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Peekaboo bridge
OpenClaw can host PeekabooBridge as a local, permission‑aware UI automation
broker. This lets the
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 CLI (no separate 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 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 plugin prepares Codex app-server,
verifies that Codex's 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 MCP: OpenClaw can register TryCua's upstream
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
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
will fall back to other available hosts.
Client discovery order
Peekaboo clients typically try hosts in this order:
- Peekaboo.app (full UX)
- Claude.app (if installed)
- 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:
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 reports “bridge client is not authorized”, ensure the client is
properly signed or run the host with
PEEKABOO_ALLOW_UNSIGNED_SOCKET_CLIENTS=1
- If no hosts are found, open one of the host apps (Peekaboo.app or OpenClaw.app)
and confirm permissions are granted.
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