Camera capture (agent)

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 β†’ Camera β†’ 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 (temp files + MEDIA)

The easiest way to get attachments is via the CLI helper, which writes decoded media to a temp file and prints MEDIA:<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

User setting (default on)

  • Android Settings sheet β†’ Camera β†’ 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.

Foreground requirement

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

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 β†’ General β†’ Allow Camera (openclaw.cameraEnabled)
    • Default: off
    • When off: camera requests return β€œCamera 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 MEDIA:<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 MEDIA:<path>
openclaw nodes camera clip --node <id> --duration-ms 3000      # prints MEDIA:<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 MEDIA:<path>

Notes:

  • Requires macOS Screen Recording permission (TCC).
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