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desktop-control▌

patrickporto/desktop-agent · updated Apr 8, 2026

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$npx skills add https://github.com/patrickporto/desktop-agent --skill desktop-control
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summary

Control mouse, keyboard, and screen for cross-platform desktop automation.

  • ›Five command categories: mouse control (movement, clicks, drag, scroll), keyboard input (typing, hotkeys, key presses), screen capture and analysis (screenshots, image/text location via OCR), message dialogs (alerts, confirmations, prompts), and application control (open, focus, list windows)
  • ›Supports Windows, macOS, and Linux with platform-specific shortcuts and application launching
  • ›Image location with confi
skill.md

Desktop Control Skill

This skill provides comprehensive desktop automation capabilities through PyAutoGUI, allowing AI agents to control the mouse, keyboard, take screenshots, and interact with the desktop environment.

How to Use This Skill

As an AI agent, you can invoke desktop automation commands using the uvx desktop-agent CLI.

Command Structure

All commands follow this pattern:

uvx desktop-agent <category> <command> [arguments] [options]

Categories:

  • mouse - Mouse control
  • keyboard - Keyboard input
  • screen - Screenshots and screen analysis
  • message - User dialogs
  • app - Application control (open, focus, list windows)

Available Commands

🖱️ Mouse Control (mouse)

Control cursor movement and clicks.

# Move cursor to coordinates
uvx desktop-agent mouse move <x> <y> [--duration SECONDS]

# Click at current position or specific coordinates
uvx desktop-agent mouse click [x] [y] [--button left|right|middle] [--clicks N]

# Specialized clicks
uvx desktop-agent mouse double-click [x] [y]
uvx desktop-agent mouse right-click [x] [y]
uvx desktop-agent mouse middle-click [x] [y]

# Drag to coordinates
uvx desktop-agent mouse drag <x> <y> [--duration SECONDS] [--button BUTTON]

# Scroll (positive=up, negative=down)
uvx desktop-agent mouse scroll <clicks> [x] [y]

# Get current mouse position
uvx desktop-agent mouse position

Examples:

# Move to center of 1920x1080 screen
uvx desktop-agent mouse move 960 540 --duration 0.5

# Right-click at specific location
uvx desktop-agent mouse right-click 500 300

# Scroll down 5 clicks
uvx desktop-agent mouse scroll -5

⌨️ Keyboard Control (keyboard)

Type text and execute keyboard shortcuts.

# Type text
uvx desktop-agent keyboard write "<text>" [--interval SECONDS]

# Press keys
uvx desktop-agent keyboard press <key> [--presses N] [--interval SECONDS]

# Execute hotkey combination (comma-separated)
uvx desktop-agent keyboard hotkey "<key1>,<key2>,..."

# Hold/release keys
uvx desktop-agent keyboard keydown <key>
uvx desktop-agent keyboard keyup <key>

Examples:

# Type text with natural delay
uvx desktop-agent keyboard write "Hello World" --interval 0.05

# Copy selected text
uvx desktop-agent keyboard hotkey "ctrl,c"

# Open Task Manager
uvx desktop-agent keyboard hotkey "ctrl,shift,esc"

# Press Enter 3 times
uvx desktop-agent keyboard press enter --presses 3

Common Key Names:

  • Modifiers: ctrl, shift, alt, win
  • Special: enter, tab, esc, space, backspace, delete
  • Function: f1 through f12
  • Arrows: up, down, left, right

🖼️ Screen & Screenshots (screen)

Capture screenshots and analyze screen content. Supports targeting specific windows.

# Take screenshot
uvx desktop-agent screen screenshot <filename> [--region "x,y,width,height"] [--window <title>] [--active]

# Locate image on screen or within window
uvx desktop-agent screen locate <image_path> [--confidence 0.0-1.0] [--window <title>] [--active]
uvx desktop-agent screen locate-center <image_path> [--confidence 0.0-1.0] [--window <title>] [--active]

# Locate text using OCR within window
uvx desktop-agent screen locate-text-coordinates <text> [--window <title>] [--active]
uvx desktop-agent screen read-all-text [--window <title>] [--active]

# Utility commands
uvx desktop-agent screen pixel <x> <y>
uvx desktop-agent screen size
uvx desktop-agent screen on-screen <x> <y>

Examples:

# Screenshot of active window
uvx desktop-agent screen screenshot active.png --active

# Screenshot of a specific application
uvx desktop-agent screen screenshot chrome.png --window "Google Chrome"

# Locate image within Notepad
uvx desktop-agent screen locate-center button.png --window "Notepad"

💬 Message Dialogs (message)

Display user interaction dialogs.

