mirror of
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
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Peter Steinberger
19ace6830b
* feat(macos): embed CUA computer provider * fix(macos): clarify embedded CUA trust posture * fix(macos): contain embedded CUA daemon lifecycle * fix(macos): reap orphaned CUA daemons * fix(macos): record the spawned CUA daemon pid so reaping can terminate orphans * chore(macos): refresh native i18n baseline for the computer control provider picker * style(macos): satisfy swiftlint on the embedded CUA host and connect params * refactor(gateway): move optional connect params to GatewayConnectOptions
148 lines
17 KiB
Markdown
148 lines
17 KiB
Markdown
---
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summary: "Capability-based desktop control through the computer tool and computer.act node command"
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read_when:
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- Letting the gateway agent see and control a paired desktop
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- Enablement, permissions, or safety for computer use
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- Extending the computer.act node command or its fulfillers
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title: "Computer use"
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---
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Computer use lets the gateway agent see and control a capable paired desktop. Eligibility is capability-based: the connected node must advertise both `computer.act` and `screen.snapshot`. The node's descriptor identifies the supported v2 action, target, observation, and delivery families, so the built-in `computer` tool exposes only what that provider can faithfully execute. Coordinate actions bind to a node-issued reference frame; capable providers can also address windows and elements, request background delivery, and return structured effect or refusal evidence. A vision-capable model drives the surface through the built-in `computer` agent tool.
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The agent emits one uniform command, `computer.act`; it cannot choose how a node fulfills it. On macOS, **Settings → General → Capabilities** selects the node-local provider: Peekaboo is the default and preserves the existing in-process coordinate-action path, while CUA uses a driver daemon embedded in `OpenClaw.app`. The app spawns that daemon directly so it inherits OpenClaw's Accessibility and Screen Recording grants, and the app-owned node worker connects through a private socket. Windows and Linux can use the optional, experimental `cua-computer` plugin, which calls the packaged CUA Driver SDK directly.
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Provider selection never falls back per action. Switching providers closes the active execution surface, rotates the provider generation, and re-advertises the node commands. A CUA failure therefore becomes an unavailable result instead of silently running the same action through Peekaboo.
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## Requirements
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- A paired, connected node advertising both `computer.act` and `screen.snapshot`, with `screen.snapshot` returning `displayFrameId`.
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- **macOS fulfiller:** app setting **Allow Computer Control** enabled. It defaults on; an explicit off choice stays off.
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- **macOS fulfiller:** choose **Peekaboo** (default) or **CUA**. CUA is selectable only when the pinned driver is present in the signed app bundle; development builds without that artifact show **driver not bundled**.
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- **macOS fulfiller:** **Accessibility** and **Screen Recording** granted to OpenClaw. The native Peekaboo path also requires Event Posting access for its CoreGraphics input primitives.
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- **Windows/Linux fulfiller:** bundled `cua-computer` plugin enabled. Its package includes the pinned CUA Driver SDK 0.19.3 runtime; no `cua-driver` executable, daemon, or MCP server is configured.
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- The pairing update that includes `computer.act` approved on the gateway.
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- A vision-capable agent model.
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- Tool policy that exposes `computer`. The default `coding` profile does not. Add `computer` to `tools.alsoAllow`; sandboxed agents also need it in `tools.sandbox.tools.alsoAllow`.
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## The `computer` agent tool
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The built-in `computer` tool takes one action per call. Coordinates are non-negative integer pixels in the most recent screenshot; the node maps them to display points. Coordinate actions must echo the screenshot result's `frameId`, and an explicit `screenIndex` must match that frame. OpenClaw also carries a node-issued display identity from the screenshot into the action, so a display reconnect or geometry change fails closed instead of silently retargeting the same index. These checks reject guessed tokens and tokens from another delivered frame or display. A token is not a freshness guarantee: apps can change pixels on the same display after capture, so take a new screenshot whenever the scene may have changed.
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- Reads: `screenshot`.
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- Pointer: `left_click`, `right_click`, `middle_click`, `double_click`, `triple_click`, `mouse_move`, `left_click_drag` (with `startCoordinate`), `left_mouse_down`, `left_mouse_up`.
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- Scroll: `scroll` with `scrollDirection` (`up|down|left|right`) and `scrollAmount` (wheel ticks).
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- Keyboard: `type` (text), `key` (combo such as `cmd+shift+t` or `Return`), `hold_key` (`text` combo held for `duration` seconds).
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- Pacing: `wait` (`duration` seconds).
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Providers with the v2 window/element family can additionally expose `list_apps`, `list_windows`, `get_accessibility_tree`, `get_cursor_position`, `get_window_state`, `launch_app`, `kill_app`, `bring_to_front`, `set_value`, `zoom`, `escalate_scope`, and `invoke_menu`. The provider descriptor is authoritative; unavailable actions are omitted rather than emulated through another provider.
