openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix Feature request: route desktop-control tasks through Codex Desktop Computer Use, not only PeekabooBridge [1 comments, 2 participants]

Summary

Please add first-class support for OpenClaw to manage the Mac through Codex Desktop's native Computer Use runtime, rather than treating the current Peekaboo/PeekabooBridge path as the complete answer.

This is a narrower follow-up to #67776. That issue was closed as implemented via the bundled peekaboo skill plus OpenClaw.app PeekabooBridge, but the requested capability here is different:

OpenClaw should be able to route screen/computer-control tasks to Codex Desktop's own background computer-use session, especially when invoked from chat channels like Discord.

Why PeekabooBridge is not equivalent

PeekabooBridge is useful and should remain supported, but Codex Desktop Computer Use has important product-level advantages:

• Codex Desktop has provider-native computer-use behavior, not just CLI-driven macOS automation.
• Codex can use its own background cursor/session, reducing disruption to the user's active cursor/focus.
• It aligns with OpenAI's current Codex Desktop direction for seeing, clicking, typing, and working across apps.
• It gives OpenClaw a stronger orchestration story: chat channel -> OpenClaw -> Codex Desktop computer-use agent -> result back to channel.
• It avoids making Peekaboo the only blessed path for Mac computer control when the user already has Codex Desktop installed and authorized.

Desired workflow

Example Discord flow:

1. User asks OpenClaw in Discord: "check what is on my screen" or "open this app and perform X".
2. OpenClaw recognizes the task requires GUI/computer control.
3. OpenClaw routes the task to Codex Desktop Computer Use.
4. Codex Desktop handles screen reading/clicking/typing with its native computer-use loop.
5. The result is returned to OpenClaw and delivered back to Discord.

Possible implementation shape

Any of these would be useful:

1. A configurable desktop-control provider:

{
  "desktopControl": {
    "provider": "codex-desktop",
    "fallbackProvider": "peekaboo"
  }
}

1. A sessions_spawn/ACP option, for example:

{
  "runtime": "acp",
  "agentId": "codex",
  "computerUse": true,
  "desktopProvider": "codex-desktop"
}

1. A bridge to Codex App Server / Codex Desktop where OpenClaw can request a computer-use task and receive the result/artifacts.

2. A channel-safe routing skill so Discord/Slack/etc. can ask for computer-control tasks without needing to know whether Codex Desktop, Peekaboo, or browser automation handles the work.

Local observations

On a current Mac setup:

• codex features list reports computer_use as stable true.
• codex app-server exists, although it is still marked experimental.
• OpenClaw 2026.4.24 has ACPX/Codex routing working.
• OpenClaw has peekaboo eligible/installed and OpenClaw.app contains PeekabooBridge, but that path is not the same as routing through Codex Desktop Computer Use.

Acceptance criteria

• OpenClaw can detect whether Codex Desktop Computer Use is available on the host.
• OpenClaw exposes an explicit config/route for codex-desktop computer control.
• A chat-channel request can trigger a Codex Desktop computer-use task and receive a summarized result back.
• The feature has clear permission/security boundaries, especially for Discord or remote chat channels.
• Peekaboo can remain available as a fallback, but Codex Desktop should be selectable as the preferred provider.

Related

• #67776 - closed as implemented via PeekabooBridge, but this request is specifically for Codex Desktop Computer Use routing.
• #47499 - VNC/full desktop takeover direction.
• #41024 - broader native computer-use UI integration discussion.
• OpenAI announcement: https://openai.com/index/codex-for-almost-everything/