# Show alert
uvx desktop-agent message alert "<text>" [--title TITLE] [--button BUTTON]

# Show confirmation dialog
uvx desktop-agent message confirm "<text>" [--title TITLE] [--buttons "OK,Cancel"]

# Prompt for input
uvx desktop-agent message prompt "<text>" [--title TITLE] [--default TEXT]

# Password input
uvx desktop-agent message password "<text>" [--title TITLE] [--mask CHAR]

Examples:

# Simple alert
uvx desktop-agent message alert "Task completed!"

# Get user confirmation
uvx desktop-agent message confirm "Continue with operation?"

# Ask for user input
uvx desktop-agent message prompt "Enter your name:"

📱 Application Control (app)

Control applications across Windows, macOS, and Linux.

# Open an application by name
uvx desktop-agent app open <name> [--arg ARGS...]

# Focus on a window by title/name
uvx desktop-agent app focus <name>

# List all visible windows
uvx desktop-agent app list

Examples:

# Windows: Open Notepad
uvx desktop-agent app open notepad

# Windows: Open Chrome with a URL
uvx desktop-agent app open "chrome" --arg "https://google.com"

# macOS: Open Safari
uvx desktop-agent app open "Safari"

# Focus on a specific window
uvx desktop-agent app focus "Untitled - Notepad"

# List all open windows
uvx desktop-agent app list

Common Automation Workflows

Workflow 1: Open Application and Type

# Open notepad directly (cross-platform)
uvx desktop-agent app open notepad

# Wait for app to open, then focus it
uvx desktop-agent app focus notepad

# Type some text
uvx desktop-agent keyboard write "Hello from Desktop Skill!"

Workflow 2: Screenshot + Analysis

# Get screen size first
uvx desktop-agent screen size

# Take full screenshot
uvx desktop-agent screen screenshot current_screen.png

# Check if specific UI element is visible
uvx desktop-agent screen locate save_button.png

Workflow 3: Form Filling

# Click first field
uvx desktop-agent mouse click 300 200

# Fill field
uvx desktop-agent keyboard write "John Doe"

# Tab to next field
uvx desktop-agent keyboard press tab

# Fill second field
uvx desktop-agent keyboard write "[email protected]"

# Submit form (Enter)
uvx desktop-agent keyboard press enter

Workflow 4: Copy/Paste Operations

# Select all text
uvx desktop-agent keyboard hotkey "ctrl,a"

# Copy
uvx desktop-agent keyboard hotkey "ctrl,c"

# Click destination
uvx desktop-agent mouse click 500 600

# Paste
uvx desktop-agent keyboard hotkey "ctrl,v"

Safety Considerations

When using this skill, AI agents should:

  1. Verify coordinates: Use screen size and on-screen before clicking
  2. Add delays: Insert appropriate delays between commands for UI responsiveness
  3. Validate images: Ensure image files exist before using locate commands
  4. Handle failures: Commands may fail if windows change or elements move
  5. User safety: Always confirm destructive actions with user via message confirm

Troubleshooting

PyAutoGUI Fail-Safe

PyAutoGUI has a fail-safe: moving mouse to screen corner aborts operations. This is a safety feature.

Image not found

When using screen locate, ensure:

  • Image file exists and path is correct
  • Adjust --confidence
how to use desktop-control

How to use desktop-control on Cursor

AI-first code editor with Composer

1

Prerequisites

Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:

  • ›Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
  • ›Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with node --version)
  • ›Active project directory or workspace where you want to add desktop-control
2

Execute installation command

Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:

$npx skills add https://github.com/patrickporto/desktop-agent --skill desktop-control

The skills CLI fetches desktop-control from GitHub repository patrickporto/desktop-agent and configures it for Cursor.

3

Select Cursor when prompted

The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:

◆ Which agents do you want to install to?
│
│ ── Universal (.agents/skills) ── always included ────
│ • Amp
│ • Antigravity
│ • Cline
│ • Codex
│ ●Cursor(selected)
│ • Cursor
│ • Windsurf
4

Verify installation

Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:

.cursor/skills/desktop-control

Reload or restart Cursor to activate desktop-control. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /desktop-control) or your agent's skill management interface.

⚠

Security & Verification Notice

We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.

Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.

Additional Resources

›View source code on GitHub›Skills CLI documentation›Learn more about Cursor›What are agent skills?

