Desktop Control - Full Windows Application Control

Control any desktop application on this Windows machine. Launch programs, manage windows, simulate input, control VSCode, and monitor processes - all via PowerShell scripts.

Dependencies

• OS: Windows 10/11
• PowerShell: 5.1+ (pre-installed)
• VSCode: Required for VSCode control features (optional for other features)

Script Location

All scripts are located relative to this skill folder:

SKILL_DIR = ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts

When running scripts, always use the full path:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/<script>.ps1" -Action <action> [params]

Safety Rules

1. Before closing windows - Ask user for confirmation if the window might have unsaved work
2. Before killing processes - Always confirm with user unless they explicitly asked to kill it
3. Before sending input - Make sure the correct window is focused first
4. Clipboard - Warn user if you are overwriting clipboard content

Action Reference

1. Window Management (app-control.ps1)

Manage application windows - launch, close, focus, resize, move, snap.

List all visible windows

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/app-control.ps1" -Action list-windows

Returns: PID, window title, position (X,Y), size (W x H), state (Normal/Minimized/Maximized)

Launch an application

# By name (searches PATH and common locations)
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/app-control.ps1" -Action launch -Target "notepad"

# By full path
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/app-control.ps1" -Action launch -Target "C:\Program Files\MyApp\app.exe"

# With arguments
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/app-control.ps1" -Action launch -Target "code" -Arguments "C:\Users\project"

Focus (bring to foreground)

# By window title (partial match)
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/app-control.ps1" -Action focus -Target "Visual Studio Code"

# By PID
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/app-control.ps1" -Action focus -ProcId 12345

Close a window gracefully

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/app-control.ps1" -Action close -Target "Notepad"

Minimize / Maximize / Restore

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/app-control.ps1" -Action minimize -Target "Visual Studio Code"
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/app-control.ps1" -Action maximize -Target "Visual Studio Code"
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/app-control.ps1" -Action restore -Target "Visual Studio Code"

Move a window

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/app-control.ps1" -Action move -Target "Notepad" -X 100 -Y 200

Resize a window

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/app-control.ps1" -Action resize -Target "Notepad" -Width 800 -Height 600

Snap a window (half-screen)

# Options: left, right, top, bottom, topleft, topright, bottomleft, bottomright
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/app-control.ps1" -Action snap -Target "Notepad" -Position left

2. Input Simulation (input-sim.ps1)

Simulate keyboard and mouse input into any application.

IMPORTANT: Always focus the target window FIRST using app-control.ps1 -Action focus before sending input.

Type text

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/input-sim.ps1" -Action type-text -Text "Hello, World!"

Send keyboard shortcut

# Common shortcuts: Ctrl+S, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, Ctrl+Z, Alt+F4, Ctrl+Shift+P, Win+D
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/input-sim.ps1" -Action send-keys -Keys "Ctrl+S"
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/input-sim.ps1" -Action send-keys -Keys "Ctrl+Shift+P"
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/input-sim.ps1" -Action send-keys -Keys "Alt+Tab"

Send special keys

# Keys: Enter, Tab, Escape, Backspace, Delete, Up, Down, Left, Right, Home, End, PageUp, PageDown, F1-F12
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/input-sim.ps1" -Action send-keys -Keys "Enter"
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/input-sim.ps1" -Action send-keys -Keys "F5"

Mouse click at coordinates

# Left click
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/input-sim.ps1" -Action mouse-click -X 500 -Y 300

# Right click
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/input-sim.ps1" -Action mouse-click -X 500 -Y 300 -Button right

# Double click
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/input-sim.ps1" -Action mouse-click -X 500 -Y 300 -DoubleClick

Move mouse

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/input-sim.ps1" -Action mouse-move -X 500 -Y 300

Scroll

# Scroll up (positive) or down (negative)
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/input-sim.ps1" -Action mouse-scroll -Clicks 3
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/input-sim.ps1" -Action mouse-scroll -Clicks -3

3. VSCode Control (vscode-control.ps1)

Control Visual Studio Code through the code CLI and extensions.

Open a file

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/vscode-control.ps1" -Action open-file -Path "C:\Users\project\main.py"

Open a file at a specific line

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/vscode-control.ps1" -Action goto -Path "C:\Users\project\main.py" -Line 42

Open a folder/workspace

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/vscode-control.ps1" -Action open-folder -Path "C:\Users\project"

Open diff view

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/vscode-control.ps1" -Action open-diff -Path "file1.py" -Path2 "file2.py"

List installed extensions

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/vscode-control.ps1" -Action list-extensions

Install an extension

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/vscode-control.ps1" -Action install-extension -ExtensionId "ms-python.python"

Uninstall an extension

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/vscode-control.ps1" -Action uninstall-extension -ExtensionId "ms-python.python"

Open a new terminal in VSCode

# This focuses VSCode and sends Ctrl+` to toggle terminal
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/vscode-control.ps1" -Action new-terminal

Open VSCode command palette

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/vscode-control.ps1" -Action command-palette

4. Process Management (process-manager.ps1)

Monitor and manage running processes.

List running processes

# All processes
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/process-manager.ps1" -Action list

# Filter by name
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/process-manager.ps1" -Action list -Name "code"

# Top N by memory
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/process-manager.ps1" -Action list -SortBy memory -Top 10

Get detailed process info

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/process-manager.ps1" -Action info -ProcId 12345

Start a new process

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/process-manager.ps1" -Action start -Path "notepad.exe" -Arguments "C:\file.txt"

Kill a process (CONFIRM WITH USER FIRST)

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/process-manager.ps1" -Action kill -ProcId 12345
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/process-manager.ps1" -Action kill -Name "notepad"

5. Screen & System Info (screen-info.ps1)

Get display information, window details, clipboard, and screenshots.

List displays/monitors

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/screen-info.ps1" -Action displays

Get active (focused) window info

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/screen-info.ps1" -Action active-window

Take a screenshot

# Full screen
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/screen-info.ps1" -Action screenshot -OutputPath "$HOME/screenshot.png"

# Specific window
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/screen-info.ps1" -Action screenshot -Target "Notepad" -OutputPath "$HOME/notepad-screenshot.png"

Read/set clipboard

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/screen-info.ps1" -Action clipboard-get
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/screen-info.ps1" -Action clipboard-set -Text "Text to copy"

Get system info

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$HOME/.openclaw/workspace/skills/desktop-control-win/scripts/screen-info.ps1" -Action system-info

Common Workflows

Type something into a specific application

1. app-control.ps1 -Action focus -Target "Notepad"
2. input-sim.ps1 -Action type-text -Text "Hello World"

Arrange two windows side-by-side

1. app-control.ps1 -Action snap -Target "Visual Studio Code" -Position left
2. app-control.ps1 -Action snap -Target "Chrome" -Position right

Kill a frozen application

1. process-manager.ps1 -Action list -Name "frozen-app"
   (note the PID)
2. ASK USER FOR CONFIRMATION
3. process-manager.ps1 -Action kill -ProcId <pid>

Error Handling

Degradation Strategy

• If a script returns exit code 0 - success
• If a script returns exit code 1 - error (check stderr output for details)
• If window operations fail, fall back to list-windows to refresh window list
• If VSCode CLI is unavailable, use app-control.ps1 for basic window management only
• If mouse/keyboard simulation fails, ensure no security software is blocking input injection