clawdbot-macos-build

---
name: clawdbot-macos-build
description: Build the Clawdbot macOS menu bar app from source. Use when you need to install the Clawdbot.app companion (for menu bar status, permissions, and Mac hardware access like camera/screen recording). Handles dependency installation, UI build, Swift compilation, code signing, and app packaging automatically.
---

# Clawdbot macOS App Build

The macOS companion app provides menu-bar status, native notifications, and access to Mac hardware (camera, screen recording, system commands). This skill builds it from source.

## Prerequisites

- macOS (10.14+)
- Xcode 15+ with Command Line Tools
- Node.js >= 22
- pnpm package manager
- 30+ GB free disk space (Swift build artifacts)
- Internet connection (large dependencies)

## Quick Build

```bash
# Clone repo
cd /tmp && rm -rf clawdbot-build && git clone https://github.com/clawdbot/clawdbot.git clawdbot-build

# Install + build
cd /tmp/clawdbot-build
pnpm install
pnpm ui:build

# Accept Xcode license (one-time)
sudo xcodebuild -license accept

# Build macOS app with ad-hoc signing
ALLOW_ADHOC_SIGNING=1 bash scripts/package-mac-app.sh

# Install to /Applications
cp -r dist/Clawdbot.app /Applications/Clawdbot.app

# Launch
open /Applications/Clawdbot.app
```

## Build Steps Explained

### 1. Clone Repository
Clones the latest Clawdbot source from GitHub. This includes the macOS app source in `apps/macos/`.

### 2. Install Dependencies (pnpm install)
Installs Node.js dependencies for the entire workspace (~1 minute). Warnings about missing binaries in some extensions are harmless.

### 3. Build UI (pnpm ui:build)
Compiles the Control UI (Vite → TypeScript/React). Output goes to `dist/control-ui/`. Takes ~30 seconds.

### 4. Accept Xcode License
Required once per Xcode update. If you get "license not agreed" errors during Swift build, run:
```bash
sudo xcodebuild -license accept
```

### 5. Package macOS App (scripts/package-mac-app.sh)
Runs the full Swift build pipeline:
- Fetches Swift