clawdbot/docs/platforms/macos.md at a32021dc3e60564b32ca70d2156a2cf62ddc4c79

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Peter Steinberger 621f710d60 fix(mac): add tailnet discovery fallback and debug CLI

2026-01-10 23:39:27 +01:00

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Clawdbot macOS companion app (menu bar + gateway broker)

Implementing macOS app features

Changing gateway lifecycle or node bridging on macOS

The macOS app is the menu‑bar companion for Clawdbot. It owns permissions, manages the Gateway locally, and exposes macOS capabilities to the agent as a node.

What it does

Shows native notifications and status in the menu bar.
Owns TCC prompts (Notifications, Accessibility, Screen Recording, Microphone, Speech Recognition, Automation/AppleScript).
Runs or connects to the Gateway (local or remote).
Exposes macOS‑only tools (Canvas, Camera, Screen Recording, system.run).
Optionally hosts PeekabooBridge for UI automation.
Installs a helper CLI (clawdbot) into /usr/local/bin and /opt/homebrew/bin on request.

Local vs remote mode

Local (default): the app ensures a local Gateway is running via launchd.
Remote: the app connects to a Gateway over SSH/Tailscale and never starts a local process.
Attach‑only (debug): the app connects to an already‑running local Gateway and never spawns its own.

Launchd control

The app manages a per‑user LaunchAgent labeled com.clawdbot.gateway.

launchctl kickstart -k gui/$UID/com.clawdbot.gateway
launchctl bootout gui/$UID/com.clawdbot.gateway

If the LaunchAgent isn’t installed, enable it from the app or run clawdbot daemon install.

Node capabilities (mac)

The macOS app presents itself as a node. Common commands:

Canvas: canvas.present, canvas.navigate, canvas.eval, canvas.snapshot, canvas.a2ui.*
Camera: camera.snap, camera.clip
Screen: screen.record
System: system.run, system.notify

The node reports a permissions map so agents can decide what’s allowed.

Deep links

The app registers the clawdbot:// URL scheme for local actions.

`clawdbot://agent`

Triggers a Gateway agent request.

open 'clawdbot://agent?message=Hello%20from%20deep%20link'

Query parameters:

message (required)
sessionKey (optional)
thinking (optional)
deliver / to / provider (optional)
timeoutSeconds (optional)
key (optional unattended mode key)

Safety:

Without key, the app prompts for confirmation.
With a valid key, the run is unattended (intended for personal automations).

Onboarding flow (typical)

Install and launch Clawdbot.app.
Complete the permissions checklist (TCC prompts).
Ensure Local mode is active and the Gateway is running.
Install the CLI helper if you want terminal access.

Build & dev workflow (native)

cd apps/macos && swift build
swift run Clawdbot (or Xcode)
Package app + CLI: scripts/package-mac-app.sh
- Switch bundled gateway runtime with BUNDLED_RUNTIME=node|bun (default: node).

Debug gateway discovery (macOS CLI)

Use the debug CLI to exercise the same Bonjour + wide‑area discovery code that the macOS app uses, without launching the app.

cd apps/macos
swift run clawdbot-mac-discovery --timeout 3000 --json

Options:

--include-local: include gateways that would be filtered as “local”
--timeout <ms>: overall discovery window (default 2000)
--json: structured output for diffing

Tip: compare against pnpm clawdbot gateway discover --json to see whether the macOS app’s discovery pipeline (NWBrowser + tailnet DNS‑SD fallback) differs from the Node CLI’s dns-sd based discovery.

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Clawdbot macOS Companion (menu bar + gateway broker)