Computer Takeover#

Unattended remote control of paired OpenClaw nodes. Controls the remote device as if physically sitting in front of it — no user presence required on the remote end.

Core Capabilities#

1. Device Intelligence — List nodes, get device info, health, permissions, battery, storage, network
2. Screen Capture — Snapshot or record the remote screen in real-time
3. Camera Access — Snap photos or record clips from front/back camera
4. Shell Execution — Run commands, scripts, and PowerShell/Bash on the remote device
5. File Management — Browse, read, write, delete files on the remote device via shell
6. App Control — Install, launch, close, list installed apps
7. Process Management — List running processes, kill processes, monitor CPU/memory
8. Notifications — Read notifications, trigger actions or replies
9. Input Injection — Type text, simulate clicks, keypresses (via shell automation)
10. Location — Get GPS coordinates (if device supports it)
11. Device Pairing — Initiate pairing or manage existing pairings

Quick Start#

Always start by listing available nodes to find the target device:

text

nodes(action="status")

Then describe the node to confirm it's the right one:

text

nodes(action="describe", node="<node-id>")

Capability Details#

Device Intelligence#

json

nodes(action="status")           // List all paired nodes
nodes(action="device_info", node="<id>")
nodes(action="device_health", node="<id>")
nodes(action="device_permissions", node="<id>")
nodes(action="device_status", node="<id>")  // battery, storage, network

Screen#

json

nodes(action="screen_record", node="<id>", outPath="C:/temp/screen.mp4", durationMs=30000)
nodes(action="photos_latest", node="<id>", limit=5)  // screenshots stored as photos

For live screen viewing, use the canvas tool with target="node" and the node's gateway URL.

Camera#

json

nodes(action="camera_snap", node="<id>", facing="front|back")
nodes(action="camera_clip", node="<id>", facing="front|back", durationMs=10000)

Shell Execution#

Use nodes(action="invoke", node="<id>", invokeCommand="<command>", invokeParamsJson="{}").

Windows (PowerShell):

json

{
  "invokeCommand": "powershell",
  "invokeParamsJson": "{\"command\": \"Get-Process | Select -First 10 Name, CPU, WorkingSet\"}"
}

Android (adb):

json

{
  "invokeCommand": "adb",
  "invokeParamsJson": "{\"command\": \"shell dumpsys battery\"}"
}

Linux/macOS (SSH-style):

json

{
  "invokeCommand": "bash",
  "invokeParamsJson": "{\"command\": \"ls -la /tmp | head -20\"}"
}

File Management (via Shell)#

powershell

# Windows: list directory
nodes(action="invoke", node="<id>", invokeCommand="powershell", invokeParamsJson="{\"command\": \"Get-ChildItem C:/Users/ -Depth 1 | Format-Table Name, Length, LastWriteTime\"}")

# Windows: read file
nodes(action="invoke", node="<id>", invokeCommand="powershell", invokeParamsJson="{\"command\": \"Get-Content C:/temp/log.txt -Tail 50\"}")

# Windows: write file
nodes(action="invoke", node="<id>", invokeCommand="powershell", invokeParamsJson="{\"command\": \"Set-Content -Path C:/temp/output.txt -Value 'Hello from remote'\"}")

App Control#

json

nodes(action="invoke", node="<id>", invokeCommand="powershell", invokeParamsJson="{\"command\": \"Start-Process notepad\"}")  // launch
nodes(action="invoke", node="<id>", invokeCommand="powershell", invokeParamsJson="{\"command\": \"Get-Process | Where Name -eq 'notepad' | Stop-Process\"}")  // close
nodes(action="invoke", node="<id>", invokeCommand="powershell", invokeParamsJson="{\"command\": \"winget install Microsoft.PowerToys --silent\"}")  // install

Process Management#

powershell

nodes(action="invoke", node="<id>", invokeCommand="powershell", invokeParamsJson="{\"command\": \"Get-Process | Sort CPU -Descending | Select -First 20 Name, Id, CPU, @{N='MEM_MB';E={[math]::Round($_.WorkingSet/1MB,1)}} | Format-Table -AutoSize\"}")

Notifications#

json

nodes(action="notifications_list", node="<id>", limit=20)
nodes(action="notifications_action", node="<id>", notificationKey="<key>", notificationAction="open|reply|dismiss")

Location#

json

nodes(action="location_get", node="<id>", desiredAccuracy="precise")

Node Pairing#

To pair a new device, use the node-connect skill and follow the pairing flow. Pairing requires the device to have the OpenClaw companion app installed and connected to the same gateway.

Workflow: Full Takeover Session#

1. nodes(action="status") — find the node ID
2. nodes(action="device_info", node="<id>") — confirm device name/type
3. nodes(action="screen_record", node="<id>", ...) or canvas tool — see what they're doing
4. Run commands as needed via nodes(action="invoke", ...)
5. Transfer files via base64 encoding through shell or direct path sharing

Important Notes#

• Timeout: Default invokeTimeoutMs is 30000ms. Increase for long-running commands.
• Elevation: Some operations (installing apps, killing system processes) may need elevated permissions on the remote device.
• Safety: Always confirm the target node before running destructive commands (delete files, kill processes, etc.).
• Gateway URL: For canvas tool with remote screen, the node must have gateway.remote.url configured and accessible.

References#

• Full nodes tool docs: see OpenClaw tool reference for all actions and parameters
• Node pairing guide: see node-connect skill for setup troubleshooting
• Gateway configuration: gateway.remote.url in OpenClaw config controls accessibility