--- summary: "Capability-based desktop control through the computer tool and computer.act node command" read_when: - Letting the gateway agent see and control a paired desktop - Enablement, permissions, or safety for computer use - Extending the computer.act node command or its fulfillers title: "Computer use" --- 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`, whose result must include a `displayFrameId`. The tool captures a screenshot as its reference frame, then drives the pointer and keyboard through `computer.act`. The action set follows the core Anthropic computer-use actions; optional `computer_20251124` zoom is not exposed. A vision-capable model drives it through the built-in `computer` agent tool. The agent emits one uniform command, `computer.act`; it cannot tell how a node fulfills it. The bundled macOS app handles the command in-process with embedded Peekaboo services plus narrow CoreGraphics primitives (correct TCC permissions, no extra process). Windows and Linux can use the optional, experimental `cua-computer` plugin with a separately installed `cua-driver` binary. Both fulfillers use the same durable local enablement and pairing policy. ## Requirements - A paired, connected node advertising both `computer.act` and `screen.snapshot`, with `screen.snapshot` returning `displayFrameId`. - **macOS fulfiller:** app setting **Allow Computer Control** enabled. It defaults on; an explicit off choice stays off. - **macOS fulfiller:** **Accessibility** and Event Posting access granted to OpenClaw (for pointer/keyboard injection), plus **Screen Recording** permission (for `screen.snapshot`). - **Windows/Linux fulfiller:** bundled `cua-computer` plugin enabled and a compatible `cua-driver` 0.10.x executable installed. - The pairing update that includes `computer.act` approved on the gateway. - A vision-capable agent model. - 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`. ## The `computer` agent tool 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. - Reads: `screenshot`. - Pointer: `left_click`, `right_click`, `middle_click`, `double_click`, `triple_click`, `mouse_move`, `left_click_drag` (with `startCoordinate`), `left_mouse_down`, `left_mouse_up`. - Scroll: `scroll` with `scrollDirection` (`up|down|left|right`) and `scrollAmount` (wheel ticks). - Keyboard: `type` (text), `key` (combo such as `cmd+shift+t` or `Return`), `hold_key` (`text` combo held for `duration` seconds). - Pacing: `wait` (`duration` seconds). 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. 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. ## Windows and Linux (experimental, via cua-driver) The bundled `cua-computer` plugin provides an experimental fulfiller for Windows and Linux node hosts. It is disabled by default and requires the prerelease 0.10.x driver contract: 1. Install a `cua-driver` 0.10.x binary from the [upstream releases](https://github.com/trycua/cua/releases) and make it available on `PATH`. To use another executable location, set `plugins.entries.cua-computer.config.driverPath`. 2. Enable the plugin: ```bash openclaw plugins enable cua-computer ``` 3. Start `openclaw node run` from the interactive desktop session. The plugin starts the local driver daemon lazily when the first capture or action arrives. This fulfiller currently controls only the primary display. X11/XWayland is the first-line Linux path. Native Wayland remains an upstream opt-in: set `CUA_DRIVER_RS_ENABLE_WAYLAND` yourself before starting the node; OpenClaw never sets it automatically. KDE/KWin is unsupported by the upstream native-Wayland input path. `hold_key`, `left_mouse_down`, and `left_mouse_up` are unavailable because cua-driver 0.10.x has no cross-platform desktop-scope hold contract. Modifier-held scrolling and dragging are unavailable on both platforms, and modifier-held clicks are unavailable on Linux. 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. Text typing cannot be cancelled partway through a `type_text` driver call. Because cua-driver reports no stable display identity, frame authorization binds to the driver connection plus the live primary-display geometry. A daemon or session reconnect invalidates outstanding frames, but a same-geometry primary-display substitution that keeps the connection open cannot be detected; prefer a stable single-display session for this fulfiller. OpenClaw disables cua-driver telemetry and update checks for the `mcp` and `serve` processes it manages. It does not download or update the driver binary. ### Troubleshooting The `cua-computer` fulfiller surfaces typed error codes in the tool result and node logs. Common ones: | Code | Cause | Fix | | ---------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | `COMPUTER_DRIVER_UNAVAILABLE` | The `cua-driver` binary is not on `PATH` (or `driverPath` is wrong), the daemon did not become ready in time, or the node is not Windows/Linux. | Install `cua-driver` 0.10.x on `PATH` or set `driverPath`. Run `openclaw node run` inside the interactive desktop session; on Linux ensure an X11 `DISPLAY` (or a `WAYLAND_DISPLAY` with `CUA_DRIVER_RS_ENABLE_WAYLAND`) is present. | | `COMPUTER_DRIVER_UNSUPPORTED` | The connected driver is not `cua-driver` 0.10.x, or its capability/schema version differs. | Install a supported 0.10.x build. The plugin re-probes about 30 seconds after you correct it, so no node restart is needed. | | `COMPUTER_REFUSED_` | 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. | | `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. | | `COMPUTER_UNSUPPORTED_ACTION` | An action this fulfiller cannot faithfully deliver: `hold_key`, `left_mouse_down`, `left_mouse_up`, modifier-held drag/scroll, or modifier-held click on Linux. | Use a supported action. cua-driver 0.10.x has no desktop-scope held-input contract. | | `COMPUTER_UNSUPPORTED_DISPLAY` | A non-primary `screenIndex`, a capture/screen geometry mismatch, or a cursor outside the primary display. | Drive the primary display only. | | `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. | | `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. | ## The `computer.act` node command `computer.act` is the single node command the tool routes input through (`node.invoke` with `command: "computer.act"`). It is: - **Locally enabled**: the node advertises it only while Computer Control is enabled. The gateway can approve that advertised surface once at pairing. - **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. Reads reuse `screen.snapshot`; there is no second capture path. See [Camera and screen nodes](/nodes/camera) for the shared capture command. ## Authorization 1. Enable the platform fulfiller: on macOS, **Settings → Allow Computer Control** starts enabled, then grant **Accessibility** and **Screen Recording** under **Settings → Permissions**; on Windows/Linux, follow the experimental `cua-computer` setup above. 2. Approve the pairing update on the gateway (a new command forces re-pairing). 3. Expose the tool to the vision-capable agent. For the default `coding` profile: ```json5 { tools: { alsoAllow: ["computer"], // Sandboxed agents need this second gate too: sandbox: { tools: { alsoAllow: ["computer"] } }, }, } ``` 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. 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`. `gateway.nodes.commands.deny` remains an explicit global revocation and always wins. `computer.act` does not need a `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. ## Safety - Every layer (tool policy, gateway command policy, pairing, node-app setting, and platform permissions) must agree. For the current macOS fulfiller, that includes **Allow Computer Control**, Accessibility, and Screen Recording. Actions execute while those durable controls remain enabled; there is no per-action confirmation. - 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 cannot cancel a `type_text` call mid-typing. - Screenshots are model-only and never auto-sent to chat (issue [#44759](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/issues/44759)). - Treat screen content as untrusted; it can carry prompt injection. ## macOS permission troubleshooting 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. 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. ## Relationship to other desktop-control paths 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.