How do I install the Remote Mac skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add ythx-101/remote-mac in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

What does the Remote Mac skill do?

Control a remote macOS machine from Linux/VPS via SSH It is listed under Coding & Dev Tools on SkillMD.

Is Remote Mac safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Remote Mac?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Remote Mac free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Remote Mac?

ythx-101 (@ythx-101) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Remote Mac by ythx-101 — Agent Skill

Name: Remote Mac
Author: ythx-101

File contents

Remote Mac Control

Execute commands, take screenshots, control apps, and transfer files on a remote macOS machine over SSH.

Setup

Copy the example config and fill in your details:

cp skills/our/remote-mac/remote-mac.conf.example ~/.remote-mac.conf
# Edit ~/.remote-mac.conf with your SSH host/user

Or set environment variables directly:

export MAC_SSH_HOST="your-mac-ip-or-hostname"
export MAC_SSH_USER="your-username"
export MAC_SSH_PORT="22"         # optional, default 22
export MAC_BRIDGE_URL="http://your-mac-ip:19999/health"  # optional

Usage

Run a command

bash skills/our/remote-mac/scripts/mac_exec.sh --run "ls -la ~"
bash skills/our/remote-mac/scripts/mac_exec.sh --run "sw_vers"
bash skills/our/remote-mac/scripts/mac_exec.sh --run "some-long-cmd" 120  # 120s timeout

Screenshot

bash skills/our/remote-mac/scripts/mac_exec.sh --screenshot
bash skills/our/remote-mac/scripts/mac_exec.sh --screenshot /tmp/screen.png

App control

bash skills/our/remote-mac/scripts/mac_exec.sh --app "open:Safari"
bash skills/our/remote-mac/scripts/mac_exec.sh --app "activate:Finder"
bash skills/our/remote-mac/scripts/mac_exec.sh --app "quit:Safari"
bash skills/our/remote-mac/scripts/mac_exec.sh --app "kill:AppName"   # force kill (pkill -x)

File transfer

# Mac → local
bash skills/our/remote-mac/scripts/mac_exec.sh --file "get:~/Desktop/file.txt:/tmp/file.txt"

# local → Mac
bash skills/our/remote-mac/scripts/mac_exec.sh --file "put:/tmp/local.txt:~/Desktop/"

Channel status check

bash skills/our/remote-mac/scripts/channel_check.sh
# Output: { "ssh": { "available": true, ... }, "ag_bridge": { ... }, "preferred": "ssh" }

OpenClaw Node integration (optional)

If you have an OpenClaw Node agent running on the Mac, you can use the nodes.run tool directly from the AI for low-latency commands — no SSH needed:

nodes: action=run, node=<your-node-id>, command=["bash", "-c", "your command"]

Notes

GUI operations (screenshots, app control) require an active desktop session — won't work if the screen is locked
To prevent sleep: bash skills/our/remote-mac/scripts/mac_exec.sh --run "caffeinate -d &"
SSH multiplexing is used (ControlMaster) — first connection may be slow, subsequent ones are fast
Timeout fallback chain: gtimeout → timeout → no timeout (macOS compatibility)

---name: remote-macdescription: Control a remote macOS machine from Linux/VPS via SSH---# Remote Mac ControlExecute commands, take screenshots, control apps, and transfer files on a remote macOS machine over SSH.## SetupCopy the example config and fill in your details:```bashcp skills/our/remote-mac/remote-mac.conf.example ~/.remote-mac.conf# Edit ~/.remote-mac.conf with your SSH host/user```Or set environment variables directly:```bashexport MAC_SSH_HOST="your-mac-ip-or-hostname"export MAC_SSH_USER="your-username"export MAC_SSH_PORT="22" # optional, default 22export MAC_BRIDGE_URL="http://your-mac-ip:19999/health" # optional```## Usage### Run a command```bashbash skills/our/remote-mac/scripts/mac_exec.sh --run "ls -la ~"bash skills/our/remote-mac/scripts/mac_exec.sh --run "sw_vers"bash skills/our/remote-mac/scripts/mac_exec.sh --run "some-long-cmd" 120 # 120s timeout```### Screenshot```bashbash skills/our/remote-mac/scripts/mac_exec.sh --screenshotbash skills/our/remote-mac/scripts/mac_exec.sh --screenshot /tmp/screen.png```### App control```bashbash skills/our/remote-mac/scripts/mac_exec.sh --app "open:Safari"bash skills/our/remote-mac/scripts/mac_exec.sh --app "activate:Finder"bash skills/our/remote-mac/scripts/mac_exec.sh --app "quit:Safari"bash skills/our/remote-mac/scripts/mac_exec.sh --app "kill:AppName" # force kill (pkill -x)```### File transfer```bash# Mac → localbash skills/our/remote-mac/scripts/mac_exec.sh --file "get:~/Desktop/file.txt:/tmp/file.txt"# local → Macbash skills/our/remote-mac/scripts/mac_exec.sh --file "put:/tmp/local.txt:~/Desktop/"```### Channel status check```bashbash skills/our/remote-mac/scripts/channel_check.sh# Output: { "ssh": { "available": true, ... }, "ag_bridge": { ... }, "preferred": "ssh" }```## OpenClaw Node integration (optional)If you have an OpenClaw Node agent running on the Mac, you can use the `nodes.run` tool directly from the AI for low-latency commands — no SSH needed:```nodes: action=run, node=<your-node-id>, command=["bash", "-c", "your command"]```## Notes- GUI operations (screenshots, app control) require an active desktop session — **won't work if the screen is locked**- To prevent sleep: `bash skills/our/remote-mac/scripts/mac_exec.sh --run "caffeinate -d &"`- SSH multiplexing is used (ControlMaster) — first connection may be slow, subsequent ones are fast- Timeout fallback chain: `gtimeout` → `timeout` → no timeout (macOS compatibility)

Frequently asked questions

Remote Mac