gui-automation

GUI Automation

CUA gives you eyes and hands on a real computer: see the screen, move the mouse, click, type, drag, and manage windows, like a human at the keyboard.

Use this skill for visual interaction that can't be done via shell or API.

Setup

cua --version          # check install; if missing: curl -fsSL https://cua.ai/install.sh | sh

# Connect to target (pick one)
cua do switch my-sandbox                    # any sandbox from `cua sb ls`
cua do switch relay:<machine-id>            # a relay Space from `cua spaces ls`
cua do switch url http://127.0.0.1:3211 --as dev   # a cua-spacesd by URL
cua do-host-consent && cua do switch host   # local machine (one-time consent)

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY is optional. With it, cua do snapshot returns an AI-annotated screen with element coordinates. Without it, use screenshot and read the image yourself.

Workflow

Look → Act → Verify: repeat until done, then share:

cua do screenshot          # look
cua do click 450 280       # act
cua do screenshot          # verify
cua trajectory view        # open the replay for the user

Re-screenshot after every UI change: coordinates go stale when the screen changes.

Scenarios

Click a button

cua do screenshot
cua do click 450 280
cua do screenshot

Fill a form

cua do screenshot
cua do click 400 200 && cua do type "Jane Doe"
cua do key tab            && cua do type "jane@example.com"
cua do key tab            && cua do type "SecureP@ss123"
cua do click 400 500
cua do screenshot

File upload dialog

cua do click 350 400       # "Choose File"
cua do type "/home/user/report.pdf"
cua do key enter
cua do screenshot

Zoom in for precision clicks (host or small targets)

When clicking small or dense UI elements, especially on the host machine, zoom into the target window first. Coordinates become window-relative and screenshots show only that window, giving you higher effective resolution.

cua do zoom "Google Chrome"   # crop to Chrome window; coords are now window-relative
cua do screenshot              # zoomed view, easier to locate small elements
cua do click 112 44            # precise click on a small tab or button
cua do screenshot              # verify
cua do unzoom                  # restore full-screen coords when done
cua do screenshot              # back to full desktop view

Use zoom any time click accuracy is uncertain. unzoom before switching windows or when you need to see the full desktop again.

Drag and drop

cua do window ls               # list open windows
cua do drag 150 300 650 400    # source → destination
cua do screenshot

Fuzz a form

cua do screenshot
cua do click 400 200
cua do type "<script>alert(1)</script>"
cua do key tab && cua do type "'; DROP TABLE users; --"
cua do key tab && cua do type "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
cua do click 400 500
cua do screenshot              # check for errors, crashes, unexpected behavior

Trajectory

Every action is auto-recorded to ~/.cua/trajectories/{machine}/{session}/.

cua trajectory view            # open the replay viewer (do this at the end)
cua trajectory ls              # list sessions
cua trajectory clean           # delete sessions
cua do --no-record click 100 200   # disable recording for a single action

Tell the user where the trajectory is (cua trajectory ls prints the path).

Quick Reference

Action	Command
Connect to target	cua do switch <sandbox>
Screenshot	cua do screenshot
AI-annotated screen	cua do snapshot ["instructions"]
Click	cua do click <x> <y> [left|right|middle]
Double-click	cua do dclick <x> <y>
Type text	cua do type "text"
Press key	cua do key <key>
Hotkey	cua do hotkey <combo> (e.g. ctrl+c)
Scroll	cua do scroll <direction> [amount]
Drag	cua do drag <x1> <y1> <x2> <y2>
Move cursor	cua do move <x> <y>
Shell command	cua do shell "command"
Open URL/file	cua do open <url|path>
List windows	cua do window ls [app]
Focus window	cua do window focus <id>
Zoom to window	cua do zoom "App Name"
Unzoom	cua do unzoom
View trajectory	cua trajectory view

Providers

Target	Example
a sandbox	cua do switch my-sandbox (see cua sb ls)
a relay Space	cua do switch relay:<machine-id> (cua spaces ls)
a spacesd URL	cua do switch url http://host:3211 --as x
this machine	cua do switch host

Legacy <provider> <name> pairs (cloud, docker, lume, ...) still work.

See references/command-reference.md for full argument syntax.