Desktop Control

Desktop Control Skill

The most advanced desktop automation skill for OpenClaw. Provides pixel-perfect mouse control, lightning-fast keyboard input, screen capture, window management, and clipboard operations.

🎯 Features

Mouse Control

• ✅ Absolute positioning - Move to exact coordinates
• ✅ Relative movement - Move from current position
• ✅ Smooth movement - Natural, human-like mouse paths
• ✅ Click types - Left, right, middle, double, triple clicks
• ✅ Drag & drop - Drag from point A to point B
• ✅ Scroll - Vertical and horizontal scrolling
• ✅ Position tracking - Get current mouse coordinates

Keyboard Control

• ✅ Text typing - Fast, accurate text input
• ✅ Hotkeys - Execute keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+C, Win+R, etc.)
• ✅ Special keys - Enter, Tab, Escape, Arrow keys, F-keys
• ✅ Key combinations - Multi-key press combinations
• ✅ Hold & release - Manual key state control
• ✅ Typing speed - Configurable WPM (instant to human-like)

Screen Operations

• ✅ Screenshot - Capture entire screen or regions
• ✅ Image recognition - Find elements on screen (via OpenCV)
• ✅ Color detection - Get pixel colors at coordinates
• ✅ Multi-monitor - Support for multiple displays

Window Management

• ✅ Window list - Get all open windows
• ✅ Activate window - Bring window to front
• ✅ Window info - Get position, size, title
• ✅ Minimize/Maximize - Control window states

Safety Features

• ✅ Failsafe - Move mouse to corner to abort
• ✅ Pause control - Emergency stop mechanism
• ✅ Approval mode - Require confirmation for actions
• ✅ Bounds checking - Prevent out-of-screen operations
• ✅ Logging - Track all automation actions

🚀 Quick Start

Installation

First, install required dependencies:

pip install pyautogui pillow opencv-python pygetwindow

Basic Usage

from skills.desktop_control import DesktopController

# Initialize controller
dc = DesktopController(failsafe=True)

# Mouse operations
dc.move_mouse(500, 300)  # Move to coordinates
dc.click()  # Left click at current position
dc.click(100, 200, button="right")  # Right click at position

# Keyboard operations
dc.type_text("Hello from OpenClaw!")
dc.hotkey("ctrl", "c")  # Copy
dc.press("enter")

# Screen operations
screenshot = dc.screenshot()
position = dc.get_mouse_position()

📋 Complete API Reference

Mouse Functions

move_mouse(x, y, duration=0, smooth=True)

Move mouse to absolute screen coordinates.

Parameters:

• x (int): X coordinate (pixels from left)
• y (int): Y coordinate (pixels from top)
• duration (float): Movement time in seconds (0 = instant, 0.5 = smooth)
• smooth (bool): Use bezier curve for natural movement

Example:

# Instant movement
dc.move_mouse(1000, 500)

# Smooth 1-second movement
dc.move_mouse(1000, 500, duration=1.0)

move_relative(x_offset, y_offset, duration=0)

Move mouse relative to current position.

Parameters:

• x_offset (int): Pixels to move horizontally (positive = right)
• y_offset (int): Pixels to move vertically (positive = down)
• duration (float): Movement time in seconds

Example:

# Move 100px right, 50px down
dc.move_relative(100, 50, duration=0.3)

click(x=None, y=None, button='left', clicks=1, interval=0.1)

Perform mouse click.

Parameters:

• x, y (int, optional): Coordinates to click (None = current position)
• button (str): 'left', 'right', 'middle'
• clicks (int): Number of clicks (1 = single, 2 = double)
• interval (float): Delay between multiple clicks

Example:

# Simple left click
dc.click()

# Double-click at specific position
dc.click(500, 300, clicks=2)

# Right-click
dc.click(button='right')

drag(start_x, start_y, end_x, end_y, duration=0.5, button='left')

Drag and drop operation.

Parameters:

• start_x, start_y (int): Starting coordinates
• end_x, end_y (int): Ending coordinates
• duration (float): Drag duration
• button (str): Mouse button to use

Example:

# Drag file from desktop to folder
dc.drag(100, 100, 500, 500, duration=1.0)

scroll(clicks, direction='vertical', x=None, y=None)

Scroll mouse wheel.

