Show HN: OculOS – Any desktop app as a JSON API via OS accessibility tree

18 points by stif1337 a month ago

Single Rust binary (~3 MB) that reads the OS accessibility tree and gives every UI element a REST endpoint. Click buttons, type text, toggle checkboxes — all via JSON. Works as an MCP server too, so Claude/Cursor/Windsurf can control any desktop app out of the box.

Windows + Linux + macOS. MIT licensed.

stif1337 a month ago

Update: Since the initial post, I've shipped several features based on feedback:

- Screenshot capture: GET /windows/{pid}/screenshot → returns PNG

- Batch operations: POST /interact/batch → multiple actions per request

- Wait/poll: GET /windows/{pid}/wait?q=Submit&timeout=5000

- Python & TypeScript SDKs (local install, PyPI/npm coming soon)

- OpenAPI spec, Dockerfile, 7 example scripts

- Demo GIF in README showing Calculator automation via Claude Code

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

ktpsns a month ago

I wonder whether this requires particular GUI toolkits to be used, such as WFC. In any GUI there are enough "bad boy" toolkits which just "draw lines" and thus are not accessible at all.

stif1337 a month ago

No toolkit dependency, OculOS reads the OS-level accessibility tree, which is toolkit-agnostic:
- Windows: UI Automation (works with Win32, WPF, WinForms, Qt, Electron) - Linux: AT-SPI2 (GTK, Qt, Electron) - macOS: AXUIElement (Cocoa, Qt, Electron)
The coverage varies by toolkit. Win32/WPF/GTK expose rich trees. Electron apps expose key elements but the tree is shallower. Custom-drawn UIs (games, OpenGL) have minimal or no accessibility tree. That's the main limitation.

Frannky a month ago

Cool idea! Does this work with electron apps? I tried automating some apps and the problem was that a lot of stuff was never reachable, only via screenshot + click

stif1337 a month ago
Yes, electron apps expose a reasonable accessibility tree through Chromium's UIA/AT-SPI bridge. We've tested with Spotify (Electron/CEF), VS Code, Slack, and Chrome itself.
The tree is shallower than native Win32/WPF apps, but key interactive elements (buttons, inputs, lists) are usually exposed. You can check what's available with:
```
  curl "localhost:7878/windows/{pid}/find?interactive=true"
```

tadfisher a month ago

Maybe I need to familiarize myself with MCP, but wouldn't this make way more sense as a simple CLI tool instead of an HTTP service with a REST API?

stif1337 a month ago
It actually supports both you can use it as a plain REST API (no MCP needed) with any HTTP client:
```
  curl localhost:7878/windows
  curl -X POST localhost:7878/interact/{id}/click
```
MCP mode is an optional layer for AI agents (Claude, Cursor, etc.) that already speak MCP. The REST API works standalone for scripts, testing, CI/CD — no AI required.

lioeters a month ago

Good idea, I'm looking forward to seeing it grow - especially the Python and TypeScript bindings.

stif1337 a month ago

Thanks! Python and TypeScript SDKs are high on the roadmap.