$npx -y skills add SafeAI-Lab-X/ClawKeeper --skill canvasDisplay HTML content on connected OpenClaw nodes (Mac app, iOS, Android).
| 1 | # Canvas Skill |
| 2 | |
| 3 | Display HTML content on connected OpenClaw nodes (Mac app, iOS, Android). |
| 4 | |
| 5 | ## Overview |
| 6 | |
| 7 | The canvas tool lets you present web content on any connected node's canvas view. Great for: |
| 8 | |
| 9 | - Displaying games, visualizations, dashboards |
| 10 | - Showing generated HTML content |
| 11 | - Interactive demos |
| 12 | |
| 13 | ## How It Works |
| 14 | |
| 15 | ### Architecture |
| 16 | |
| 17 | ``` |
| 18 | ┌─────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ |
| 19 | │ Canvas Host │────▶│ Node Bridge │────▶│ Node App │ |
| 20 | │ (HTTP Server) │ │ (TCP Server) │ │ (Mac/iOS/ │ |
| 21 | │ Port 18793 │ │ Port 18790 │ │ Android) │ |
| 22 | └─────────────────┘ └──────────────────┘ └─────────────┘ |
| 23 | ``` |
| 24 | |
| 25 | 1. **Canvas Host Server**: Serves static HTML/CSS/JS files from `canvasHost.root` directory |
| 26 | 2. **Node Bridge**: Communicates canvas URLs to connected nodes |
| 27 | 3. **Node Apps**: Render the content in a WebView |
| 28 | |
| 29 | ### Tailscale Integration |
| 30 | |
| 31 | The canvas host server binds based on `gateway.bind` setting: |
| 32 | |
| 33 | | Bind Mode | Server Binds To | Canvas URL Uses | |
| 34 | | ---------- | ------------------- | -------------------------- | |
| 35 | | `loopback` | 127.0.0.1 | localhost (local only) | |
| 36 | | `lan` | LAN interface | LAN IP address | |
| 37 | | `tailnet` | Tailscale interface | Tailscale hostname | |
| 38 | | `auto` | Best available | Tailscale > LAN > loopback | |
| 39 | |
| 40 | **Key insight:** The `canvasHostHostForBridge` is derived from `bridgeHost`. When bound to Tailscale, nodes receive URLs like: |
| 41 | |
| 42 | ``` |
| 43 | http://<tailscale-hostname>:18793/__openclaw__/canvas/<file>.html |
| 44 | ``` |
| 45 | |
| 46 | This is why localhost URLs don't work - the node receives the Tailscale hostname from the bridge! |
| 47 | |
| 48 | ## Actions |
| 49 | |
| 50 | | Action | Description | |
| 51 | | ---------- | ------------------------------------ | |
| 52 | | `present` | Show canvas with optional target URL | |
| 53 | | `hide` | Hide the canvas | |
| 54 | | `navigate` | Navigate to a new URL | |
| 55 | | `eval` | Execute JavaScript in the canvas | |
| 56 | | `snapshot` | Capture screenshot of canvas | |
| 57 | |
| 58 | ## Configuration |
| 59 | |
| 60 | In `~/.openclaw/openclaw.json`: |
| 61 | |
| 62 | ```json |
| 63 | { |
| 64 | "canvasHost": { |
| 65 | "enabled": true, |
| 66 | "port": 18793, |
| 67 | "root": "/Users/you/clawd/canvas", |
| 68 | "liveReload": true |
| 69 | }, |
| 70 | "gateway": { |
| 71 | "bind": "auto" |
| 72 | } |
| 73 | } |
| 74 | ``` |
| 75 | |
| 76 | ### Live Reload |
| 77 | |
| 78 | When `liveReload: true` (default), the canvas host: |
| 79 | |
| 80 | - Watches the root directory for changes (via chokidar) |
| 81 | - Injects a WebSocket client into HTML files |
| 82 | - Automatically reloads connected canvases when files change |
| 83 | |
| 84 | Great for development! |
| 85 | |
| 86 | ## Workflow |
| 87 | |
| 88 | ### 1. Create HTML content |
| 89 | |
| 90 | Place files in the canvas root directory (default `~/clawd/canvas/`): |
| 91 | |
| 92 | ```bash |
