# stuckbar
[](https://crates.io/crates/stuckbar)
[](https://docs.rs/stuckbar)
[](https://github.com/bkataru/stuckbar/actions/workflows/ci.yml)
[](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)
A straightforward CLI tool & MCP server for getting that annoying Windows taskbar unstuck.
When the Windows taskbar gets stuck (especially when configured to auto-hide), this utility provides a quick way to restart `explorer.exe` from the command line or via MCP tool calls, snapping the taskbar back to normal.
> **🪟 Windows Only**: This tool is designed specifically for Windows and will not work on macOS or Linux.
## Installation
### Using cargo (recommended)
```bash
# Basic installation (CLI only)
cargo install stuckbar
# With MCP server support (STDIO transport)
cargo install stuckbar --features mcp
# With full MCP support (STDIO + HTTP transports)
cargo install stuckbar --features mcp-full
```
### From source
```bash
git clone https://github.com/bkataru/stuckbar.git
cd stuckbar
cargo install --path .
# Or with MCP features
cargo install --path . --features mcp-full
```
## Usage
### Basic CLI Usage
```bash
# Restart explorer.exe (default action)
stuckbar
# Or explicitly use the restart command
stuckbar restart
# Just kill explorer.exe
stuckbar kill
# Just start explorer.exe
stuckbar start
# Show help
stuckbar --help
# Show version
stuckbar --version
```
### Commands
| `restart` | Kill and restart explorer.exe (default) |
| `kill` | Terminate explorer.exe process |
| `start` | Start explorer.exe process |
| `serve` | Start MCP server (requires `mcp` feature)|
## MCP Server (AI Agent Integration)
Stuckbar can run as a [Model Context Protocol (MCP)](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/) server, allowing AI agents to programmatically control Windows Explorer operations.
### Features
When running as an MCP server, stuckbar exposes three tools:
| `kill_explorer` | Terminate the explorer.exe process |
| `start_explorer` | Start the explorer.exe process |
| `restart_explorer` | Restart explorer.exe (recommended for stuck taskbar) |
### Running the MCP Server
#### STDIO Transport (for direct process communication)
```bash
# Requires: cargo install stuckbar --features mcp
stuckbar serve --stdio
```
This is the recommended transport for most MCP clients like Claude Desktop.
#### HTTP Transport (SSE-based, for network communication)
```bash
# Requires: cargo install stuckbar --features mcp-full
stuckbar serve --http
# With custom host and port
stuckbar serve --http --host 0.0.0.0 --port 3000
```
The HTTP server uses Server-Sent Events (SSE) and exposes:
- SSE endpoint: `http://<host>:<port>/sse`
- Message endpoint: `http://<host>:<port>/message`
### Configuration Examples
#### Claude Desktop
Add to your `claude_desktop_config.json`:
**Windows:**
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"stuckbar": {
"command": "stuckbar",
"args": ["serve", "--stdio"]
}
}
}
```
Or with full path:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"stuckbar": {
"command": "C:\\Users\\<username>\\.cargo\\bin\\stuckbar.exe",
"args": ["serve", "--stdio"]
}
}
}
```
#### Other MCP Clients
For clients that support SSE transport:
```bash
stuckbar serve --http --port 8080
# Connect to: http://localhost:8080/sse
```
## Feature Flags
| (default) | Basic CLI functionality |
| `mcp` | MCP server with STDIO transport |
| `mcp-http` | MCP server with SSE HTTP transport (includes `mcp`) |
| `mcp-full` | All MCP features (alias for `mcp-http`) |
## Building from Source
```bash
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/bkataru/stuckbar.git
cd stuckbar
# Build with default features
cargo build --release
# Build with MCP support
cargo build --release --features mcp-full
# Run tests
cargo test
# Run tests with all features
cargo test --all-features
```
## How It Works
When the Windows taskbar becomes unresponsive or stuck (often happens with auto-hide enabled), the typical fix is to restart Windows Explorer. This tool automates that process by:
1. **Kill**: Forcefully terminating `explorer.exe` using `taskkill /F /IM explorer.exe`
2. **Wait**: Pausing briefly (500ms) to ensure the process is fully terminated
3. **Start**: Launching a new instance of `explorer.exe`
This restores the taskbar, desktop icons, and file explorer functionality.
## Platform Support
This tool is **Windows-only**. Running on macOS or Linux will display an error message:
```
stuckbar is a Windows-only tool.
Current platform 'linux' is not supported.
This tool restarts explorer.exe which only exists on Windows.
```
## License
MIT License - see [LICENSE](LICENSE) for details.
## Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request :)