Lesson 7. Mobile Devices (Nodes)#

Why you need this#

Imagine: your OpenClaw assistant runs on a server or home computer. And you want it to take a photo through your phone’s camera, show you an interactive panel on screen, or find out your location. That’s what Nodes are for — connected devices that extend the assistant’s capabilities.

A Node is a phone, tablet, or another computer connected to your OpenClaw. Through nodes, the assistant gets “eyes,” “ears,” and “hands” in the physical world.

What nodes can do#

Connecting a device#

Step 1: Install the OpenClaw app#

• iPhone/iPad: download OpenClaw from the App Store
• Android: download OpenClaw from Google Play
• Mac: use the OpenClaw macOS app (menubar app)

Step 2: Connect to Gateway#

In the app, enter your Gateway server address:

• Address: IP or domain name of your server
• Port: 18789 (default)

The app will send a connection request.

Step 3: Approve the connection#

On the server (where Gateway is running), run:

# View pending connections
openclaw devices list

# Approve a device
openclaw devices approve <request-id>

Step 4: Verify the connection#

# List connected devices
openclaw nodes status

# Detailed device information
openclaw nodes describe --node <name-or-id>

Give the device a friendly name#

openclaw nodes rename --node <id> --name "My iPhone"

Camera#

Take a photo#

# Photo from both cameras
openclaw nodes camera snap --node "My iPhone"

# Photo from the front camera
openclaw nodes camera snap --node "My iPhone" --facing front

# Photo from the main camera
openclaw nodes camera snap --node "My iPhone" --facing back

In chat with the assistant, you can simply ask: “Take a photo with the phone.”

Record video#

# 10-second video
openclaw nodes camera clip --node "My iPhone" --duration 10s

# Video without audio
openclaw nodes camera clip --node "My iPhone" --duration 5s --no-audio

Limitation: video no longer than 60 seconds. The app must be open on screen (not in the background).

Screen recording#

openclaw nodes screen record --node "My iPhone" --duration 10s

Canvas — displaying on screen#

Canvas is a display screen on the mobile device. The assistant can show a web page, chart, dashboard, or any HTML content on it.

Show a web page#

# Open a website on the device screen
openclaw nodes canvas present --node "My iPhone" --target https://example.com

# Hide the Canvas
openclaw nodes canvas hide --node "My iPhone"

# Navigate to another page
openclaw nodes canvas navigate https://weather.com --node "My iPhone"

Take a Canvas snapshot#

openclaw nodes canvas snapshot --node "My iPhone" --format png

Run JavaScript on Canvas#

openclaw nodes canvas eval --node "My iPhone" --js "document.title"

In chat, you can ask: “Show the current weather on the phone,” and the assistant will open the right page through Canvas.

Geolocation#

Find out current location#

openclaw nodes location get --node "My iPhone"

Result — coordinates (latitude/longitude), accuracy in meters, and time.

Accuracy options#

# Precise location (GPS)
openclaw nodes location get --node "My iPhone" --accuracy precise

# Approximate (faster, saves battery)
openclaw nodes location get --node "My iPhone" --accuracy coarse

Important: Geolocation is disabled by default. You need to enable it in the OpenClaw app settings on the device and grant location access permission.

Notifications#

Send a push notification to the device:

openclaw nodes notify --node "My iPhone" \
  --title "Reminder" \
  --body "Team meeting in 15 minutes"

Notification priorities#

• passive — silent notification
• active — normal (default)
• timeSensitive — urgent (breaks through Do Not Disturb mode)

openclaw nodes notify --node "My iPhone" \
  --title "URGENT" \
  --body "Server is down!" \
  --priority timeSensitive

Running commands on a device#

On a Mac node, you can run programs:

openclaw nodes run --node "My Mac" -- echo "Hello from Mac!"

Security: command execution is protected by an approval system (exec approvals). You need to specify in advance which commands are allowed:

openclaw approvals allowlist add --node "My Mac" "/usr/bin/say"

SMS (Android only)#

On Android devices with SMS permission:

openclaw nodes invoke --node "My Android" \
  --command sms.send \
  --params '{"to": "+15551234567", "message": "Hello!"}'

Practical example#

You message the assistant in Telegram:

“Take a photo with the phone of what’s on the desk and tell me what you see”

The assistant:

1. Uses the nodes → camera_snap tool for a photo from the phone
2. Receives the photograph
3. Analyzes the image through the AI model
4. Responds: “On the desk I see a laptop, a coffee mug, and a notebook”

This all happens automatically — you just describe the task.

Usage tips#

1. Keep the app open — camera and Canvas only work when the app is in the foreground
2. Give the device a friendly name — it’s easier to refer to it
3. Enable geolocation only when needed — it saves battery
4. Set up permissions in advance — camera, location, notifications
5. For remote connections, use an SSH tunnel or VPN if Gateway isn’t directly accessible

Lesson summary#

• A Node is a connected device (phone, tablet, Mac) that extends the assistant’s capabilities
• Through nodes you get: camera, Canvas (screen display), geolocation, notifications, command execution
• Connection: install the app → connect to Gateway → approve on the server
• Camera: photos and video from the front or main camera
• Canvas: displaying web pages and interfaces on the device screen
• Geolocation: device coordinates (disabled by default)
• The app must be in the foreground for camera and Canvas
• The assistant chooses the right device and action on its own — just describe the task

🎉 Congratulations! You’ve completed Level 2 of the OpenClaw course. Now you know how to configure the assistant, choose models, manage memory, use tools and skills, set up automation, and connect mobile devices.