Parameters:

• clicks (int): Scroll amount (positive = up/left, negative = down/right)
• direction (str): 'vertical' or 'horizontal'
• x, y (int, optional): Position to scroll at

Example:

# Scroll down 5 clicks
dc.scroll(-5)

# Scroll up 10 clicks
dc.scroll(10)

# Horizontal scroll
dc.scroll(5, direction='horizontal')

get_mouse_position()

Get current mouse coordinates.

Returns: (x, y) tuple

Example:

x, y = dc.get_mouse_position()
print(f"Mouse is at: {x}, {y}")

Keyboard Functions

type_text(text, interval=0, wpm=None)

Type text with configurable speed.

Parameters:

• text (str): Text to type
• interval (float): Delay between keystrokes (0 = instant)
• wpm (int, optional): Words per minute (overrides interval)

Example:

# Instant typing
dc.type_text("Hello World")

# Human-like typing at 60 WPM
dc.type_text("Hello World", wpm=60)

# Slow typing with 0.1s between keys
dc.type_text("Hello World", interval=0.1)

press(key, presses=1, interval=0.1)

Press and release a key.

Parameters:

• key (str): Key name (see Key Names section)
• presses (int): Number of times to press
• interval (float): Delay between presses

Example:

# Press Enter
dc.press('enter')

# Press Space 3 times
dc.press('space', presses=3)

# Press Down arrow
dc.press('down')

hotkey(*keys, interval=0.05)

Execute keyboard shortcut.

Parameters:

• *keys (str): Keys to press together
• interval (float): Delay between key presses

Example:

# Copy (Ctrl+C)
dc.hotkey('ctrl', 'c')

# Paste (Ctrl+V)
dc.hotkey('ctrl', 'v')

# Open Run dialog (Win+R)
dc.hotkey('win', 'r')

# Save (Ctrl+S)
dc.hotkey('ctrl', 's')

# Select All (Ctrl+A)
dc.hotkey('ctrl', 'a')

key_down(key) / key_up(key)

Manually control key state.

Example:

# Hold Shift
dc.key_down('shift')
dc.type_text("hello")  # Types "HELLO"
dc.key_up('shift')

# Hold Ctrl and click (for multi-select)
dc.key_down('ctrl')
dc.click(100, 100)
dc.click(200, 100)
dc.key_up('ctrl')

Screen Functions

screenshot(region=None, filename=None)

Capture screen or region.

Parameters:

• region (tuple, optional): (left, top, width, height) for partial capture
• filename (str, optional): Path to save image

Returns: PIL Image object

Example:

# Full screen
img = dc.screenshot()

# Save to file
dc.screenshot(filename="screenshot.png")

# Capture specific region
img = dc.screenshot(region=(100, 100, 500, 300))

get_pixel_color(x, y)

Get color of pixel at coordinates.

Returns: RGB tuple (r, g, b)

Example:

r, g, b = dc.get_pixel_color(500, 300)
print(f"Color at (500, 300): RGB({r}, {g}, {b})")

find_on_screen(image_path, confidence=0.8)

Find image on screen (requires OpenCV).

Parameters:

• image_path (str): Path to template image
• confidence (float): Match threshold (0-1)

Returns: (x, y, width, height) or None

Example:

# Find button on screen
location = dc.find_on_screen("button.png")
if location:
    x, y, w, h = location
    # Click center of found image
    dc.click(x + w//2, y + h//2)

get_screen_size()

Get screen resolution.

Returns: (width, height) tuple

Example:

width, height = dc.get_screen_size()
print(f"Screen: {width}x{height}")

Window Functions

get_all_windows()

List all open windows.

Returns: List of window titles

Example:

windows = dc.get_all_windows()
for title in windows:
    print(f"Window: {title}")

activate_window(title_substring)

Bring window to front by title.

Parameters:

• title_substring (str): Part of window title to match

Example:

# Activate Chrome
dc.activate_window("Chrome")

# Activate VS Code
dc.activate_window("Visual Studio Code")

get_active_window()

Get currently focused window.

Returns: Window title (str)

Example:

active = dc.get_active_window()
print(f"Active window: {active}")

Clipboard Functions

copy_to_clipboard(text)

Copy text to clipboard.

Example:

dc.copy_to_clipboard("Hello from OpenClaw!")

get_from_clipboard()

Get text from clipboard.

