Changelog

Release notes and version history for Windows MCP Server

All notable changes to the Windows MCP Server extension will be documented in this file.

The format is based on Keep a Changelog, and this project adheres to Semantic Versioning.

[Unreleased]

Added

• 5 Focused UI Tools - Split ui_automation into specialized tools for better LLM understanding:
  • ui_find — Find elements by name, type, or ID (with timeout/retry via timeoutMs)
  • ui_click — Click buttons, tabs, checkboxes
  • ui_type — Type text into edit controls
  • ui_read — Read text from elements (UIA + OCR fallback)
  • file_save — Save files via Save As dialog (English Windows only)
• Dedicated app tool - Launch applications with app(programPath='notepad.exe')
  • Separated from window_management for clearer intent
  • Automatic window detection after launch
  • Returns window handle for subsequent operations
• Close with discardChanges - window_management(action='close', handle='...', discardChanges=true)
  • Automatically dismisses “Save?” dialogs by clicking “Don’t Save”
  • English Windows only (detects English button text)
• Path auto-normalization - Forward slashes automatically converted to backslashes
  • ui_type(text='C:/Users/file.txt') → types C:\Users\file.txt
  • Works in ui_type and keyboard_control
• LLM integration tests - Tools tested with real AI models using agent-benchmark
  • Verifies AI models understand tool descriptions and use them correctly
  • Catches usability issues before release

Changed

• Optimized JSON output for token efficiency - Reduced token usage in tool responses
  • Short property names (e.g., s instead of success, h instead of handle)
  • Centralized JsonSerializerOptions for consistent formatting
  • Significantly reduces token consumption when LLMs process responses
• Handle-based workflow - All tools now use explicit windowHandle for window targeting
  • LLM calls window_management(action='find') to get handles, then decides which to use
  • Removed implicit app parameter that made window selection decisions
  • Example: ui_click(windowHandle='123456', name='Save')
• snake_case action names - All action parameters use snake_case (e.g., find, click, get_foreground)
• Annotated screenshots by default - screenshot_control now includes element overlays automatically
  • Element names, types, and coordinates embedded in the image
• Simplified workflow - Most tasks now require fewer tool calls
  • Old: window_management(action='activate') → ui_automation(action='find') → ui_automation(action='click')
  • New: window_management(action='find') → ui_click(windowHandle='...', name='Save')

[1.1.4] - 2025-12-28

Changed

• Ship self-contained exe releases (x64/arm64) — no .NET runtime required

[1.1.3] - 2025-12-27

Changed

• Optimized MCP tool descriptions for LLM token efficiency

[1.1.2] - 2025-12-27

Added

• Phase 3-4 LLM usability improvements
• Enhanced error messages and guidance

[1.1.1] - 2025-12-26

Added

• Phase 0-2 integration tests for LLM-driven improvements
• Improved test coverage for UI automation scenarios

[1.1.0] - 2025-12-25

Changed

• UIA3 Migration - Migrated UI Automation from UIA2 (managed wrapper) to UIA3 (COM API)
  • ~40% performance improvement for element discovery and tree traversal
  • Better compatibility with modern Windows applications
  • Improved stability and reduced memory usage

Added

• CI workflow for automated testing on pull requests
• Comprehensive UI Automation test infrastructure
  • WinForms test harness with TabControl, ListView, TreeView, DataGridView
  • Electron test harness for Chromium-based application testing
  • 45+ integration tests covering find, click, type, toggle, tree navigation

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