Give AI hands to control any Mac app. Auto-discover installed apps, generate CLI wrappers, return structured JSON. Works with Music, Finder, Chrome, Word, Fi...
---
name: clam-mac
description: "Give AI hands to control any Mac app. Auto-discover installed apps, generate CLI wrappers, return structured JSON. Works with Music, Finder, Chrome, Word, Figma, and 20+ more."
version: 0.1.0
metadata:
openclaw:
requires:
bins:
- osascript
- pip
os:
- macos
emoji: "๐ฆ"
homepage: https://github.com/mileszhang001-boom/cli-on-mac
tags:
- macos
- automation
- applescript
- native-apps
- cli-generator
---
# CLAM โ Give AI Hands to Control Mac Apps
You can control any macOS application through CLAM. It auto-discovers scriptable apps on the user's Mac, generates CLI wrappers on the fly, and returns structured JSON โ all without API keys or manual configuration.
## Setup
If `clam` is not yet installed, run:
```bash
pip install clam-mac
```
## What You Can Do
### 1. Discover what apps are controllable
```bash
clam --json scan
```
This returns a JSON array of all controllable apps with their command count, property count, and mode (full / ui / basic).
### 2. Install a CLI wrapper for any app
```bash
clam install music # fuzzy match: "chrome" โ "google-chrome"
```
This auto-generates a typed CLI with dozens to hundreds of commands. Takes ~10 seconds, zero configuration.
### 3. Execute commands and read structured data
```bash
clam-music play
clam-music set-sound-volume 50
clam-music --json get-current-track # โ full JSON with 15+ fields
clam-finder --json open ~/Documents
clam-google-chrome --json get-url # โ current tab URL
```
Every command returns JSON when called with `--json`. Use this for reasoning and decision-making.
### 4. Check command reliability before calling
```bash
clam --json doctor music
```
This tells you which commands are fully supported vs. which have parameter type issues. Only call commands marked as `supported: true` for reliable results.
## Command Pattern
```
clam --json scan # discover apps
clam --json info <app> # list all commands for an app
clam install <app> # install wrapper (if not already)
clam-<app> --json <command> [args] # execute
clam --json doctor <app> # reliability check
```
## Three Modes
- **Full mode**: Apps with .sdef scripting definitions (Music, Finder, Chrome, Word) โ dozens to hundreds of commands
- **UI Scripting mode**: Apps without .sdef but with accessible menus (Figma, Slack, VS Code, Spotify) โ menu-click automation
- **Basic mode**: Fallback for all .app bundles (WeChat, DingTalk, WPS) โ activate, quit, open file, get version
The install command auto-selects the best mode. You don't need to specify it.
## Important Notes
- macOS only โ requires `osascript` (built-in on all Macs)
- Some commands require Automation permission: System Settings > Privacy & Security > Automation
- UI Scripting commands require Accessibility permission: System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility
- Commands execute via AppleScript with a 30-second timeout
- Always use `--json` flag for structured output when processing results programmatically
## Lobster Pipeline Example
CLAM-generated CLIs are standard shell commands, usable as Lobster pipeline steps:
```yaml
steps:
- run: clam-music set-sound-volume 20
- run: clam-music play
- run: clam-finder open ~/Projects/current
```
don't have the plugin yet? install it then click "run inline in claude" again.