# Peekaboo 🫣 — Mac automation that sees the screen and does the clicks.
[](https://github.com/openclaw/Peekaboo/actions/workflows/macos-ci.yml) [](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@steipete/peekaboo) [](https://github.com/openclaw/Peekaboo/releases/latest) [](docs/platform-support.md) [](https://swift.org/) [](https://nodejs.org/) [](LICENSE) [](https://github.com/openclaw/homebrew-tap) [](https://deepwiki.com/openclaw/Peekaboo)
Peekaboo is a macOS CLI and menu-bar app for screen capture, accessibility inspection, and native UI automation. Use it directly, let its agent plan multi-step work, or expose the same toolset to MCP clients.
## Install
The released CLI and app require macOS 15 or later.
### CLI with Homebrew
```sh
brew install openclaw/tap/peekaboo
```
### MCP package with npm
The npm package requires Node.js 22 or later and includes the CLI plus its MCP launcher.
```sh
npx -y @steipete/peekaboo --version
```
See [MCP setup](docs/MCP.md) to connect it to Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, or another MCP client.
### Mac app
Download the signed DMG from the [latest GitHub release](https://github.com/openclaw/Peekaboo/releases/latest). The menu-bar app provides permission onboarding, visual feedback, and agent sessions; install the CLI separately when you also need `peekaboo` on `PATH`.
For source builds and alternative install details, see the [installation guide](docs/install.md).
## Quick start
Check the permissions available to Peekaboo, then take a screenshot:
```sh
peekaboo permissions status
peekaboo see --no-elements --mode screen --path /tmp/peekaboo-screen.png
```
Screen capture requires Screen Recording permission. Accessibility permission enables UI inspection and control; the [permissions guide](docs/permissions.md) covers setup and the additional permission used for synthetic input.
Inspect a running app to get a structured UI map with opaque element IDs:
```sh
peekaboo see --app Finder --json
```
That is the core loop: observe the current screen, choose an element from the result, and act on it.
## What's new in 4.9.7
Peekaboo 4.9.7 is a fix release. `window close` through the daemon now reports success when an app keeps its closed window alive, `see` works on Chrome windows whose titles carry the app name or are elided, `window close --foreground` handles apps that re-exec themselves, and `dock list` hides separators. In the Mac app, the chat keeps a streaming answer together when you queue a follow-up, failed tools show as failed, the saved Vision model is used even when its provider doesn't advertise vision, and the Inspector highlights the control you are actually pointing at on every display.
## Automate an app
List Safari's windows, copy the intended `window_id` (`12345` below), then keep the entire interaction pinned to
that exact window:
```sh
peekaboo window list --app Safari --json
peekaboo click "Address and search bar" --app Safari --window-id 12345
peekaboo type "github.com/openclaw/Peekaboo" --app Safari --window-id 12345
peekaboo press Return --app Safari --window-id 12345
```
Targeted semantic and typed CLI input uses background delivery when Peekaboo can resolve the process, so the app does
not have to become frontmost. Raw CLI `press` chords can also stay background with an exact window selector. The CLI
also accepts a fresh exact non-dialog snapshot; that snapshot is required by background-only Agent/MCP policy.
App/PID-only and targetless chords require explicit foreground consent, as do window-selector-only Agent/MCP chords.
Prefer a semantic action such as `menu click` when one exists. See the
[automation guide](docs/automation.md) for element IDs, coordinates, snapshots, waits, and input behavior.
## Agent and MCP
The agent combines the same observation and action tools into a natural-language run:
```sh
peekaboo agent "Open Safari, go to github.com, and search for Peekaboo" --allow-foreground
```
Agent runs need a configured model provider. See [agent setup](docs/commands/agent.md) for providers and sessions, or [MCP setup](docs/MCP.md) to expose Peekaboo's tools to another client.
## Command map
| Goal | Commands | Guide |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Observe the desktop | `see`, `screen list`, `window list` | [Capture and inspection](docs/quickstart.md) |
| Interact with UI | `click`, `type`, `press`, `scroll`, `drag`, `set-value`, `action` | [Automation](docs/automation.md) |
| Control macOS | `app`, `window`, `menu`, `menubar`, `dock`, `dialog`, `space` | [Command reference](docs/commands/README.md) |
| Run workflows | `agent`, `capture` | [Agent](docs/commands/agent.md) · [Capture](docs/commands/capture.md) |
| Integrate with clients | `mcp`, `browser`, `tools` | [MCP](docs/MCP.md) |
Run `peekaboo help <command>` for live CLI help. The [complete command index](docs/commands/README.md) links to flags, examples, and troubleshooting for every command.
## Configuration
Peekaboo stores provider credentials and settings under `~/.peekaboo`. Use `peekaboo config` to inspect or change them, and consult the [configuration guide](docs/configuration.md) for profiles, environment variables, and custom providers. The [provider reference](docs/providers.md) covers hosted, compatible, and local model backends.
Shell completions for zsh, bash, and fish come from `peekaboo completions`; see the [completion guide](docs/commands/completions.md) for persistent setup.
## Learn more
- [Project direction](VISION.md)
- [Platform support](docs/platform-support.md)
- [Architecture](docs/ARCHITECTURE.md)
- [Building from source](docs/building.md)
- [Testing](docs/testing/tools.md)
- [Agent chat loop](docs/agent-chat.md)
- [Command reference](docs/cli-command-reference.md)
## Community
- [PeekabooWin](https://github.com/FelixKruger/PeekabooWin) — Windows-first rewrite of the Peekaboo automation loop (JavaScript + PowerShell) by [@FelixKruger](https://github.com/FelixKruger)
- [PeekabooX](https://github.com/nordbyte/PeekabooX) — Linux-first rewrite of the Peekaboo automation loop (Rust + Python) by [@nordbyte](https://github.com/nordbyte)
## Development
Source builds require macOS 15 or later, Swift 6.2 or later, Node.js 22 or later, and the repository's submodules.
```sh
pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
pnpm run build:cli
pnpm run lint:docs
pnpm run test:safe
```
More build, signing, and test details live in [docs/building.md](docs/building.md).
## License
MIT. See [LICENSE](LICENSE).