Camera capture

OpenClaw supports camera capture for agent workflows:

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

All camera access is gated behind user-controlled settings.

iOS node

User setting (default on)

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

Commands (via Gateway

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node.invoke

)

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

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

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

Foreground requirement

Like

, the iOS node only allows commands in the foreground. Background invocations return .

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

.

Examples:

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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:

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  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 (
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  camera.enabled
  )
  • Default: on (missing key is treated as enabled).
  • When off:
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    camera.*
    commands return
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    CAMERA_DISABLED
    .

Permissions

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

If permissions are missing, the app will prompt when possible; if denied,

requests fail with a error.

Android foreground requirement

Like

, the Android node only allows commands in the foreground. Background invocations return .

Android commands (via Gateway

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node.invoke

)

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  camera.list
  • Response payload:
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      devices
      : array of
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      { 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 (
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  openclaw.cameraEnabled
  )
  • Default: off
  • When off: camera requests return “Camera disabled by user”.

CLI helper (node invoke)

Use the main

CLI to invoke camera commands on the macOS node.

Examples:

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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:

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  openclaw nodes camera snap
  defaults to
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  maxWidth=1600
  unless overridden.
• On macOS,
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  camera.snap
  waits
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  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
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  <= 60s
  ) to avoid oversized node payloads (base64 overhead + message limits).

macOS screen video (OS-level)

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

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

Notes:

• Requires macOS Screen Recording permission (TCC).

Related

• Image and media support
• Media understanding
• Location command