Desktop Computer Automation

CRITICAL RULES — VIOLATIONS WILL BREAK THE WORKFLOW:

1. Never run midscene commands in the background. Each command must run synchronously so you can read its output (especially screenshots) before deciding the next action. Background execution breaks the screenshot-analyze-act loop.
2. Run only one midscene command at a time. Wait for the previous command to finish, read the screenshot, then decide the next action. Never chain multiple commands together.
3. Allow enough time for each command to complete. Midscene commands involve AI inference and screen interaction, which can take longer than typical shell commands. A typical command needs about 1 minute; complex act commands may need even longer.
4. Always report task results before finishing. After completing the automation task, you MUST proactively summarize the results to the user — including key data found, actions completed, screenshots taken, and any relevant findings. Never silently end after the last automation step; the user expects a complete response in a single interaction.
5. Only minimize windows, never close them unless explicitly asked. When you need to dismiss or get a window out of the way, minimize it instead of closing it. Do not close any app or window unless the user explicitly asks you to do so.

Control your desktop (macOS, Windows, Linux) using npx -y @midscene/computer@1. Each CLI command maps directly to an MCP tool — you (the AI agent) act as the brain, deciding which actions to take based on screenshots.

What act Can Do

Inside a single act call on desktop, Midscene can move the mouse, click, double-click, right-click, drag items, type or clear text, scroll, press single keys or keyboard shortcuts, and work through multi-step interactions on whatever is visible on the selected display.

Prerequisites

Midscene requires models with strong visual grounding capabilities. The following environment variables must be configured — either as system environment variables or in a .env file in the current working directory (Midscene loads .env automatically):