UUIDs, and the device's real grid metrics.
get_installed_apps read
Every bundle ID and display name; the list app refs resolve against.
validate_layout read
Compile and validate a spec. Structured errors and warnings. No write.
preview_layout read
Validate, the diff you asked for, and what SpringBoard will make of it. No write.
apply_layout write
Snapshot → validate → write → settle ~3 s → read back → verify. Refuses on any error.
list_snapshots none
Pre-write snapshots, newest first. At least the last 20 are kept.
preview_restore_snapshot none
The restore, planned and shown, with nothing written and no snapshot taken.
restore_snapshot write
Push a snapshot back through the same verified pipeline. Omit the name for the most recent.
get_icon read
An app's real icon as a PNG image block, by bundle ID.
All device tools take an optional udid (default: the first USB device) and network: true for the Wi-Fi link. A write over Wi-Fi is flagged wireless: true.
04 Limits
What it can't do. Stated up front.
Limits of what iOS exposes to a paired computer, not features we haven't gotten to. The server states the four hard ones to agents in its own instructions.
| Capability | Status | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Wallpaper | Can't be set | No command exists. On iOS 27, even reading it breaks the service channel, so the app doesn't try. |
| Icon appearance (dark, tinted, large) | Can't be set | Not in the service. |
| Removing an app from the home screen | Not possible | SpringBoard re-inserts anything omitted. ScreenWright warns rather than pretends. |
| Creating a widget | Not possible | Existing widgets can be moved, resized, or removed, by UUID. A synthesized widget renders as a dead blank tile, so the compiler refuses to invent one. A snapshot can't bring back a widget you removed; add it again on the device. |
| Blank slots, free placement, hidden apps, Today View, App Library order | Not expressible | Not in the wire format. |
05 Pricing
Free to look. US$19 to write.
The download is free, so you can see exactly what it would do to your phone before you pay. A license unlocks writing to the device. One payment, no subscription, no account. Downloads and purchases open with ScreenWright 1.0.
Free
Free features
$0 forever
- Connect over USB or Wi-Fi, even with the phone locked
- Your real home screen: real icons, the real grid, widgets and folders
- Rearrange, search with ⌘F, undo and redo
- Preview any change and read the exact diff
- Snapshots and Write History
- Save layouts to your library on your Mac
- The MCP server's read and preview tools, so an agent can read, plan and show you a change
License
What the license unlocks
US$19 once
- Apply Changes: write your layout to the device, verified
- Restore any snapshot (except a widget you removed: add that again on the device)
- Apply a saved layout
- The MCP write tools:
apply_layout,restore_snapshot,apply_saved_layout - Every ScreenWright 1.x update
- One person, on up to five Macs they use
Purchasing opens with ScreenWright 1.0. Sold by Paddle, our reseller. Your local currency and any sales tax or VAT are shown at checkout. 14-day refunds.
Apple can break this
ScreenWright uses parts of iOS that Apple doesn't document or support. Any iOS update can stop it working, and we can't promise a fix or a date. We plan on updates after major iOS releases, and the free features let you check your device before you pay. If it doesn't work out, ask for a refund within 14 days. The details are in the terms.
Updates: your license covers every 1.x release. A future 2.0 may be a paid upgrade; if it is, your 1.x license stays yours. No free trial of writing: the free features are the trial, and the refund is the safety net.
06 Questions
Before you move things around.
What does it cost?
Downloading, reading, editing, previewing and snapshots are free. Writing to a device needs a license: US$19, once, for one person on up to five Macs they use, with every 1.x update included. Purchasing opens with ScreenWright 1.0. Pricing →
Can I get a refund?
Yes. Ask within 14 days of buying and you get your money back, for any reason. Ask us through the support page, or ask Paddle directly from your receipt email. There's no free trial of writing, so this is how you try it for real. Refund Policy →
How many Macs can I use it on?
Up to five of the Macs you use, at home and at work, at the same time. The first time you enter your key on a Mac, ScreenWright activates it with our license server once; after that it works offline. Moving to a new Mac? Deactivate an old one from inside ScreenWright, or ask us through the support page. A license is for one person, so other people need their own. Use it with as many iPhones and iPads as you own or manage.
What happens if Apple breaks it?
It's possible. ScreenWright uses parts of iOS that Apple doesn't document, and any iOS update can change them. Every write is still snapshotted first and read back after, and a result that doesn't match the plan is reported as unclean, never as success. We plan on updates after major iOS releases and ship them through the app's updater, but we can't promise a fix or a date. Before you buy, the free features show you whether it works with your device today. What the terms say →
Does ScreenWright send my data anywhere?
Your layouts are never uploaded to us. Your layouts, snapshots, app list and icons stay on your Mac, and the app has no accounts, analytics or telemetry. Here is what does leave your Mac:
- Licensing. Activating or deactivating a Mac sends our license server your key and a random installation identifier linked to your license. After activation, your license is checked on your Mac, offline.
