Peekaboo

Capture and automate macOS UI with the Peekaboo CLI.

Security Scan

The skill's requested capabilities and instructions match a macOS UI-automation CLI; nothing in the SKILL.md or metadata requests unrelated credentials or system access beyond what a UI-automation tool legitimately needs.

Purpose & Capability

The name/description advertise macOS UI capture and automation and the instructions exclusively document peekaboo CLI commands (capture, click, type, app/window management, clipboard, etc.). The embedded metadata points to a Homebrew formula to provide the peekaboo binary — this is coherent for a CLI-focused skill.

Instruction Scope

The runtime instructions only tell the agent to run peekaboo CLI commands and pass file paths/flags. They do not instruct reading unrelated system files or environment variables. However, the tool's legitimate features include screen capture and clipboard access and can operate on application windows — these are high-privilege/sensitive operations (you should expect it can capture screen contents and clipboard data when granted permission).

Install Mechanism

The skill package is instruction-only (no installer executed by the platform). The SKILL.md metadata recommends installing the binary via a Homebrew formula: steipete/tap/peekaboo. Homebrew installs are typical for macOS CLIs, but this is a third-party tap (not an official core formula); verify the tap and upstream source before installing binaries from it.

Credentials

The skill declares no required environment variables or credentials. The commands mention a 'config' subcommand that can manage providers/models/credentials — this likely refers to optional configuration stored by the CLI itself, not required by the skill. There is no unexplained request for unrelated secrets in the SKILL.md.

Persistence & Privilege

The skill does not request always:true and is user-invocable only. It does rely on macOS Screen Recording and Accessibility permissions for full functionality — these are OS-level privileges required by any UI automation tool and should be granted only when you trust the binary.

Assessment

This skill appears internally consistent for a macOS UI-automation CLI, but be cautious before installing or running it: 1) Verify the Homebrew tap (steipete/tap) and the binary's upstream source or GitHub repo before installing; prefer official or widely-reviewed releases. 2) Only grant Screen Recording and Accessibility permissions when you trust the binary — these permissions allow screen capture and control of apps and can expose sensitive data. 3) Expect the tool to be able to read the clipboard, take screenshots, and control apps; avoid using it while sensitive information is on screen or in clipboard. 4) If the CLI asks you to store credentials in its config, confirm why those credentials are needed and where they are stored. 5) If you need lower risk, run tests in a limited account or VM, or audit the binary source before use.

Peekaboo is a full macOS UI automation CLI: capture/inspect screens, target UI elements, drive input, and manage apps/windows/menus. Commands share a snapshot cache and support --json/-j for scripting. Run peekaboo or peekaboo <cmd> --help for flags; peekaboo --version prints build metadata. Tip: run via polter peekaboo to ensure fresh builds.

Features (all CLI capabilities, excluding agent/MCP)

Core

• bridge: inspect Peekaboo Bridge host connectivity
• capture: live capture or video ingest + frame extraction
• clean: prune snapshot cache and temp files
• config: init/show/edit/validate, providers, models, credentials
• image: capture screenshots (screen/window/menu bar regions)
• learn: print the full agent guide + tool catalog
• list: apps, windows, screens, menubar, permissions
• permissions: check Screen Recording/Accessibility status
• run: execute .peekaboo.json scripts
• sleep: pause execution for a duration
• tools: list available tools with filtering/display options

Interaction

• click: target by ID/query/coords with smart waits
• drag: drag & drop across elements/coords/Dock
• hotkey: modifier combos like cmd,shift,t
• move: cursor positioning with optional smoothing
• paste: set clipboard -> paste -> restore
• press: special-key sequences with repeats
• scroll: directional scrolling (targeted + smooth)
• swipe: gesture-style drags between targets
• type: text + control keys (--clear, delays)

System

• app: launch/quit/relaunch/hide/unhide/switch/list apps
• clipboard: read/write clipboard (text/images/files)
• dialog: click/input/file/dismiss/list system dialogs
• dock: launch/right-click/hide/show/list Dock items
• menu: click/list application menus + menu extras
• menubar: list/click status bar items
• open: enhanced open with app targeting + JSON payloads
• space: list/switch/move-window (Spaces)
• visualizer: exercise Peekaboo visual feedback animations
• window: close/minimize/maximize/move/resize/focus/list

Vision

• see: annotated UI maps, snapshot IDs, optional analysis

Global runtime flags

• --json/-j, --verbose/-v, --log-level <level>
• --no-remote, --bridge-socket <path>

Quickstart (happy path)

peekaboo permissions
peekaboo list apps --json
peekaboo see --annotate --path /tmp/peekaboo-see.png
peekaboo click --on B1
peekaboo type "Hello" --return

Common targeting parameters (most interaction commands)

• App/window: --app, --pid, --window-title, --window-id, --window-index
• Snapshot targeting: --snapshot (ID from see; defaults to latest)
• Element/coords: --on/--id (element ID), --coords x,y
• Focus control: --no-auto-focus, --space-switch, --bring-to-current-space, --focus-timeout-seconds, --focus-retry-count

Common capture parameters

• Output: --path, --format png|jpg, --retina
• Targeting: --mode screen|window|frontmost, --screen-index, --window-title, --window-id
• Analysis: --analyze "prompt", --annotate
• Capture engine: --capture-engine auto|classic|cg|modern|sckit

Common motion/typing parameters

• Timing: --duration (drag/swipe), --steps, --delay (type/scroll/press)
• Human-ish movement: --profile human|linear, --wpm (typing)
• Scroll: --direction up|down|left|right, --amount <ticks>, --smooth

Examples

See -> click -> type (most reliable flow)

peekaboo see --app Safari --window-title "Login" --annotate --path /tmp/see.png
peekaboo click --on B3 --app Safari
peekaboo type "[e-mail]" --app Safari
peekaboo press tab --count 1 --app Safari
peekaboo type "supersecret" --app Safari --return

Target by window id

peekaboo list windows --app "Visual Studio Code" --json
peekaboo click --window-id 12345 --coords 120,160
peekaboo type "Hello from Peekaboo" --window-id 12345

Capture screenshots + analyze

peekaboo image --mode screen --screen-index 0 --retina --path /tmp/screen.png
peekaboo image --app Safari --window-title "Dashboard" --analyze "Summarize KPIs"
peekaboo see --mode screen --screen-index 0 --analyze "Summarize the dashboard"

Live capture (motion-aware)

peekaboo capture live --mode region --region 100,100,800,600 --duration 30 \
  --active-fps 8 --idle-fps 2 --highlight-changes --path /tmp/capture

App + window management

peekaboo app launch "Safari" --open https://example.com
peekaboo window focus --app Safari --window-title "Example"
peekaboo window set-bounds --app Safari --x 50 --y 50 --width 1200 --height 800
peekaboo app quit --app Safari

Menus, menubar, dock

peekaboo menu click --app Safari --item "New Window"
peekaboo menu click --app TextEdit --path "Format > Font > Show Fonts"
peekaboo menu click-extra --title "WiFi"
peekaboo dock launch Safari
peekaboo menubar list --json

Mouse + gesture input

peekaboo move 500,300 --smooth
peekaboo drag --from B1 --to T2
peekaboo swipe --from-coords 100,500 --to-coords 100,200 --duration 800
peekaboo scroll --direction down --amount 6 --smooth

Keyboard input

peekaboo hotkey --keys "cmd,shift,t"
peekaboo press escape
peekaboo type "Line 1\nLine 2" --delay 10

Notes

• Requires Screen Recording + Accessibility permissions.
• Use peekaboo see --annotate to identify targets before clicking.