CamSnap — OpenClaw Skill
Capture snapshots, clips, and motion events from RTSP/ONVIF security cameras.
What This Skill Does
The CamSnap skill gives your OpenClaw agent the ability to interact with IP security cameras on your network. Using the camsnap CLI, your agent can discover cameras automatically, capture still snapshots, record short video clips, and set up motion detection watches with configurable thresholds -- all through natural language commands.
This skill supports RTSP and ONVIF protocols, which cover the vast majority of consumer and commercial IP cameras. Whether you have a Hikvision, Dahua, Reolink, Amcrest, or other ONVIF-compatible camera, CamSnap can connect to it. Cameras are configured once in ~/.config/camsnap/config.yaml, and your agent can reference them by name after that.
CamSnap includes a built-in diagnostic tool (camsnap doctor) to probe and troubleshoot camera connections. It pairs well with the Peekaboo skill for screen capture and the Whisper skill if you need to transcribe audio from clips.
Example Prompts
Take a snapshot from the kitchen camera and save it to my desktop
Record a 10-second clip from the front door camera
Discover all cameras on my local network and show their info
Start watching the backyard camera for motion and alert me if anything moves
Run the doctor check on my garage camera to see why it's not connecting
Grab a quick snapshot from every configured camera and put them in /tmp/cameras/
Requirements
Binary dependencies: camsnap and ffmpeg
- macOS:
brew install steipete/tap/camsnap ffmpeg - Config: Camera credentials in
~/.config/camsnap/config.yaml - Network: Cameras must be reachable on the local network
Setup on KiwiClaw
CamSnap requires network access to your cameras. On KiwiClaw, configure your camera credentials in the KiwiClaw dashboard under skill settings. The camsnap and ffmpeg binaries are pre-installed. For cameras behind a firewall, you may need to set up a tunnel or VPN.
Setup Self-Hosted
- Install CamSnap:
brew install steipete/tap/camsnap - Install ffmpeg:
brew install ffmpeg(macOS) orapt install ffmpeg(Linux) - Add a camera:
camsnap add --name kitchen --host 192.168.0.10 --user user --pass pass - Verify:
camsnap discover --infoto see available cameras - Test:
camsnap snap kitchen --out test.jpg
Related Skills
- Peekaboo -- capture and automate macOS UI for screen-based monitoring
- OpenAI Whisper -- transcribe audio from recorded camera clips locally
- Healthcheck -- audit and harden the host running your cameras and agent
- OpenHue -- control smart lights alongside camera triggers
FAQ
What can the CamSnap skill do in OpenClaw?
The CamSnap skill lets your OpenClaw agent discover cameras on your network, capture snapshots from any configured camera, record short video clips, watch for motion events with configurable thresholds, and diagnose camera connection issues.
What camera protocols does CamSnap support?
CamSnap supports RTSP and ONVIF protocols, which cover the vast majority of IP security cameras including brands like Hikvision, Dahua, Reolink, Amcrest, and others.
Does CamSnap require ffmpeg?
Yes. CamSnap requires ffmpeg on the PATH for video processing. On macOS, install it with brew install ffmpeg. On Linux, use your package manager. See secure OpenClaw hosting for more setup tips.
Is the CamSnap skill safe to use?
The CamSnap skill has been security-vetted by KiwiClaw. Camera credentials are stored locally in the config file and never transmitted to third parties. All captures are saved locally and actions are logged.