Nodes

Nodes

A node is a companion device (headless) that connects to the Gateway WebSocket (same port as operators) with role: "node" and exposes a command surface (e.g. camera.*, system.*) via node.invoke. Protocol details: Gateway protocol.

Legacy transport: Bridge protocol (TCP JSONL; deprecated/removed for current nodes).

Notes:

• Nodes are peripherals, not gateways. They don’t run the gateway service.
• Telegram messages land on the gateway, not on nodes.

Status + identity

Nodes connect over the Gateway WebSocket with role: "node". Use the CLI to inspect:

crocbot nodes status
crocbot nodes describe --node <idOrNameOrIp>

Notes:

• nodes status shows connection state and capabilities.
• Use --display-name when starting a node to set a friendly name.

Remote node host (system.run)

Use a node host when your Gateway runs on one machine and you want commands to execute on another. The model still talks to the gateway; the gateway forwards exec calls to the node host when host=node is selected.

What runs where

• Gateway host: receives messages, runs the model, routes tool calls.
• Node host: executes system.run/system.which on the node machine.
• Approvals: enforced on the node host via ~/.crocbot/exec-approvals.json.

Start a node host (foreground)

On the node machine:

crocbot node run --host <gateway-host> --port 18789 --display-name "Build Node"

Start a node host (service)

crocbot node install --host <gateway-host> --port 18789 --display-name "Build Node"
crocbot node restart

Naming

Naming options:

• --display-name on crocbot node run / crocbot node install (persists in ~/.crocbot/node.json on the node).
• crocbot nodes rename --node <id|name|ip> --name "Build Node" (gateway override).

Allowlist the commands

Exec approvals are per node host. Add allowlist entries from the gateway:

crocbot approvals allowlist add --node <id|name|ip> "/usr/bin/uname"
crocbot approvals allowlist add --node <id|name|ip> "/usr/bin/sw_vers"

Approvals live on the node host at ~/.crocbot/exec-approvals.json.

Point exec at the node

Configure defaults (gateway config):

crocbot config set tools.exec.host node
crocbot config set tools.exec.security allowlist
crocbot config set tools.exec.node "<id-or-name>"

Or per session:

/exec host=node security=allowlist node=<id-or-name>

Once set, any exec call with host=node runs on the node host (subject to the node allowlist/approvals).

Related:

• Node host CLI
• Exec tool
• Exec approvals

Invoking commands

Low-level (raw RPC):

crocbot nodes invoke --node <idOrNameOrIp> --command system.run --params '{"command":["echo","hello"]}'

Higher-level helpers exist for the common “give the agent a MEDIA attachment” workflows.

Photos + videos (node camera)

Photos (jpg):

crocbot nodes camera list --node <idOrNameOrIp>
crocbot nodes camera snap --node <idOrNameOrIp>            # default: both facings (2 MEDIA lines)
crocbot nodes camera snap --node <idOrNameOrIp> --facing front

Video clips (mp4):

crocbot nodes camera clip --node <idOrNameOrIp> --duration 10s
crocbot nodes camera clip --node <idOrNameOrIp> --duration 3000 --no-audio

Notes:

• The node must be foregrounded for camera.* (background calls return NODE_BACKGROUND_UNAVAILABLE).
• Clip duration is clamped (currently <= 60s) to avoid oversized base64 payloads.

Screen recordings (nodes)

Nodes expose screen.record (mp4). Example:

crocbot nodes screen record --node <idOrNameOrIp> --duration 10s --fps 10
crocbot nodes screen record --node <idOrNameOrIp> --duration 10s --fps 10 --no-audio

Notes:

• screen.record requires the node app to be foregrounded.
• Screen recordings are clamped to <= 60s.
• --no-audio disables microphone capture.
• Use --screen <index> to select a display when multiple screens are available.

Location (nodes)

Nodes expose location.get when Location is enabled in settings.

CLI helper:

crocbot nodes location get --node <idOrNameOrIp>
crocbot nodes location get --node <idOrNameOrIp> --accuracy precise --max-age 15000 --location-timeout 10000

Notes:

• Location is off by default.
• “Always” requires system permission; background fetch is best-effort.
• The response includes lat/lon, accuracy (meters), and timestamp.

System commands (node host)

The headless node host exposes system.run, system.which, and system.execApprovals.get/set.

Examples:

crocbot nodes run --node <idOrNameOrIp> -- echo "Hello from node"
crocbot nodes notify --node <idOrNameOrIp> --title "Ping" --body "Gateway ready"

Notes:

• system.run returns stdout/stderr/exit code in the payload.
• system.run supports --cwd, --env KEY=VAL, --command-timeout, and --needs-screen-recording.
• system.notify supports --priority <passive|active|timeSensitive> and --delivery <system|overlay|auto>.
• On headless node host, system.run is gated by exec approvals (~/.crocbot/exec-approvals.json).

Exec node binding

When multiple nodes are available, you can bind exec to a specific node. This sets the default node for exec host=node (and can be overridden per agent).

Global default:

crocbot config set tools.exec.node "node-id-or-name"

Per-agent override:

crocbot config get agents.list
crocbot config set agents.list[0].tools.exec.node "node-id-or-name"

Unset to allow any node:

crocbot config unset tools.exec.node
crocbot config unset agents.list[0].tools.exec.node

Permissions map

Nodes may include a permissions map in node.list / node.describe, keyed by permission name (e.g. screenRecording, accessibility) with boolean values (true = granted).

Headless node host (cross-platform)

crocbot can run a headless node host (no UI) that connects to the Gateway WebSocket and exposes system.run / system.which. This is useful on Linux/Windows or for running a minimal node alongside a server.

Start it:

crocbot node run --host <gateway-host> --port 18789

Notes:

• Ensure gateway auth is configured for non-loopback connections.
• The node host stores its node id, token, display name, and gateway connection info in ~/.crocbot/node.json.
• Exec approvals are enforced locally via ~/.crocbot/exec-approvals.json (see Exec approvals).
• Add --tls / --tls-fingerprint when the Gateway WS uses TLS.