Open Computer Use
iFurySt/open-codex-computer-use
Platform-neutral guidance for using Open Computer Use, the open-source Computer Use MCP server and CLI for macOS, Linux, and Windows.
Cross-OS computer-use MCP: multi-agent exclusive desktop leases, Xvnc pool on Linux, single-session macOS/Windows.
Install Desktop Act
$ npx skills add Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops --skill desktop-act -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops desktop-act --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/desktop-act/skills/desktop-act .claude/skills/desktop-act && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "desktop-act" agent skill from https://github.com/Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops/tree/main/desktop-act/skills/desktop-act into .claude/skills/desktop-act/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "desktop-act", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops/tree/main/desktop-act/skills/desktop-actType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops --skill desktop-act -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops desktop-act --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/desktop-act/skills/desktop-act .agents/skills/desktop-act && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "desktop-act" agent skill from https://github.com/Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops/tree/main/desktop-act/skills/desktop-act into .agents/skills/desktop-act/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "desktop-act", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops --skill desktop-act -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops desktop-act --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/desktop-act/skills/desktop-act .cursor/skills/desktop-act && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "desktop-act" agent skill from https://github.com/Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops/tree/main/desktop-act/skills/desktop-act into .cursor/skills/desktop-act/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "desktop-act", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops.git --path desktop-act/skills/desktop-act--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops --skill desktop-act -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops desktop-act --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/desktop-act/skills/desktop-act .gemini/skills/desktop-act && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "desktop-act" agent skill from https://github.com/Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops/tree/main/desktop-act/skills/desktop-act into .gemini/skills/desktop-act/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "desktop-act", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops desktop-actInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops --skill desktop-act -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/desktop-act/skills/desktop-act .github/skills/desktop-act && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "desktop-act" agent skill from https://github.com/Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops/tree/main/desktop-act/skills/desktop-act into .github/skills/desktop-act/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "desktop-act", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops --skill desktop-act -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops desktop-act --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/desktop-act/skills/desktop-act .opencode/skills/desktop-act && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "desktop-act" agent skill from https://github.com/Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops/tree/main/desktop-act/skills/desktop-act into .opencode/skills/desktop-act/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "desktop-act", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
desktop-act- GitHub stars
- 542
- Token cost
- ~560 tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 196 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 67
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Cross-OS computer-use MCP: multi-agent exclusive desktop leases, Xvnc pool on Linux, single-session macOS/Windows.
- GUI/desktop automation and concurrent agent desktops
- SKILL.md covers Multi-agent (required pattern), Architecture, Watching the desktop and Install, plus 2 more sections
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
- Tasks that involve Desktop control
What it does
Desktop Act is an agent skill from Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops. Cross-OS computer-use MCP: multi-agent exclusive desktop leases, Xvnc pool on Linux, single-session macOS/Windows. Use for GUI/desktop automation and concurrent agent desktops.
Its SKILL.md is about 560 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.
It sits in Productivity & Automation, covering Desktop control and Multi-agent orchestration. It works with Linux, Model Context Protocol and macOS. The repository describes itself as: Business operating system for Claude Code — 57 skills, 21 agents, smart daemon. Unified inbox (WhatsApp/Email/Slack/Telegram), autonomous PR merge, full-AWS monitoring, revenue… The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- GUI/desktop automation and concurrent agent desktops
- Tasks that involve Desktop control
- Tasks that involve Multi-agent orchestration
Example prompts
- “/desktop-act”
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit ee9c784. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Context cost
Desktop Act loads about 560 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 47 tokens; SKILL.md has 196 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
Safety
Auto-check passed
The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.
SKILL.md
The full file from Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops at commit ee9c784, republished under its MIT licence (© Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited). 196 words, ~560 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/desktop-act/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).- name
- desktop-act
- description
- Cross-OS computer-use MCP: multi-agent exclusive desktop leases, Xvnc pool on Linux, single-session macOS/Windows. Use for GUI/desktop automation and concurrent agent desktops.
desktop-act
Computer-use primitives via mcp__desktop-act__* plus act(goal) (OAuth via
claude-agent-sdk — no Anthropic API key).