List & Monetize Your Skill

Submit your Claude Code skill and start earning

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Use Cases▌

User Story & Requirements Generation

Create detailed user stories, acceptance criteria, and feature specs

Example

Generate user stories for 'password reset feature' with acceptance criteria, edge cases, and test scenarios

✓

Reduce spec writing time by 50%, ensure comprehensive coverage

Competitive Analysis

Research competitors, compare features, identify gaps

Example

Analyze 5 competitor products, create feature comparison matrix, suggest differentiation opportunities

✓

Complete competitive research in 2 hours instead of 2 days

Roadmap Prioritization

Evaluate features using frameworks (RICE, ICE, Kano) and create prioritized backlogs

Example

Score 20 feature ideas using RICE framework, generate prioritized roadmap with rationale

✓

Make data-driven prioritization decisions faster

Stakeholder Communication

Draft PRDs, status updates, and stakeholder presentations

Example

Create executive summary of Q3 roadmap, monthly progress report, feature launch announcement

✓

Save 3-5 hours/week on communication overhead

Implementation Guide▌

Prerequisites

  • ›Claude Desktop or compatible AI client
  • ›Access to product documentation and roadmap tools (Jira, Notion, etc.)
  • ›Understanding of product management frameworks (RICE, Jobs-to-be-Done, etc.)
  • ›Stakeholder contact information and communication channels

Time Estimate

30-60 minutes to see productivity improvements

Installation Steps

  1. 1.Install product management skill
  2. 2.Start with user story generation for known feature
  3. 3.Progress to competitive analysis: research 2-3 competitors
  4. 4.Use for roadmap prioritization: apply RICE/ICE scoring
  5. 5.Draft stakeholder communications and refine based on feedback
  6. 6.Build template library for recurring PM tasks
  7. 7.Share effective prompts with product team

Common Pitfalls

  • ⚠Not validating competitive research—verify facts before sharing
  • ⚠Accepting user stories without involving engineering team
  • ⚠Over-relying on frameworks without qualitative judgment
  • ⚠Not customizing outputs to company culture and communication style
  • ⚠Skipping stakeholder validation of generated requirements

Best Practices▌

✓ Do

  • +Validate research and competitive analysis with real data
  • +Collaborate with engineering when generating technical requirements
  • +Customize frameworks and templates to your company context
  • +Use skill for first drafts, refine with stakeholder input
  • +Document successful prompt patterns for PM tasks
  • +Combine AI efficiency with human judgment and intuition

✗ Don't

  • −Don't publish competitive analysis without fact-checking
  • −Don't finalize user stories without engineering review
  • −Don't make prioritization decisions solely on AI scoring
  • −Don't skip customer validation of generated requirements
  • −Don't ignore company-specific context and culture

💡 Pro Tips

  • ★Provide context: company goals, constraints, customer feedback
  • ★Ask for alternatives: 'Show 3 ways to prioritize this roadmap'
  • ★Request stakeholder-specific formatting: 'Executive summary vs. engineering spec'
  • ★Use skill for 70% generation + 30% customization to company needs

When to Use This▌

✓ Use When

Use for user story writing, competitive research, roadmap prioritization, stakeholder communication, and PRD drafting. Best for reducing repetitive documentation and research work.

✗ Avoid When

Avoid for strategic product vision (requires deep customer empathy), pricing decisions (needs market and financial expertise), or when face-to-face customer discovery is more valuable than speed.

Learning Path▌

  1. 1Basic: user stories, feature specs, status updates
  2. 2Intermediate: competitive analysis, prioritization frameworks, PRDs
  3. 3Advanced: product strategy, go-to-market planning, OKR setting
  4. 4Expert: product vision, market positioning, business model innovation

Discussion

Product Hunt–style comments (not star reviews)
  • No comments yet — start the thread.
general reviews

Ratings

4.6★★★★★27 reviews
  • ★★★★★James Gonzalez· Dec 28, 2024

    desktop-control has been reliable in day-to-day use. Documentation quality is above average for community skills.

  • ★★★★★Aisha Martin· Dec 28, 2024

    desktop-control reduced setup friction for our internal harness; good balance of opinion and flexibility.

  • ★★★★★Yash Thakker· Nov 23, 2024

    desktop-control is among the better-maintained entries we tried; worth keeping pinned for repeat workflows.

  • ★★★★★Kiara Malhotra· Nov 19, 2024

    desktop-control fits our agent workflows well — practical, well scoped, and easy to wire into existing repos.

  • ★★★★★Amina Farah· Nov 19, 2024

    I recommend desktop-control for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.

  • ★★★★★Anaya Yang· Nov 11, 2024

    Keeps context tight: desktop-control is the kind of skill you can hand to a new teammate without a long onboarding doc.

  • ★★★★★Dhruvi Jain· Oct 14, 2024

    Keeps context tight: desktop-control is the kind of skill you can hand to a new teammate without a long onboarding doc.

  • ★★★★★Kiara Johnson· Oct 10, 2024

    We added desktop-control from the explainx registry; install was straightforward and the SKILL.md answered most questions upfront.

  • ★★★★★Anika Kim· Oct 10, 2024

    Useful defaults in desktop-control — fewer surprises than typical one-off scripts, and it plays nicely with `npx skills` flows.

  • ★★★★★Anika Johnson· Oct 2, 2024

    desktop-control is among the better-maintained entries we tried; worth keeping pinned for repeat workflows.

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