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Modifier keys ride the `text` field on click and scroll actions (`shift`, `ctrl`, `alt`, `cmd`). After an input action the tool returns a fresh screenshot so the model can observe the result. If more than one computer-capable node is connected, pass `node` explicitly.
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Screenshots are kept **model-only**: they are never auto-delivered to the chat channel. Treat all on-screen content as untrusted input; the tool warns the model not to follow on-screen instructions that conflict with the user's request.
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## CUA Driver provider
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### macOS app-owned daemon
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The signed macOS app bundles the universal `cua-driver` 0.19.3 executable and offers **CUA** in the Computer Control provider picker. OpenClaw creates a private, owner-only socket directory under Application Support and starts `cua-driver serve --embedded` as a direct app child. It does not launch through the Gateway, the TypeScript worker, `open(1)`, or `NSWorkspace`; those paths would break macOS's TCC responsibility chain and create a second permission identity.
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The app waits until the private socket accepts connections before advertising CUA readiness. Its TypeScript node worker starts only the unprivileged MCP proxy against that socket and maps the same typed `computer.act` v2 actions used on other platforms. Permission changes restart the daemon, and provider changes, disabling Computer Control, app shutdown, or an unexpected child exit remove the advertised CUA commands until a fresh generation is ready.
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#### Trust model
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The embedded CUA daemon runs in unrestricted mode because bounded CUA grants require exact launch-time resources and cannot represent OpenClaw's runtime-discovered windows and elements. OpenClaw command arming, pairing approval, and tool policy are the authoritative authorization gate, identical to the shipped Peekaboo fulfiller. The app owns the daemon and its macOS TCC identity, and the daemon accepts local connections only through an owner-only socket directory.
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The CUA descriptor advertises window and element targets, background and foreground delivery, screenshots, and accessibility observations. Peekaboo remains the default in this release and advertises the existing coordinate-action family; its v2 adapter is separate work.
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### Windows and Linux (experimental, direct SDK)
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The bundled `cua-computer` plugin provides an experimental fulfiller for Windows and Linux node hosts. It is disabled by default and uses the pinned CUA Driver SDK 0.19.3 contract directly:
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1. Enable the plugin:
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```bash
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openclaw plugins enable cua-computer
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```
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2. Start `openclaw node run` from the interactive desktop session. The plugin creates its configured SDK runtime lazily, then creates one OpenClaw-owned trusted session for the node-host command execution. It closes that session and shuts down the runtime when the command host stops or restarts.
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3. Add `computer.act` to the Gateway allowlist. This plugin registers `computer.act` as a dangerous plugin node command, so enabling the plugin alone is not enough; the operator must opt in explicitly:
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```json5
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{
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gateway: {
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nodes: { commands: { allow: ["computer.act"] } },
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},
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}
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```
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Without this entry, `node.invoke` rejects `computer.act` even though the node advertises it.
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This fulfiller currently controls only the primary display. `hold_key`, `left_mouse_down`, and `left_mouse_up` are unavailable because the CUA Driver SDK has no desktop-scope held-input contract. Modifier-held clicks, scrolling, and dragging are rejected because the typed desktop methods do not accept modifiers. The `key` action accepts named keys, letters, and modifier combos (for example `cmd+c` or `Return`); digit and punctuation keys are rejected because the driver drops their layout-dependent shift state, so send that text through the `type` action instead. Cancellation is passed to the SDK for each node invocation.
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The plugin calls `CuaDriver.createConfigured`, never bare `create()`. Its authorization ceiling, trusted session identifier, TTLs, and desktop scope are fixed by OpenClaw; model-facing `screen.snapshot` and `computer.act` inputs cannot select a session or widen that authority. Because the driver reports no stable display identity, frame authorization binds to the trusted session generation plus live primary-display geometry. A new session invalidates outstanding frames, but a same-geometry primary-display substitution inside one session cannot be detected; prefer a stable single-display session for this fulfiller.
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On Windows and Linux this is a hard replacement of the former 0.10 daemon/MCP integration: OpenClaw does not spawn a CUA process or proxy an MCP client. macOS deliberately uses the app-owned embedded daemon described above so the driver remains in `OpenClaw.app`'s TCC responsibility chain. Neither path falls back to another provider for an individual action.
