openclaw/docs/nodes/camera.md

summary, read_when, title

summary	read_when	title
Camera capture (iOS/Android nodes + macOS app) for agent use: photos (jpg) and short video clips (mp4)	Adding or modifying camera capture on iOS/Android nodes or macOS Extending agent-accessible MEDIA temp-file workflows	Camera capture

OpenClaw supports camera capture for agent workflows:

• iOS node (paired via Gateway): capture a photo (jpg) or short video clip (mp4, with optional audio) via node.invoke.
• Android node (paired via Gateway): capture a photo (jpg) or short video clip (mp4, with optional audio) via node.invoke.
• macOS app (node via Gateway): capture a photo (jpg) or short video clip (mp4, with optional audio) via node.invoke.

All camera access is gated behind user-controlled settings.

iOS node

User setting (default on)

• iOS Settings tab → Camera → Allow Camera (camera.enabled)
  • Default: on (missing key is treated as enabled).
  • When off: camera.* commands return CAMERA_DISABLED.

Commands (via Gateway node.invoke)

• camera.list

  • Response payload:
    • devices: array of { id, name, position, deviceType }

• camera.snap

  • Params:
    • facing: front|back (default: front)
    • maxWidth: number (optional; default 1600 on the iOS node)
    • quality: 0..1 (optional; default 0.9)
    • format: currently jpg
    • delayMs: number (optional; default 0)
    • deviceId: string (optional; from camera.list)
  • Response payload:
    • format: "jpg"
    • base64: "<...>"
    • width, height
  • Payload guard: photos are recompressed to keep the base64 payload under 5 MB.

• camera.clip

  • Params:
    • facing: front|back (default: front)
    • durationMs: number (default 3000, clamped to a max of 60000)
    • includeAudio: boolean (default true)
    • format: currently mp4
    • deviceId: string (optional; from camera.list)
  • Response payload:
    • format: "mp4"
    • base64: "<...>"
    • durationMs
    • hasAudio

Foreground requirement

Like canvas.*, the iOS node only allows camera.* commands in the foreground. Background invocations return NODE_BACKGROUND_UNAVAILABLE.

CLI helper

The easiest way to get media files is via the CLI helper, which writes decoded media to a temp file and prints the saved path.

Examples:

openclaw nodes camera snap --node <id>               # default: both front + back (2 MEDIA lines)
openclaw nodes camera snap --node <id> --facing front
openclaw nodes camera clip --node <id> --duration 3000
openclaw nodes camera clip --node <id> --no-audio

Notes:

• nodes camera snap defaults to both facings to give the agent both views.
• Output files are temporary (in the OS temp directory) unless you build your own wrapper.

Android node

Android user setting (default on)

• Android Settings sheet → Camera → Allow Camera (camera.enabled)
  • Default: on (missing key is treated as enabled).
  • When off: camera.* commands return CAMERA_DISABLED.

Permissions

• Android requires runtime permissions:
  • CAMERA for both camera.snap and camera.clip.
  • RECORD_AUDIO for camera.clip when includeAudio=true.

If permissions are missing, the app will prompt when possible; if denied, camera.* requests fail with a *_PERMISSION_REQUIRED error.

Android foreground requirement

Like canvas.*, the Android node only allows camera.* commands in the foreground. Background invocations return NODE_BACKGROUND_UNAVAILABLE.

Android commands (via Gateway node.invoke)

• camera.list
  • Response payload:
    • devices: array of { id, name, position, deviceType }

Payload guard

Photos are recompressed to keep the base64 payload under 5 MB.

macOS app

User setting (default off)

The macOS companion app exposes a checkbox:

• Settings → General → Allow Camera (openclaw.cameraEnabled)
  • Default: off
  • When off: camera requests return "Camera disabled by user".

CLI helper (node invoke)

Use the main openclaw CLI to invoke camera commands on the macOS node.

Examples:

openclaw nodes camera list --node <id>            # list camera ids
openclaw nodes camera snap --node <id>            # prints saved path
openclaw nodes camera snap --node <id> --max-width 1280
openclaw nodes camera snap --node <id> --delay-ms 2000
openclaw nodes camera snap --node <id> --device-id <id>
openclaw nodes camera clip --node <id> --duration 10s          # prints saved path
openclaw nodes camera clip --node <id> --duration-ms 3000      # prints saved path (legacy flag)
openclaw nodes camera clip --node <id> --device-id <id>
openclaw nodes camera clip --node <id> --no-audio

Notes:

• openclaw nodes camera snap defaults to maxWidth=1600 unless overridden.
• On macOS, camera.snap waits delayMs (default 2000ms) after warm-up/exposure settle before capturing.
• Photo payloads are recompressed to keep base64 under 5 MB.

Safety + practical limits

• Camera and microphone access trigger the usual OS permission prompts (and require usage strings in Info.plist).
• Video clips are capped (currently <= 60s) to avoid oversized node payloads (base64 overhead + message limits).

macOS screen video (OS-level)

For screen video (not camera), use the macOS companion:

openclaw nodes screen record --node <id> --duration 10s --fps 15   # prints saved path

Notes:

• Requires macOS Screen Recording permission (TCC).

Related

• Image and media support
• Media understanding
• Location command