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.

npx -y @midscene/computer@1

1. Connect to establish a session
2. Health check — observe the output of the

   connect

   command. If

   connect

   already performed a health check (screenshot and mouse movement test), no additional check is needed. If

   connect

   did not perform a health check, do one manually: take a screenshot and verify it succeeds, then move the mouse to a random position (

   act --prompt "move the mouse to a random position"

   ) and verify it succeeds. If either step fails, stop and troubleshoot before continuing. Only proceed to the next steps after both checks pass without errors.
3. Launch the target app and take screenshot to see the current state, make sure the app is launched and visible on the screen.
4. Execute action using

   act

   to perform the desired action or target-driven instructions, and use

   assert

   when you need to verify the resulting screen state.
5. Disconnect when done
6. Report results — summarize what was accomplished, present key findings and data extracted during the task, and list any generated files (screenshots, logs, etc.) with their paths

1. Always run a health check first: After connecting, observe the output of the

   connect

   command. If

   connect

   already performed a health check (screenshot and mouse movement test), no additional check is needed. If it did not, do one manually: take a screenshot and move the mouse to a random position. Both must succeed (no errors) before proceeding with any further operations. This catches environment issues early.
2. Bring the target app to the foreground before using this skill: For best efficiency, bring the app to the foreground using other means (e.g.,

   open -a <AppName>

   on macOS,

   start <AppName>

   on Windows) before invoking any midscene commands. Then take a screenshot to confirm the app is actually in the foreground. Only after visual confirmation should you proceed with UI automation using this skill. Avoid using Spotlight, Start menu search, or other launcher-based approaches through midscene — they involve transient UI, multiple AI inference steps, and are significantly slower.
3. Be specific about UI elements: Instead of vague descriptions, provide clear, specific details. Say

   "the yellow minimize button in the top-left corner of the Safari window"

   instead of

   "the button"

   .
4. Describe locations when possible: Help target elements by describing their position (e.g.,

   "the icon in the top-right corner of the menu bar"

   ,

   "the third item in the left sidebar"

   ).
5. Never run in background: Every midscene command must run synchronously — background execution breaks the screenshot-analyze-act loop.
6. Check for multiple displays: If you launched an app but cannot see it on the screenshot, the app window may have opened on a different display. Use

   list_displays

   to check available displays. You have two options: either move the app window to the current display, or use

   connect --displayId <id>

   to switch to the display where the app is.
7. Batch related operations into a single

   act

   command: When performing consecutive operations within the same app, combine them into one

   act

   prompt instead of splitting them into separate commands. For example, "search for X, click the first result, and scroll down to see more details" should be a single

   act

   call, not three. This reduces round-trips, avoids unnecessary screenshot-analyze cycles, and is significantly faster.
8. Set up

   PATH

   before running (macOS): On macOS, some commands (e.g.,

   system_profiler

   ) may not be found if the

   PATH

   is incomplete. Before running any midscene commands, ensure the

   PATH

   includes the standard system directories:
   bash

   export PATH="/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/bin:/sbin:$PATH"

   This prevents screenshot failures caused by missing system utilities.
9. Use

   assert

   for verification: When the goal is to confirm that a screen state is true, use

   assert --prompt "..."

   instead of an

   act

   prompt. Keep assertions observable and specific, such as

   "the Save dialog is open"

   or

   "the export completed message is visible"

   .
10. Always report results after completion: After finishing the automation task, you MUST proactively present the results to the user without waiting for them to ask. This includes: (1) the answer to the user's original question or the outcome of the requested task, (2) key data extracted or observed during execution, (3) screenshots and other generated files with their paths, (4) a brief summary of steps taken. Do NOT silently finish after the last automation command — the user expects complete results in a single interaction.
11. Prefer

    tap --locate

    when a reference image is provided: If the user shares a screenshot, icon, or logo and wants that exact visual target, use

    tap --locate

    with a multimodal

    locate

    JSON object such as

    { "prompt": "...", "images": [...] }

    instead of relying only on

    act --prompt

    .

npx -y @midscene/computer@1 act --prompt "right-click the file icon and select Delete from the context menu"
npx -y @midscene/computer@1 take_screenshot

npx -y @midscene/computer@1 act --prompt "open the File menu and click New Window"
npx -y @midscene/computer@1 take_screenshot

1. Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility
2. Add your terminal app and enable it
3. Restart your terminal app after granting permission

take_screenshot

1. Open System Settings > Lock Screen
2. Set "Require password after screen saver begins or display is turned off" to a longer delay (or turn it off during automation)
3. Optionally configure a screensaver under System Settings > Screen Saver so the display still dims after inactivity without locking

1. Take a screenshot to verify the element is actually visible
2. Use more specific descriptions (include color, position, surrounding text)
3. Ensure the element is not hidden behind another window

• Check local versions:

  npm ls @midscene/computer @midscene/core @midscene/shared

  (or

  pnpm why @midscene/computer

  ).
• Check latest versions:

  npm view @midscene/computer version

  ,

  npm view @midscene/core version

  ,

  npm view @midscene/shared version

  .
• Upgrade dependencies:

  npm i @midscene/computer@latest @midscene/core@latest @midscene/shared@latest

  .