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### Troubleshooting
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The `cua-computer` fulfiller surfaces typed error codes in the tool result and node logs. Common ones:
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| Code | Cause | Fix |
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| ---------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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| `COMPUTER_DRIVER_UNAVAILABLE` | The CUA runtime cannot initialize, the macOS app-owned endpoint is absent, or the desktop permissions/session are unavailable. | On macOS, verify CUA is selected and the bundled driver is ready; on Windows/Linux, run `openclaw node run` inside the interactive desktop session. Reinstall OpenClaw if the pinned runtime is missing. |
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| `COMPUTER_REFUSED_<code>` | The driver refused the action with a structured code such as `background_unavailable`, `background_occluded`, or `foreground_unavailable` (KDE/KWin Wayland). | Bring the target window forward, switch to X11, or use a supported compositor. See the compatibility notes above. |
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| `COMPUTER_STALE_FRAME` | The coordinates referenced a screenshot that is no longer current (context compaction, a display geometry change, or a reference-width change). | Take a fresh `screenshot` before the coordinate action. |
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| `COMPUTER_UNSUPPORTED_ACTION` | An action this fulfiller cannot faithfully deliver: `hold_key`, `left_mouse_down`, `left_mouse_up`, or modifier-held click/drag/scroll. | Use a supported action. The typed CUA Driver desktop contract has no held-input or modifier argument for these calls. |
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| `COMPUTER_UNSUPPORTED_DISPLAY` | A non-primary `screenIndex`, a capture/screen geometry mismatch, or a cursor outside the primary display. | Drive the primary display only. |
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| `COMPUTER_UNSUPPORTED_KEY` | A `key` value the driver cannot reproduce reliably: a digit or punctuation key whose shift state is layout-dependent, or an unknown key. | Send that text through the `type` action instead. |
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| `COMPUTER_DRIVER_ERROR` / `COMPUTER_INVALID_REQUEST` | The driver failed without a structured code, or the action arguments were malformed. | Check the driver state and retake a screenshot; correct the action arguments. |
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## The `computer.act` node command
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`computer.act` is the single node command the tool routes input through (`node.invoke` with `command: "computer.act"`). It is:
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- **Locally enabled**: the node advertises it only while Computer Control is enabled. The gateway can approve that advertised surface once at pairing.
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- **Capability-based**: the tool requires a connected node to advertise both `computer.act` and `screen.snapshot`. The bundled macOS app and the opt-in experimental `cua-computer` plugin fulfill the same command pair.
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Reads reuse `screen.snapshot`; there is no second capture path. See [Camera and screen nodes](/nodes/camera) for the shared capture command.
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## Authorization
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1. Enable the platform fulfiller: on macOS, **Settings → General → Capabilities → Allow Computer Control** starts enabled, then choose Peekaboo or CUA and grant **Accessibility** and **Screen Recording** under **Settings → Permissions**; on Windows/Linux, follow the experimental `cua-computer` setup above.
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2. Approve the pairing update on the gateway (a new command forces re-pairing).
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3. Expose the tool to the vision-capable agent. For the default `coding` profile:
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```json5
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{
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tools: {
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alsoAllow: ["computer"],
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// Sandboxed agents need this second gate too:
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sandbox: { tools: { alsoAllow: ["computer"] } },
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},
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}
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```
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Once the node-local control is enabled and the pairing update is approved, `computer.act` is durably available while the node continues to advertise it. There is no lease, expiry, or arm/disarm command. Disabling Computer Control locally removes the advertised command and the node rechecks the toggle at invocation time.
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On macOS, default-on means a paired gateway can drive pointer and keyboard input as soon as the required macOS grants exist. There is no per-action confirmation. Turn off **Allow Computer Control** before pairing, or at any later time, to stop advertising and accepting `computer.act`.
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`gateway.nodes.commands.deny` remains an explicit global revocation and always wins. The native macOS Peekaboo fulfiller does not need a `gateway.nodes.commands.allow` entry. CUA registers `computer.act` as a dangerous plugin node command on every platform, so selecting CUA on macOS or enabling the plugin on Windows/Linux also requires an explicit `gateway.nodes.commands.allow` entry. An authenticated operator with `operator.write` can invoke an enabled, paired command through `node.invoke`; there is no per-action admin check.
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## Safety
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- Every layer (tool policy, gateway command policy, pairing, node-app setting, and platform permissions) must agree. On macOS that includes **Allow Computer Control**, Accessibility, and Screen Recording; the native Peekaboo path also requires Event Posting. Actions execute while those durable controls remain enabled; there is no per-action confirmation.
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- The macOS fulfiller posts text one grapheme at a time, so cancellation, disconnect, pause, disable, or endpoint replacement stops it before the next grapheme. The experimental CUA Driver fulfiller passes node cancellation to the SDK for each call.
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- Screenshots are model-only and never auto-sent to chat (issue [#44759](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/issues/44759)).
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- Treat screen content as untrusted; it can carry prompt injection.
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## macOS permission troubleshooting
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The Computer Control status in **Settings → General → Capabilities** checks Accessibility, Event Posting, and Screen Recording separately. Screen capture can work while input remains denied because macOS stores those grants in separate TCC buckets.
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If the status says **Accessibility grant may be stale**, OpenClaw may already appear enabled under **System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility** even though macOS rejects it. This happens when the Accessibility entry is pinned to an older app build. Select OpenClaw in that list, remove it with **−**, then re-add `/Applications/OpenClaw.app`. Quit and reopen OpenClaw after changing the grant because macOS can cache Accessibility trust for the lifetime of the process.
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## Relationship to other desktop-control paths
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This is the agent-driven path. See [Peekaboo bridge](/platforms/mac/peekaboo) for how it relates to the PeekabooBridge host, Codex Computer Use, and the direct `cua-driver` MCP.
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