- Update checks. The app asks screenwright.com for new versions, which shows our server your IP address and the app's version. You can turn automatic checks off.
- This website. We count visits with our own cookieless analytics.
- Support. The support form sends what you type to the services that deliver it.
None of these carries anything about your phone or your layout. If you connect an AI agent, what the agent reads goes to that agent's provider, so pick agents you trust. Privacy Policy →
Is it safe to let an agent write to my phone?
Agent writes go through the same snapshot, preview and read-back checks as yours, and Write History shows you recent ones afterwards, reconstructed from their snapshots. Agents can still be wrong: a write that verified clean matches the agent's plan, not necessarily what you wanted. It's off by default: turn on Confirm agent writes in ScreenWright's settings and every agent write waits for you to click Allow. You're responsible for the agents you connect.
What do I need?
A Mac on macOS 15 or later and an iPhone or iPad paired with an ordinary “Trust This Computer” tap. No MDM, no jailbreak, no supervision. Tested on an iPhone 16 Pro on iOS 27.0, and used with an iPad. iPad support is still being validated. The grid is read from the device.
Do I need an AI agent?
No. The app is a complete editor on its own. The MCP server is its own executable that runs with the app closed; it ships inside ScreenWright.app, and both link the same HomeScreenKit library, so an agent gets the same planner and verified writer you do.
Can I use it over Wi-Fi?
Yes. With the cable in, turn on “Show this iPhone when on Wi-Fi” in Finder once; after that, same network, no cable. A Wi-Fi-visible device appears twice in the picker (a USB row and a Wi-Fi row) and you choose the link. Writes over Wi-Fi are flagged everywhere they appear. A locked, unplugged iPhone naps its Wi-Fi, so connecting retries for about 30 seconds and the app reconnects in place with your edits intact.
Can I go back to my previous layout?
Every write snapshots the current layout to your Mac first, per device; at least the last 20 are kept. Stage one in the app and it goes through the same Review sheet as any edit; an agent previews with preview_restore_snapshot, then uses restore_snapshot, which takes a fresh snapshot first, so rolling back is itself reversible. One exception: a snapshot can't bring back a widget you removed; add it again on the device. Last resort, on the phone: Settings › General › Transfer or Reset iPhone › Reset › Reset Home Screen Layout.
An agent rearranged my phone. What did it do?
Open Write History in the app (⌘Y, or the History button in the editor). It's a view of recent changes, reconstructed from the snapshot every write leaves on your Mac: newest first, who made each write, as a badge (AGENT, APP, or CLI), when, and what changed, in the same sentences the Review sheet uses. It covers writes made while the app was closed and lists them with the phone unplugged, though the newest write's changes need the phone connected. It cannot tell you whether a write verified clean, and anything you moved by hand between two writes is counted with the earlier one. Write History →
What can, and can't, it change?
Apps, pages, folders, the dock, and moving, resizing or removing existing widgets. Removing a widget is one-way: a snapshot can't bring it back, so add it again on the device. Not: creating widgets, wallpaper, icon appearance, blank slots, or removing an app from the home screen. SpringBoard puts omitted apps back, and the validator warns rather than pretends.
Why isn't it on the Mac App Store?
Talking to an iPhone means connecting to usbmuxd's UNIX socket. The App Sandbox forbids that, and no entitlement unlocks it (researched, not assumed). So ScreenWright ships the way iMazing, AnyTrans, iExplorer and 3uTools do: Developer ID signed, notarized, Hardened Runtime on, sandbox off. How it's built →
Coming soon: ScreenWright 1.0
For macOS 15 or later · Free to download; a US$19 license unlocks writing
We've paused the download while we get 1.0 ready. If you'd like to hear when it's out, tell us on the support page: choose “Question” and ask to be told. We'll write to you once, when it ships.
Tell me when it's outDeveloper ID signed and notarized · drag to Applications
1Open the DMG and drag ScreenWright to Applications.
2Plug in your iPhone or iPad and tap Trust This Computer.
3Pick the device. Edit. Apply, and read the report.
The MCP server
screenwright-mcp is inside the app, at ScreenWright.app/Contents/MacOS/screenwright-mcp, signed and notarized with it. Register it by absolute path; with the app in Applications:
Claude Code
claude mcp add screenwright -- /Applications/ScreenWright.app/Contents/MacOS/screenwright-mcpor, in a project's .mcp.json:
.mcp.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"screenwright": { "command": "/Applications/ScreenWright.app/Contents/MacOS/screenwright-mcp", "args": [] }
}
}If the app lives somewhere else, don't guess the path: in ScreenWright, choose Help, then Set Up MCP Server, and copy either form. It reads the path of the copy that is running.
Smoke test it by hand:
shell
printf '%s\n' \
'{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"initialize","params":{"protocolVersion":"2025-06-18"}}' \
'{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":2,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"list_devices","arguments":{}}}' \
| /Applications/ScreenWright.app/Contents/MacOS/screenwright-mcpMade by Grizzly Mining Company LLC.