Bench is the first MCP server that bridges physical hardware and AI tools. 16 tools for USB discovery, 83+ known maker boards, real-time device monitoring, firmware flashing, HID control, power diagnostics, and hub topology mapping — all through natural language. Built in Swift with native IOKit access for instant, reliable hardware detection. No Python. No Node.js. Just a native macOS binary that sees what's plugged into your machine.
What's included
- 16 tools — discovery, monitoring, management, flashing, HID control
- 83+ known maker boards — Arduino, ESP32, Raspberry Pi, Adafruit, SparkFun, STM32, Teensy
- Real-time USB monitoring — detect connect/disconnect events, snapshot and diff state
- Hub topology mapping — see your full USB tree with ports, speeds, and power draw
- Firmware flashing — auto-detects esptool, dfu-util, avrdude, or UF2 per device
- HID control — send/receive raw reports for Stream Decks, macro pads, custom devices
- Power diagnostics — per-device draw, bus budgets, charging detection
- Device tagging — persistent aliases, port reset for frozen devices, system log diagnostics
- Native Swift binary — no runtime dependencies
- Notarized and signed via Apple Developer Program
Requirements
- macOS 14+ (Sonoma or later) on Apple Silicon
- Any MCP-compatible AI client (Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.)
- Optional: arduino-cli, esptool, picotool for firmware operations