remote-claws

name	remote-claws
description	Full remote desktop control of a machine via Remote Claws MCP. Use when asked to: take a screenshot of the remote desktop; click, type, or drag with the mouse/keyboard on the remote machine; run commands or scripts; automate a Chromium browser on the remote machine; read or write files on the remote machine.
homepage	https://github.com/wentbackward/remote-claws

Remote Claws — Remote Desktop Control

Controls a remote machine over MCP/SSE. All 39 tools are provided by the remote-claws MCP server registered in openclaw.json.

When to Use This Skill

Use Remote Claws tools whenever you need to interact with the remote desktop machine — taking screenshots, clicking buttons, typing text, running commands, automating a browser, or transferring files. If the user asks you to do something "on the remote machine" or "on Windows," these are your tools.

Strategy

1. Screenshot first. Before clicking or typing, take a desktop_screenshot to see what's on screen. Use the coordinates from the screenshot to target actions.
2. Prefer browser tools for web tasks. browser_* tools use CSS selectors and are resolution-independent. Only use desktop_* tools for web tasks if the browser tools can't reach something (e.g. browser dialogs, file pickers).
3. Prefer element names over coordinates. desktop_click_element and desktop_get_element_text target UI controls by name — more reliable than coordinate clicking, which breaks when windows move.
4. Exec is async. exec_run starts a command and returns immediately. Use exec_get_output with wait=true if you need to block until it finishes.
5. Re-screenshot after actions. Windows may move, dialogs may appear. Take a fresh screenshot to verify the result before proceeding.

Tool Groups

Desktop (mouse, keyboard, screenshots)

• desktop_screenshot — capture full screen or region [x, y, width, height]
• desktop_mouse_click — left/right/middle click at x, y
• desktop_mouse_move — move cursor to x, y
• desktop_mouse_drag — drag from start to end coordinates
• desktop_type_text — type ASCII text at current focus (ASCII only)
• desktop_press_key — press key or combo: "enter", "ctrl+c", "alt+f4"
• desktop_scroll — scroll at x,y; direction "up" or "down"
• desktop_find_window — find windows by title or class_name substring
• desktop_focus_window — bring window to foreground by title
• desktop_list_elements — list UI controls (buttons, fields) inside a window
• desktop_click_element — click a named UI element (more reliable than coords)
• desktop_get_element_text — read the value of a named UI element

Browser (Chromium via Playwright — CSS selectors)

• browser_navigate — go to a URL
• browser_click — click element by CSS selector
• browser_fill — set input value (handles Unicode, triggers change events)
• browser_type — type keystroke-by-keystroke (appends, does not clear)
• browser_press_key — key press e.g. "Enter", "Control+a"
• browser_get_text — extract visible text from element (default: body)
• browser_get_html — get HTML markup of element
• browser_eval_js — run JavaScript in page context
• browser_screenshot — screenshot page or element
• browser_wait_for — wait for element state: visible/hidden/attached/detached
• browser_select_option — select a dropdown option by value or label
• browser_go_back / browser_go_forward
• browser_tabs_list / browser_tab_new / browser_tab_close

Exec (run commands, async)

• exec_run — start command; returns process_id immediately
• exec_get_output — read stdout/stderr; set wait=true to block
• exec_send_input — send a line to stdin of a running process
• exec_kill — terminate a process
• exec_list — list all tracked processes

Files (base64 encoded)

• file_write — write base64 content to a path
• file_read — read file as base64 (use offset/limit for large files)
• file_list — list directory; supports glob patterns, recursive
• file_delete — delete file or empty directory
• file_move — move or rename file/directory
• file_info — get size, created, modified timestamps

Authentication & Security

The remote-claws MCP server requires a bearer token, configured in openclaw.json when registering the server. The server will reject unauthenticated connections with 401.

The server also supports IP allowlisting (allowed_ips), host header validation (allowed_hosts), and per-tool permission policies (permissions.json) to restrict which tools are available. See the setup guide and README for configuration details.

Important Notes

• Screenshots are JPEG, max 1280x960. Coordinates are absolute pixels.
• desktop_type_text is ASCII only. For Unicode, use browser_fill or clipboard: exec_run powershell Set-Clipboard, then desktop_press_key ctrl+v.
• File content is base64 encoded. Decode after reading.
• The browser launches on first use and stays open across calls. Sessions persist (cookies, local storage).