ContextQMD
Back to Openclaw

Peekaboo bridge

docs/platforms/mac/peekaboo.md

2026.5.53.2 KB
Original Source

OpenClaw can host PeekabooBridge as a local, permission‑aware UI automation broker. This lets the peekaboo CLI drive UI automation while reusing the macOS app’s TCC permissions.

What this is (and is not)

  • Host: OpenClaw.app can act as a PeekabooBridge host.
  • Client: use the peekaboo CLI (no separate openclaw ui ... surface).
  • UI: visual overlays stay in Peekaboo.app; OpenClaw is a thin broker host.

Relationship to Computer Use

OpenClaw has three desktop-control paths, and they intentionally stay separate:

  • PeekabooBridge host: OpenClaw.app can host the local PeekabooBridge socket. The peekaboo CLI remains the client and uses OpenClaw.app's macOS permissions for Peekaboo automation primitives such as screenshots, clicks, menus, dialogs, Dock actions, and window management.
  • Codex Computer Use: the bundled codex plugin prepares Codex app-server, verifies that Codex's computer-use MCP server is available, and then lets Codex own native desktop-control tool calls during Codex-mode turns. OpenClaw does not proxy those actions through PeekabooBridge.
  • Direct cua-driver MCP: OpenClaw can register TryCua's upstream cua-driver mcp server as a normal MCP server. That gives agents the CUA driver's own schemas and pid/window/element-index workflow without routing through the Codex marketplace or the PeekabooBridge socket.

Use Peekaboo when you want the broad macOS automation surface and OpenClaw.app's permission-aware bridge host. Use Codex Computer Use when a Codex-mode agent should rely on Codex's native computer-use plugin. Use direct cua-driver mcp when you want the CUA driver exposed to any OpenClaw-managed runtime as a normal MCP server.

Enable the bridge

In the macOS app:

  • Settings → Enable Peekaboo Bridge

When enabled, OpenClaw starts a local UNIX socket server. If disabled, the host is stopped and peekaboo will fall back to other available hosts.

Client discovery order

Peekaboo clients typically try hosts in this order:

  1. Peekaboo.app (full UX)
  2. Claude.app (if installed)
  3. OpenClaw.app (thin broker)

Use peekaboo bridge status --verbose to see which host is active and which socket path is in use. You can override with:

bash
export PEEKABOO_BRIDGE_SOCKET=/path/to/bridge.sock

Security & permissions

  • The bridge validates caller code signatures; an allowlist of TeamIDs is enforced (Peekaboo host TeamID + OpenClaw app TeamID).
  • Requests time out after ~10 seconds.
  • If required permissions are missing, the bridge returns a clear error message rather than launching System Settings.

Snapshot behavior (automation)

Snapshots are stored in memory and expire automatically after a short window. If you need longer retention, re‑capture from the client.

Troubleshooting

  • If peekaboo reports “bridge client is not authorized”, ensure the client is properly signed or run the host with PEEKABOO_ALLOW_UNSIGNED_SOCKET_CLIENTS=1 in debug mode only.
  • If no hosts are found, open one of the host apps (Peekaboo.app or OpenClaw.app) and confirm permissions are granted.