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Camera capture (agent)

crocbot supports camera capture for agent workflows via nodes connected to the Gateway. Nodes can capture a photo (jpg) or short video clip (mp4, with optional audio) via node.invoke. All camera access is gated behind user-controlled settings.

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User setting (default on)

  • Node Settings → Camera → Allow Camera (camera.enabled)
    • Default: on (missing key is treated as enabled).
    • When off: camera.* commands return CAMERA_DISABLED.

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Commands (via Gateway node.invoke)

  • camera.list
    • Response payload:
      • devices: array of { id, name, position, deviceType }
  • camera.snap
    • Params:
      • facing: front|back (default: front)
      • maxWidth: number (optional; default 1600)
      • quality: 0..1 (optional; default 0.9)
      • format: currently jpg
      • delayMs: number (optional; default 0)
      • deviceId: string (optional; from camera.list)
    • Response payload:
      • format: "jpg"
      • base64: "<...>"
      • width, height
    • Payload guard: photos are recompressed to keep the base64 payload under 5 MB.
  • camera.clip
    • Params:
      • facing: front|back (default: front)
      • durationMs: number (default 3000, clamped to a max of 60000)
      • includeAudio: boolean (default true)
      • format: currently mp4
      • deviceId: string (optional; from camera.list)
    • Response payload:
      • format: "mp4"
      • base64: "<...>"
      • durationMs
      • hasAudio

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Foreground requirement

Nodes only allow camera.* commands in the foreground. Background invocations return NODE_BACKGROUND_UNAVAILABLE.

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CLI helper (temp files + MEDIA)

The easiest way to get attachments is via the CLI helper, which writes decoded media to a temp file and prints MEDIA:<path>. Examples: 
crocbot nodes camera snap --node <id>               # default: both front + back (2 MEDIA lines)
crocbot nodes camera snap --node <id> --facing front
crocbot nodes camera clip --node <id> --duration 3000
crocbot nodes camera clip --node <id> --no-audio
Notes:
  • nodes camera snap defaults to both facings to give the agent both views.
  • Output files are temporary (in the OS temp directory) unless you build your own wrapper.

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Safety + practical limits

  • Camera and microphone access trigger the usual OS permission prompts.
  • Video clips are capped (currently <= 60s) to avoid oversized node payloads (base64 overhead + message limits).