| 93 | cat > ~/clawd/canvas/my-game.html << 'HTML' |
| 94 | <!DOCTYPE html> |
| 95 | <html> |
| 96 | <head><title>My Game</title></head> |
| 97 | <body> |
| 98 | <h1>Hello Canvas!</h1> |
| 99 | </body> |
| 100 | </html> |
| 101 | HTML |
| 102 | ``` |
| 103 | |
| 104 | ### 2. Find your canvas host URL |
| 105 | |
| 106 | Check how your gateway is bound: |
| 107 | |
| 108 | ```bash |
| 109 | cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq '.gateway.bind' |
| 110 | ``` |
| 111 | |
| 112 | Then construct the URL: |
| 113 | |
| 114 | - **loopback**: `http://127.0.0.1:18793/__openclaw__/canvas/<file>.html` |
| 115 | - **lan/tailnet/auto**: `http://<hostname>:18793/__openclaw__/canvas/<file>.html` |
| 116 | |
| 117 | Find your Tailscale hostname: |
| 118 | |
| 119 | ```bash |
| 120 | tailscale status --json | jq -r '.Self.DNSName' | sed 's/\.$//' |
| 121 | ``` |
| 122 | |
| 123 | ### 3. Find connected nodes |
| 124 | |
| 125 | ```bash |
| 126 | openclaw nodes list |
| 127 | ``` |
| 128 | |
| 129 | Look for Mac/iOS/Android nodes with canvas capability. |
| 130 | |
| 131 | ### 4. Present content |
| 132 | |
| 133 | ``` |
| 134 | canvas action:present node:<node-id> target:<full-url> |
| 135 | ``` |
| 136 | |
| 137 | **Example:** |
| 138 | |
| 139 | ``` |
| 140 | canvas action:present node:mac-63599bc4-b54d-4392-9048-b97abd58343a target:http://peters-mac-studio-1.sheep-coho.ts.net:18793/__openclaw__/canvas/snake.html |
| 141 | ``` |
| 142 | |
| 143 | ### 5. Navigate, snapshot, or hide |
| 144 | |
| 145 | ``` |
| 146 | canvas action:navigate node:<node-id> url:<new-url> |
| 147 | canvas action:snapshot node:<node-id> |
| 148 | canvas action:hide node:<node-id> |
| 149 | ``` |
| 150 | |
| 151 | ## Debugging |
| 152 | |
| 153 | ### White screen / content not loading |
| 154 | |
| 155 | **Cause:** URL mismatch between server bind and node expectation. |
| 156 | |
| 157 | **Debug steps:** |
| 158 | |
| 159 | 1. Check server bind: `cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq '.gateway.bind'` |
| 160 | 2. Check what port canvas is on: `lsof -i :18793` |
| 161 | 3. Test URL directly: `curl http://<hostname>:18793/__openclaw__/canvas/<file>.html` |
| 162 | |
| 163 | **Solution:** Use the full hostname matching your bind mode, not localhost. |
| 164 | |
| 165 | ### "node required" error |
| 166 | |
| 167 | Always specify `node:<node-id>` parameter. |
| 168 | |
| 169 | ### "node not connected" error |
| 170 | |
| 171 | Node is offline. Use `openclaw nodes list` to find online nodes. |
| 172 | |
| 173 | ### Content not updating |
| 174 | |
| 175 | If live reload isn't working: |
| 176 | |
| 177 | 1. Check `liveReload: true` in config |
| 178 | 2. Ensure file is in the canvas root directory |
| 179 | 3. Check for watcher errors in logs |
| 180 | |
| 181 | ## URL Path Structure |
| 182 | |
| 183 | The canvas host serves from `/__openclaw__/canvas/` prefix: |
| 184 | |
| 185 | ``` |
| 186 | http://<host>:18793/__openclaw__/canvas/index.html → ~/clawd/canvas/index.html |
| 187 | http://<host>:18793/__openclaw__/canvas/games/snake.html → ~/clawd/canvas/games/snake.html |
| 188 | ``` |
| 189 | |
| 190 | The `/__openclaw__/canvas/` prefix is defined by `CANVAS_HOST_PATH` constant. |
| 191 | |
| 192 | ## Tips |
| 193 | |
| 194 | - Keep HTML self-contained (inline CSS/JS) for best results |
| 195 | - Use the def |