Multi-agent (required pattern)
ensure_desktop(owner_id="<agent-id>", geometry="2560x1440") # exclusive seat
# … primitives with session_id …
heartbeat_desktop(session_id) # long runs
release_desktop(session_id) # on stop / idle doneIf another agent holds every free seat, Linux auto-spawns a new Xvnc on the
next free display/port. Leases expire (DESKTOP_ACT_LEASE_TTL); reaper frees
the lock and stops pool VNC so idle seats do not thrash the host.
Architecture
- Parent agent is the brain — primitives + screenshots, or hands-off
act(goal). - Linux: X11 + Xvnc/websockify pool (
:50–:99), file-locked leases. - macOS: single interactive session (Screen Sharing → noVNC optional).
- Windows: full WinBackend (ImageGrab + pyautogui/SendInput); single interactive desktop only (no multi-seat pool). Needs a logged-in session.
Watching the desktop
Pool session returns novnc_url (port base DESKTOP_ACT_NOVNC_PORT_BASE,
default 6082). Host default display (often :1) is separate and is never
reaped by the idle reaper. Always prefer the returned URL over hardcoding ports.
Install
- With claude-ops:
desktop-act@ops-marketplace(co-installed by/ops:setupand/ops:updateviaplugin-dependencies.json). - Standalone: marketplace add
Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/desktop-act, thendesktop-act@desktop-act.
When to use
| Task | Approach |
|---|---|
| Local app you need to click/type into | desktop-act primitives |
| Concurrent agents needing isolated seats | Linux pool + ensure_desktop(owner_id=…) |
| Hands-off goal | mcp__desktop-act__act(goal, max_iterations=…) |
| Browser-only automation | Prefer browser MCP tools when no OS UI is required |
Defaults
actmodel:claude-sonnet-5actmax_iterations:20(notmax_steps)- Python:
>=3.11
© Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
Just SKILL.md in desktop-act/skills/desktop-act of Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit ee9c784
Compare with similar skills
Desktop Act next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desktop Act this skillLifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops | 542 | — | ~560 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Open Computer UseiFurySt/open-codex-computer-use | 2.4k | — | ~1.5k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Browser MCP Agentantibrow/anti-detect-browser-skills | 17 | 1 repos | ~4.2k | Automated safety check: Warn | MIT | |
| Computer Usexuzhougeng/wisp-science | 1k | — | ~2.9k | Automated safety check: Pass | AGPL-3.0 | |
| Computer Use HybridQwenLM/qwen-code-examples | 143 | — | ~623 | Automated safety check: Pass | None | |
| Qwen Cua Driver GUI AutomationQwenLM/qwen-code | 28k | — | ~16k | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 |
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Works with
Categories
Questions about Desktop Act
What does Desktop Act do?
Cross-OS computer-use MCP: multi-agent exclusive desktop leases, Xvnc pool on Linux, single-session macOS/Windows. Desktop Act is an agent skill from Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops. Cross-OS computer-use MCP: multi-agent exclusive desktop leases, Xvnc pool on Linux, single-session macOS/Windows.
When should I use Desktop Act?
Desktop Act fits situations like: GUI/desktop automation and concurrent agent desktops; tasks that involve Desktop control; tasks that involve Multi-agent orchestration.
How do I install Desktop Act in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops --skill desktop-act -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (desktop-act/skills/desktop-act in Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops) into .claude/skills/desktop-act in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Desktop Act in Codex?
Run `npx skills add Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops --skill desktop-act -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (desktop-act/skills/desktop-act in Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops) into .agents/skills/desktop-act in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Desktop Act in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops --skill desktop-act -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/desktop-act, .gemini/skills/desktop-act, .github/skills/desktop-act and .opencode/skills/desktop-act in your project.
What does Desktop Act need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Desktop Act is instructions for the agent only.
Does Desktop Act access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Desktop Act safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
What licence does Desktop Act use?
Desktop Act is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does Desktop Act use?
About 560 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 2.2k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.
What are the alternatives to Desktop Act?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Desktop Act: Open Computer Use (iFurySt/open-codex-computer-use, 2.4k stars), Browser MCP Agent (antibrow/anti-detect-browser-skills, 17 stars), Computer Use (xuzhougeng/wisp-science, 1k stars) and Computer Use Hybrid (QwenLM/qwen-code-examples, 143 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Desktop Act?
Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited (a GitHub organization) maintains it in Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops, which has 542 GitHub stars. The repository holds 67 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 10, 2026.
Source: Lifecycle-Innovations-Limited/claude-ops on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.