PiKVM Remote Control

Control remote computers via PiKVM REST API with mouse, keyboard, and power management.

When to Use

• Take screenshots of remote machine
• Move mouse and click
• Type text or press keyboard keys
• Execute keyboard shortcuts (Cmd+Space, Ctrl+Alt+Del, etc.)
• Power control (on/off/reset)
• Automate remote desktop operations

Prerequisites

export PIKVM_URL=https://pikvm.example.com
export PIKVM_AUTH=admin:admin

Get Credentials

1. Access your PiKVM web interface
2. Default credentials: admin:admin

Coordinate System

Mouse coordinates use screen center as origin (0,0):

• Negative X = left, Positive X = right
• Negative Y = up, Positive Y = down

For 1920x1080 screen:

• Top-left: (-960, -540)
• Center: (0, 0)
• Bottom-right: (960, 540)

Usage

Take Screenshot

curl -k -s -o /tmp/screenshot.jpg -u "$(printenv PIKVM_AUTH)" "$(printenv PIKVM_URL)/api/streamer/snapshot"

Type Text

Text must be sent as raw body with Content-Type: text/plain:

curl -k -s -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: text/plain" \
  -u "$(printenv PIKVM_AUTH)" \
  -d "Hello World" \
  "$(printenv PIKVM_URL)/api/hid/print?limit=0"

Move Mouse

Move to absolute position (0,0 = screen center):

curl -k -s -X POST \
  -u "$(printenv PIKVM_AUTH)" \
  "$(printenv PIKVM_URL)/api/hid/events/send_mouse_move?to_x=-500&to_y=-300"

Mouse Click

# Press
curl -k -s -X POST \
  -u "$(printenv PIKVM_AUTH)" \
  "$(printenv PIKVM_URL)/api/hid/events/send_mouse_button?button=left&state=true"

# Release
curl -k -s -X POST \
  -u "$(printenv PIKVM_AUTH)" \
  "$(printenv PIKVM_URL)/api/hid/events/send_mouse_button?button=left&state=false"

Press Key

Press and release with state=true then state=false:

# Press Enter
curl -k -s -X POST \
  -u "$(printenv PIKVM_AUTH)" \
  "$(printenv PIKVM_URL)/api/hid/events/send_key?key=Enter&state=true"

curl -k -s -X POST \
  -u "$(printenv PIKVM_AUTH)" \
  "$(printenv PIKVM_URL)/api/hid/events/send_key?key=Enter&state=false"

Key Combo (e.g., Cmd+Space for Spotlight)

Press all keys in order, then release in reverse:

# Press Cmd
curl -k -s -X POST -u "$(printenv PIKVM_AUTH)" "$(printenv PIKVM_URL)/api/hid/events/send_key?key=MetaLeft&state=true"

# Press Space
curl -k -s -X POST -u "$(printenv PIKVM_AUTH)" "$(printenv PIKVM_URL)/api/hid/events/send_key?key=Space&state=true"

# Release Space
curl -k -s -X POST -u "$(printenv PIKVM_AUTH)" "$(printenv PIKVM_URL)/api/hid/events/send_key?key=Space&state=false"

# Release Cmd
curl -k -s -X POST -u "$(printenv PIKVM_AUTH)" "$(printenv PIKVM_URL)/api/hid/events/send_key?key=MetaLeft&state=false"

Mouse Scroll

curl -k -s -X POST \
  -u "$(printenv PIKVM_AUTH)" \
  "$(printenv PIKVM_URL)/api/hid/events/send_mouse_wheel?delta_x=0&delta_y=-50"

Get Device Info

curl -k -s \
  -u "$(printenv PIKVM_AUTH)" \
  "$(printenv PIKVM_URL)/api/info" | jq .

ATX Power Control

# Power on
curl -k -s -X POST \
  -u "$(printenv PIKVM_AUTH)" \
  "$(printenv PIKVM_URL)/api/atx/power?action=on"

# Power off
curl -k -s -X POST -u "$(printenv PIKVM_AUTH)" "$(printenv PIKVM_URL)/api/atx/power?action=off"

# Hard reset
curl -k -s -X POST -u "$(printenv PIKVM_AUTH)" "$(printenv PIKVM_URL)/api/atx/power?action=reset_hard"

Common Key Names

MetaLeft (Cmd), ControlLeft, AltLeft, ShiftLeft
Enter, Space, Escape, Tab, Backspace, Delete
ArrowUp, ArrowDown, ArrowLeft, ArrowRight
KeyA-KeyZ, Digit0-Digit9, F1-F12
PageUp, PageDown, Home, End
Equal (+), Minus (-)

API Endpoints Reference

API Reference

• Official docs: https://docs.pikvm.org/api/