macos

Purpose

This skill enables OpenClaw to provide macOS system overviews and orchestrate tasks like file management, process control, and app interactions, leveraging macOS-specific APIs and CLI tools for efficient automation.

When to Use

Use this skill for macOS-exclusive tasks, such as managing user permissions, monitoring system resources, automating app launches, or integrating with Apple ecosystem tools. Apply it when the agent needs to handle Apple-specific environments, like scripting for macOS-only workflows or troubleshooting hardware interactions.

Key Capabilities

• Access macOS CLI commands for file operations, e.g., listing directories with permissions.

• Orchestrate system processes using launchctl for service management.

• Interact with Apple APIs, like Foundation framework for file I/O.

• Monitor system metrics via sysctl or top , and handle app-specific events using AppleScript.

• Manage configurations in plist XML format for system preferences or app settings.

Usage Patterns

Invoke this skill by specifying the "macos" ID in OpenClaw queries, e.g., prefix with "use skill: macos" for context. Always check for macOS version compatibility using sw_vers before executing commands. For orchestration, chain tasks like file checks followed by process starts. Use environment variables for sensitive data, e.g., set $APPLE_API_KEY for authenticated API calls. Structure requests as JSON payloads with fields like {"action": "run_command", "command": "ls -l"}.

Common Commands/API

• Use ls -l to list files with detailed permissions; example: run via subprocess in Python: import subprocess; subprocess.run(['ls', '-l', '/path']) .

• Manage services with launchctl load /path/to/plist for starting daemons; snippet: subprocess.run(['launchctl', 'load', '-w', '/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.example.plist']) .

• Query system info via sysctl -n hw.memsize for memory size; code: output = subprocess.check_output(['sysctl', '-n', 'hw.memsize']).decode().strip() .

• Open files with open -a "Application" file.path ; e.g., subprocess.run(['open', '-a', 'TextEdit', 'document.txt']) .

• AppleScript integration: Use osascript -e 'tell app "Finder" to open document file "path"' ; snippet: subprocess.run(['osascript', '-e', 'tell app "Finder" to display dialog "Hello"']) . If API keys are needed for extended services (e.g., Apple Developer APIs), reference them as $APPLE_DEVELOPER_KEY in environment variables.

Integration Notes

Integrate this skill with other OpenClaw skills by linking via clusters, e.g., combine with "system" cluster for cross-platform tasks. For config files, parse plist XML using Python's plistlib module: import plistlib; with open('config.plist', 'rb') as f: data = plistlib.load(f) . Ensure compatibility by checking macOS version with subprocess.run(['sw_vers', '-productVersion']) and adjust commands accordingly, e.g., use xattr for extended attributes on macOS 10.10+. When integrating with tools like Homebrew, prefix commands with brew --prefix for paths. Always sandbox operations using sandbox-exec for security.

Error Handling

Handle permission errors by checking for Operation not permitted and prefix commands with sudo if needed, e.g., wrap in try-except: try: subprocess.run(['command']) except subprocess.CalledProcessError as e: log_error(e, "Permission issue; use sudo") . For API failures, verify $APPLE_API_KEY is set and catch HTTP errors like 401 Unauthorized. Common issues: File not found—use os.path.exists('/path') before operations; Process timeouts—set timeouts in subprocess calls, e.g., subprocess.run(['command'], timeout=10) . Log errors with macOS's syslog via logger command for auditing.

Concrete Usage Examples

• Automate file backup: To back up a directory, use this pattern: First, check disk space with df -h / , then copy files: subprocess.run(['cp', '-R', '/source/dir', '/backup/dir']) . In OpenClaw, query: "use skill: macos; backup /Documents to /Backup if disk space > 10GB".

• Monitor system resources: Query CPU usage with top -l 1 | grep "CPU usage" , then alert if >80%: import re; output = subprocess.check_output(['top', '-l', '1']); if re.search(r'CPU usage: \d+.\d+% user', output) and float(match) > 80: send_alert() . In OpenClaw: "use skill: macos; monitor CPU and notify if usage exceeds 80%".

Graph Relationships

• Related to cluster: macos (direct link for system tasks).

• Connects to skills: ["apple"] for ecosystem integrations, ["system"] for general OS operations.

• Dependencies: Requires "core" cluster for basic execution; provides outputs to "automation" cluster for workflow chaining.