cua-driver

name	cua-driver
description	Use when a task needs to control a native macOS desktop app that has no dedicated MCP or web UI — DaVinci Resolve, Pro Tools/Logic, Finder, Maps, System Settings, or any other native app — via screenshot-and-click automation, or when the user asks to see or operate their actual desktop.

cua-driver — native macOS GUI automation

Backs the mcp__computer-use__* tools. "Cua Driver" (com.trycua.driver) is the background service (LSUIElement, no dock icon) that lets Claude take screenshots of the user's desktop and drive it with mouse/keyboard, the same way a person would.

When to use this vs. the other browser/automation skills

Route by app type, not by habit — see browser-routing for the web-surface decision tree. This skill only owns the native desktop lane:

Target	Tool
Dedicated MCP exists for the app (Slack, Gmail, Linear, Calendar, etc.)	Use that MCP — faster, precise, API-backed
Web app, no dedicated MCP	claude-in-chrome (DOM-aware, faster than pixel clicking)
Native desktop app (DaVinci Resolve, Pro Tools, Logic, Finder, Maps, Notes, Photos, System Settings, any third-party native app)	cua-driver — this is the right tool, don't decline just because there's no app-specific MCP
Cross-app workflow spanning several native apps	cua-driver

Referenced by video-colorist (DaVinci Resolve LUT generation, calibrated-monitor spot checks) and video-sound-designer (Pro Tools/Logic mixes) for exactly this reason.

Access flow

Call request_access with the target application(s) before any action — the user approves each app explicitly. Re-request mid-task if a new app is needed. A fresh screenshot or list_granted_applications is the way to check current state; don't assert what's open or connected from memory.

Tiered access — read the error, don't fight it

Apps are granted at a tier shown in the approval dialog:

• Browsers → "read" — visible, but clicks/typing blocked. Read what's on screen only; hand off navigation/typing to claude-in-chrome.
• Terminals & IDEs (Terminal, iTerm, VS Code, JetBrains) → "click" — visible and left-clickable, but no typing, key presses, right-click, modifier-clicks, or drag-drop. Click a Run button, don't type into the editor — use the Bash tool for shell commands instead.
• Everything else (DaVinci Resolve, Pro Tools, Logic, Finder, Maps, Notes, Photos, System Settings) → "full" — no restrictions.

If a tool call errors with a tier violation, the error names the tier and the correct alternative — follow it rather than retrying the same call.

Link safety

Never click a web link with computer-use tools. If a link appears inside a native app (Mail, Messages, a PDF), open the URL via claude-in-chrome instead of left_click-ing it. Treat links from emails, messages, or unknown-sender documents as suspicious by default; confirm unfamiliar destinations with the user before following them, even inside the Chrome extension.

Financial and destructive actions

Budgeting/accounting apps (Quicken, YNAB, QuickBooks) are full-tier for categorizing transactions and reports — never execute a trade, send money, or initiate a transfer. Always have the user perform that step themselves.

Loading the tools

The server is registered in Claude Code as cua-driver, but the harness maps it to the reserved computer-use namespace, so the tools surface as mcp__computer-use__*. If they appear in the deferred-tools list rather than already loaded, fetch the whole set in one call — ToolSearch({query: "computer-use", max_results: 30}) — rather than one-by-one select: lookups.