mirror of https://github.com/harivansh-afk/deskctl.git synced 2026-04-15 03:00:45 +00:00

Harivansh Rathi 03dfd6b6ea Phase 6: utility commands, SKILL.md, AGENTS.md, README.md

- Implement screen_size via xcap Monitor, mouse_position via x11rb
  query_pointer, standalone screenshot with optional annotation,
  launch for spawning detached processes
- Handler dispatchers for get-screen-size, get-mouse-position,
  screenshot, launch
- SKILL.md agent discovery file with allowed-tools frontmatter
- AGENTS.md contributor guidelines for AI agents
- README.md with installation, quick start, architecture overview

2026-03-24 21:40:29 -04:00

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name	description	allowed-tools
desktop-ctl	Desktop control CLI for AI agents - screenshot, click, type, window management on Linux X11	Bash(desktop-ctl:*)

desktop-ctl

Desktop control CLI for AI agents on Linux X11. Provides a unified interface for screenshots, mouse/keyboard input, and window management with compact @wN window references.

Core Workflow

Snapshot to see the desktop and get window refs
Act using refs or coordinates (click, type, focus)
Repeat as needed

Quick Reference

See the Desktop

desktop-ctl snapshot              # Screenshot + window tree with @wN refs
desktop-ctl snapshot --annotate   # Screenshot with bounding boxes and labels
desktop-ctl snapshot --json       # Structured JSON output
desktop-ctl list-windows          # Window tree without screenshot
desktop-ctl screenshot /tmp/s.png # Screenshot only (no window tree)

Click and Type

desktop-ctl click @w1             # Click center of window @w1
desktop-ctl click 500,300         # Click absolute coordinates
desktop-ctl dblclick @w2          # Double-click window @w2
desktop-ctl type "hello world"    # Type text into focused window
desktop-ctl press enter           # Press a key
desktop-ctl hotkey ctrl c         # Send Ctrl+C
desktop-ctl hotkey ctrl shift t   # Send Ctrl+Shift+T

Mouse Control

desktop-ctl mouse move 500 300    # Move cursor to coordinates
desktop-ctl mouse scroll 3        # Scroll down 3 units
desktop-ctl mouse scroll -3       # Scroll up 3 units
desktop-ctl mouse drag 100 100 500 500  # Drag from (100,100) to (500,500)

Window Management

desktop-ctl focus @w2             # Focus window by ref
desktop-ctl focus "firefox"       # Focus window by name (substring match)
desktop-ctl close @w3             # Close window gracefully
desktop-ctl move-window @w1 100 200     # Move window to position
desktop-ctl resize-window @w1 800 600   # Resize window

Utilities

desktop-ctl get-screen-size       # Screen resolution
desktop-ctl get-mouse-position    # Current cursor position
desktop-ctl launch firefox        # Launch an application
desktop-ctl launch code -- --new-window  # Launch with arguments

Daemon

desktop-ctl daemon start          # Start daemon manually
desktop-ctl daemon stop           # Stop daemon
desktop-ctl daemon status         # Check daemon status

Global Options

--json : Output as structured JSON (all commands)
--session NAME : Session name for multiple daemon instances (default: "default")
--socket PATH : Custom Unix socket path

Window Refs

After snapshot or list-windows, windows are assigned short refs:

@w1 is the topmost (usually focused) window
@w2, @w3, etc. follow z-order (front to back)
Refs reset on each snapshot call
Use --json to see stable xcb_id for programmatic tracking

Example Agent Workflow

# 1. See what's on screen
desktop-ctl snapshot --annotate

# 2. Focus the browser
desktop-ctl focus "firefox"

# 3. Navigate to a URL
desktop-ctl hotkey ctrl l
desktop-ctl type "https://example.com"
desktop-ctl press enter

# 4. Take a new snapshot to see the result
desktop-ctl snapshot

Key Names for press/hotkey

Modifiers: ctrl, alt, shift, super Navigation: enter, tab, escape, backspace, delete, space Arrows: up, down, left, right Page: home, end, pageup, pagedown Function: f1 through f12 Characters: any single character (e.g. a, 1, /)

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