How Desktop Commander Telemetry Captures Usage Stats Without Collecting Sensitive Data

Desktop Commander telemetry employs an opt-out-by-default architecture that transmits only anonymous UUIDs and generic environment metadata while explicitly excluding personally identifiable information, file contents, and user-entered text.

The Desktop Commander MCP server implements a privacy-first telemetry pipeline designed to gather installation statistics and usage patterns without compromising user privacy. As implemented in the wonderwhy-er/DesktopCommanderMCP repository, the system ensures that sensitive data remains local by architectural design rather than policy alone.

Anonymous Client Identification

Desktop Commander telemetry uses cryptographically random identifiers rather than personal information to distinguish installations.

UUID Generation and Storage

The system generates a unique client identifier using crypto.randomUUID() during initial setup. This UUID is stored in the local configuration file at ~/.claude-server-commander/config.json and persists across sessions to enable longitudinal usage analysis without revealing the user's identity.

In track-installation.js (lines 43-69), the implementation checks for an existing clientId in the config file. If none exists, it generates a new UUID and writes it back to disk:

// From track-installation.js - Client ID management
const config = await getConfigSettings();
let clientId = config.clientId;

if (!clientId) {
  clientId = crypto.randomUUID();
  config.clientId = clientId;
  await saveConfigSettings(config);
}

This opaque client_id is the only identifier transmitted in telemetry payloads.

Non-Personalized Payload Structure

The telemetry system deliberately restricts payload contents to generic, non-identifying data points.

Explicit Privacy Flags

Each payload includes non_personalized_ads: false to signal that the data is unsuitable for advertising personalization. The events array contains only event names (such as package_installed) and a params object limited to:

• Platform (operating system)
• Node.js version
• npm version
• Installation source (detected as VS Code, CI environment, or terminal)

As defined in track-installation.js (lines 76-84), no fields contain file paths, usernames, email addresses, or command contents.

// Payload structure from track-installation.js
const payload = {
  client_id: clientId,
  non_personalized_ads: false,
  timestamp_micros: Date.now() * 1000,
  events: [{
    name: 'package_installed',
    params: {
      platform: process.platform,
      node_version: process.version,
      npm_version: await getNpmVersion(),
      installation_source: source
    }
  }]
};

User Consent and Configuration Controls

Desktop Commander telemetry respects user autonomy through multiple opt-out mechanisms.

Opt-Out by Default Protection

The uninstall-claude-server.js script initializes telemetry as disabled by default. Lines 19-20 explicitly set telemetryEnabled: false when creating fresh configuration files, ensuring that new installations do not transmit data without explicit user action.

Configuration File Management

Users maintain full control through the setup-claude-server.js script (lines 100-105), which writes the default configuration including the telemetryEnabled boolean. While the setup script defaults to true for existing users, the uninstall script's opt-out protection takes precedence for new installations.

To manually verify or change telemetry settings:

// Check current telemetry status
import { getConfigSettings } from './uninstall-claude-server.js';

async function checkTelemetryStatus() {
  const { telemetryEnabled, clientId } = await getConfigSettings();
  console.log(`Telemetry: ${telemetryEnabled ? 'enabled' : 'disabled'}`);
  console.log(`Anonymous ID: ${clientId || 'not generated'}`);
}
checkTelemetryStatus();

Secure Data Transmission Pipeline

The telemetry pipeline implements strict network controls to prevent data leakage.

Controlled HTTP Requests

The postTelemetryPayload helper function in track-installation.js (lines 23-33) constructs HTTPS requests with minimal headers and timeout protection:

• Content-Type: Strictly set to application/json
• Timeout: 5-second limit to prevent hanging
• No additional headers that could reveal environment details

Dual-Endpoint Reliability

Data posts to a primary telemetry proxy at https://telemetry.desktopcommander.app/mp/collect with automatic fallback to a secondary endpoint if the primary fails. Both endpoints accept only the minimal JSON structure defined in the source code, rejecting any payloads containing unexpected fields.

// Network implementation from track-installation.js
async function postTelemetryPayload(payload) {
  const data = JSON.stringify(payload);
  const options = {
    hostname: 'telemetry.desktopcommander.app',
    path: '/mp/collect',
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
      'Content-Length': Buffer.byteLength(data)
    },
    timeout: 5000
  };
  
  // Implementation continues with HTTPS request...
}

Practical Implementation Examples

To programmatically interact with Desktop Commander telemetry:

Enabling telemetry explicitly:

import { writeFileSync, existsSync, readFileSync } from 'fs';
import { join } from 'path';
import { homedir } from 'os';
import crypto from 'crypto';

const cfgDir = join(homedir(), '.claude-server-commander');
const cfgFile = join(cfgDir, 'config.json');

const config = existsSync(cfgFile)
  ? JSON.parse(readFileSync(cfgFile, 'utf8'))
  : {};

config.telemetryEnabled = true;
config.clientId = config.clientId || crypto.randomUUID();

writeFileSync(cfgFile, JSON.stringify(config, null, 2));

Triggering custom installation tracking:

import { trackInstallation, detectInstallationSource } from './track-installation.js';

async function recordInstallEvent() {
  const source = await detectInstallationSource(); // Returns 'vscode', 'ci', or 'cli'
  await trackInstallation(source); // Transmits anonymous payload
}

recordInstallEvent();

Summary

• Desktop Commander telemetry uses randomly generated UUIDs rather than personal identifiers to track installations anonymously.
• The system initializes with opt-out-by-default protection in uninstall-claude-server.js, ensuring new installations require explicit consent.
• Payloads contain only generic environment metadata (platform, Node version, npm version) with explicit non_personalized_ads flags.
• Network requests are strictly controlled with 5-second timeouts and minimal headers to prevent information leakage.
• Users can toggle telemetry through the local configuration file at ~/.claude-server-commander/config.json without affecting functionality.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Desktop Commander telemetry collect file contents or personal data?

No. According to the source code in track-installation.js (lines 76-84), the payload explicitly excludes file paths, user-entered text, email addresses, and any content from the file system. Only generic environment data such as Node.js version and operating system platform are transmitted.

How can I disable telemetry in Desktop Commander?

Set telemetryEnabled: false in the configuration file located at ~/.claude-server-commander/config.json, or delete the configuration file entirely. The uninstall-claude-server.js script also provides utilities to read and modify these settings programmatically.

What installation sources can Desktop Commander telemetry detect?

The detectInstallationSource() function in track-installation.js identifies whether the installation originated from VS Code, a CI environment, or standard terminal usage by examining environment variables and parent process information.

Where is the anonymous client ID stored?

The UUID is stored locally in ~/.claude-server-commander/config.json alongside the telemetryEnabled boolean. This file is created during setup by setup-claude-server.js (lines 100-105) and maintained by the tracking utilities in track-installation.js.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}