Returns: str

Example:

text = dc.get_from_clipboard()
print(f"Clipboard: {text}")

⌨️ Key Names Reference

Alphabet Keys

'a' through 'z'

Number Keys

'0' through '9'

Function Keys

'f1' through 'f24'

Special Keys

• 'enter' / 'return'
• 'esc' / 'escape'
• 'space' / 'spacebar'
• 'tab'
• 'backspace'
• 'delete' / 'del'
• 'insert'
• 'home'
• 'end'
• 'pageup' / 'pgup'
• 'pagedown' / 'pgdn'

Arrow Keys

• 'up' / 'down' / 'left' / 'right'

Modifier Keys

• 'ctrl' / 'control'
• 'shift'
• 'alt'
• 'win' / 'winleft' / 'winright'
• 'cmd' / 'command' (Mac)

Lock Keys

• 'capslock'
• 'numlock'
• 'scrolllock'

Punctuation

• '.' / ',' / '?' / '!' / ';' / ':'
• '[' / ']' / '{' / '}'
• '(' / ')'
• '+' / '-' / '*' / '/' / '='

🛡️ Safety Features

Failsafe Mode

Move mouse to any corner of the screen to abort all automation.

# Enable failsafe (enabled by default)
dc = DesktopController(failsafe=True)

Pause Control

# Pause all automation for 2 seconds
dc.pause(2.0)

# Check if automation is safe to proceed
if dc.is_safe():
    dc.click(500, 500)

Approval Mode

Require user confirmation before actions:

dc = DesktopController(require_approval=True)

# This will ask for confirmation
dc.click(500, 500)  # Prompt: "Allow click at (500, 500)? [y/n]"

🎨 Advanced Examples

Example 1: Automated Form Filling

dc = DesktopController()

# Click name field
dc.click(300, 200)
dc.type_text("John Doe", wpm=80)

# Tab to next field
dc.press('tab')
dc.type_text("john@example.com", wpm=80)

# Tab to password
dc.press('tab')
dc.type_text("SecurePassword123", wpm=60)

# Submit form
dc.press('enter')

Example 2: Screenshot Region and Save

# Capture specific area
region = (100, 100, 800, 600)  # left, top, width, height
img = dc.screenshot(region=region)

# Save with timestamp
import datetime
timestamp = datetime.datetime.now().strftime("%Y%m%d_%H%M%S")
img.save(f"capture_{timestamp}.png")

Example 3: Multi-File Selection

# Hold Ctrl and click multiple files
dc.key_down('ctrl')
dc.click(100, 200)  # First file
dc.click(100, 250)  # Second file
dc.click(100, 300)  # Third file
dc.key_up('ctrl')

# Copy selected files
dc.hotkey('ctrl', 'c')

Example 4: Window Automation

# Activate Calculator
dc.activate_window("Calculator")
time.sleep(0.5)

# Type calculation
dc.type_text("5+3=", interval=0.2)
time.sleep(0.5)

# Take screenshot of result
dc.screenshot(filename="calculation_result.png")

Example 5: Drag & Drop File

# Drag file from source to destination
dc.drag(
    start_x=200, start_y=300,  # File location
    end_x=800, end_y=500,       # Folder location
    duration=1.0                 # Smooth 1-second drag
)

⚡ Performance Tips

1. Use instant movements for speed: duration=0
2. Batch operations instead of individual calls
3. Cache screen positions instead of recalculating
4. Disable failsafe for maximum performance (use with caution)
5. Use hotkeys instead of menu navigation

⚠️ Important Notes

• Screen coordinates start at (0, 0) in top-left corner
• Multi-monitor setups may have negative coordinates for secondary displays
• Windows DPI scaling may affect coordinate accuracy
• Failsafe corners are: (0,0), (width-1, 0), (0, height-1), (width-1, height-1)
• Some applications may block simulated input (games, secure apps)

🔧 Troubleshooting

Mouse not moving to correct position

• Check DPI scaling settings
• Verify screen resolution matches expectations
• Use get_screen_size() to confirm dimensions

Keyboard input not working

• Ensure target application has focus
• Some apps require admin privileges
• Try increasing interval for reliability

Failsafe triggering accidentally

• Increase screen border tolerance
• Move mouse away from corners during normal use
• Disable if needed: DesktopController(failsafe=False)

Permission errors

• Run Python with administrator privileges for some operations
• Some secure applications block automation

📦 Dependencies

• PyAutoGUI - Core automation engine
• Pillow - Image processing
• OpenCV (optional) - Image recognition
• PyGetWindow - Window management

Install all:

pip install pyautogui pillow opencv-python pygetwindow

Built for OpenClaw - The ultimate desktop automation companion 🦞