linux-camera

Capture photos, record video clips, list cameras, and live stream on Linux. Uses V4L2 and ffmpeg. Supports USB webcams and RTSP/IP cameras.

Linux Camera Skill

Camera capture skill for Linux systems. Supports USB webcams (V4L2) and network cameras (RTSP).

Skill directory: ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/linux-camera/

Dependencies

bash

sudo apt-get install -y ffmpeg v4l-utils

Scripts

0. Quick photo (camera_photo.py) — simplest way to take a photo

No flags needed. Just run it.

bash

uv run python scripts/camera_photo.py              # auto-detect camera, timestamped filename
uv run python scripts/camera_photo.py front         # use /dev/video0
uv run python scripts/camera_photo.py back          # use /dev/video2
uv run python scripts/camera_photo.py front pic.jpg # custom filename → /tmp/pic.jpg
uv run python scripts/camera_photo.py /dev/video4   # explicit device path

Camera aliases: front = /dev/video0, back = /dev/video2. Output goes to /tmp/ by default.

1. List available cameras (camera_list.py)

Detects all V4L2 video devices and prints their names, paths, and supported formats.

bash

uv run python scripts/camera_list.py

Parameter	Description	Default
--json	Output as JSON	off

2. Take a snapshot (camera_snap.py) — primary, recommended

Captures a single frame from a camera and saves it as a JPEG.

bash

uv run python scripts/camera_snap.py --output /tmp/snapshot.jpg

Parameter	Description	Default
--device	V4L2 device path	/dev/video0
--rtsp	RTSP URL (use instead of --device for IP cameras)	—
--output	Output file path	/tmp/camera_snap.jpg
--width	Capture width	1280
--height	Capture height	720
--warmup	Warmup frames to skip (for exposure adjustment)	5
--quality	JPEG quality (1–100)	90

3. Record a video clip (camera_clip.py)

Records a video clip from a camera.

bash

uv run python scripts/camera_clip.py --duration 5 --output /tmp/clip.mp4

Parameter	Description	Default
--device	V4L2 device path	/dev/video0
--rtsp	RTSP URL (use instead of --device for IP cameras)	—
--output	Output file path	/tmp/camera_clip.mp4
--duration	Recording duration in seconds	5
--width	Capture width	1280
--height	Capture height	720
--fps	Frames per second	30

4. Live streaming (camera_stream.py)

Multi-format live streaming server. Supports MJPEG (low-latency), HLS (adaptive, mobile-friendly), and RTSP re-streaming.

bash

uv run python scripts/camera_stream.py --port 8090

Open http://<device-ip>:8090 in a browser to view the MJPEG stream.

Parameter	Description	Default
--device	V4L2 device path	/dev/video0
--rtsp	RTSP input URL (use instead of --device for IP cameras)	—
--port	HTTP server port	8090
--width	Capture width	640
--height	Capture height	480
--fps	Target frames per second	15
--enable-hls	Enable HLS output (adaptive bitrate, mobile-friendly)	off
--enable-rtsp	Enable RTSP re-stream output	off
--rtsp-port	RTSP server port (when --enable-rtsp is used)	8554

Endpoints:

URL	Description
http://<ip>:8090/	MJPEG stream (works in <img> tags and browsers)
http://<ip>:8090/snap	Single JPEG snapshot
http://<ip>:8090/hls	HLS live page (requires --enable-hls)
http://<ip>:8090/hls/stream.m3u8	HLS playlist for VLC or mobile players
rtsp://<ip>:8554/live	RTSP stream (requires --enable-rtsp)
http://<ip>:8090/status	JSON status (frame age, size, active outputs)

Examples

bash

# List cameras
uv run python scripts/camera_list.py

# Snapshot from default webcam
uv run python scripts/camera_snap.py

# Snapshot from a specific camera
uv run python scripts/camera_snap.py --device /dev/video2 --output /tmp/photo.jpg

# Snapshot from an IP camera
uv run python scripts/camera_snap.py --rtsp rtsp://user:pass@192.168.1.100:554/stream1

# Record 10 seconds of video
uv run python scripts/camera_clip.py --duration 10

# MJPEG stream (low-latency, view in browser)
uv run python scripts/camera_stream.py --port 8090

# MJPEG + HLS stream (adaptive bitrate for mobile / remote)
uv run python scripts/camera_stream.py --port 8090 --enable-hls

# Full streaming: MJPEG + HLS + RTSP re-stream
uv run python scripts/camera_stream.py --port 8090 --enable-hls --enable-rtsp

# Stream from an IP camera as input
uv run python scripts/camera_stream.py --rtsp rtsp://user:pass@192.168.1.100:554/stream1 --enable-hls

# High-res stream at 30fps
uv run python scripts/camera_stream.py --width 1280 --height 720 --fps 30

Multiple cameras

If you have multiple cameras (e.g. /dev/video0 and /dev/video2), specify the device:

bash

# List all cameras
uv run python scripts/camera_list.py

# Snap from camera 0
uv run python scripts/camera_snap.py --device /dev/video0 --output /tmp/cam0.jpg

# Snap from camera 2
uv run python scripts/camera_snap.py --device /dev/video2 --output /tmp/cam2.jpg

# Stream camera 0 on port 8090, camera 2 on port 8091
uv run python scripts/camera_stream.py --device /dev/video0 --port 8090
uv run python scripts/camera_stream.py --device /dev/video2 --port 8091

Coordinate with robot arm

Combine with the soarm-control skill to look at something and take a photo:

bash

# Move arm to look at the desktop
uv run python ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/soarm-control/scripts/soarm_set_joints.py \
    --shoulder-pan 1.626 --shoulder-lift -42.110 --elbow-flex 32.088 \
    --wrist-flex 78.242 --wrist-roll -95.077

# Capture what the camera sees
uv run python scripts/camera_snap.py --output /tmp/desktop.jpg