Accurate identification of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is crucial for food safety and clinical diagnosis. Particularly, identifying drug-resistant strains guides effective treatment and prevention of infectious diseases. Herein, we presented a highly efficient programmable CRISPR/Cas12a system for identification of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Genus-specific gene (spec gene) and methicillin-resistant gene (mecA gene) of S. aureus were amplified by PCR. According to the sequences of spec gene and mecA gene, corresponding programmable crRNAs were designed and prepared to construct CRISPR/Cas12a system, which recognized and bound to the PCR products through complementary interactions to activate the trans-cleavage activity of Cas12a. This led to the indiscriminate digestion of surrounding FQ-reporter, releasing a distinct fluorescence signal for MRSA identification. In addition, we devised a pair of AuNPs-DNA probes for colorimetric recognition of S. aureus. Target-triggered trans-cleavage for linker probe led to an non-aggregation of AuNPs-DNA probes pair. This led to a noticeable appearance of red color, enabling naked-eye detection. Thus, MRSA identification was realized with remarkable sensitivity and exceptional selectivity. Successful identification of MRSA in clinical samples validated the practical applications of the proposed CRISPR/Cas12a assay, establishing it as a universal platform for diagnosing pathogenic microorganisms with versatility and compatibility.