linux-camera

Camera capture skill for Linux systems. Supports USB webcams (V4L2) and network cameras (RTSP).

> Skill directory: ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/linux-camera/

Dependencies

sudo apt-get install -y ffmpeg v4l-utils

Scripts

0. Quick photo (camera_photo.py) — simplest way to take a photo

No flags needed. Just run it.

uv run python scripts/camera_photo.py              # auto-detect camera, timestamped filename
uv run python scripts/camera_photo.py front         # use /dev/video0
uv run python scripts/camera_photo.py back          # use /dev/video2
uv run python scripts/camera_photo.py front pic.jpg # custom filename → /tmp/pic.jpg
uv run python scripts/camera_photo.py /dev/video4   # explicit device path

Camera aliases: front = /dev/video0, back = /dev/video2. Output goes to /tmp/ by default.

1. List available cameras (camera_list.py)

Detects all V4L2 video devices and prints their names, paths, and supported formats.

uv run python scripts/camera_list.py

| Parameter | Description | Default | |-----------|-------------|---------| | --json | Output as JSON | off |

2. Take a snapshot (camera_snap.py) — primary, recommended

Captures a single frame from a camera and saves it as a JPEG.

uv run python scripts/camera_snap.py --output /tmp/snapshot.jpg

| Parameter | Description | Default | |-----------|-------------|---------| | --device | V4L2 device path | /dev/video0 | | --rtsp | RTSP URL (use instead of --device for IP cameras) | — | | --output | Output file path | /tmp/camera_snap.jpg | | --width | Capture width | 1280 | | --height | Capture height | 720 | | --warmup | Warmup frames to skip (for exposure adjustment) | 5 | | --quality | JPEG quality (1–100) | 90 |

3. Record a video clip (camera_clip.py)

Records a video clip from a camera.

uv run python scripts/camera_clip.py --duration 5 --output /tmp/clip.mp4

| Parameter | Description | Default | |-----------|-------------|---------| | --device | V4L2 device path | /dev/video0 | | --rtsp | RTSP URL (use instead of --device for IP cameras) | — | | --output | Output file path | /tmp/camera_clip.mp4 | | --duration | Recording duration in seconds | 5 | | --width | Capture width | 1280 | | --height | Capture height | 720 | | --fps | Frames per second | 30 |

4. Live streaming (camera_stream.py)

Multi-format live streaming server. Supports MJPEG (low-latency), HLS (adaptive, mobile-friendly), and RTSP re-streaming.

uv run python scripts/camera_stream.py --port 8090

Open http://<device-ip>:8090 in a browser to view the MJPEG stream.

| Parameter | Description | Default | |-----------|-------------|---------| | --device | V4L2 device path | /dev/video0 | | --rtsp | RTSP input URL (use instead of --device for IP cameras) | — | | --port | HTTP server port | 8090 | | --width | Capture width | 640 | | --height | Capture height | 480 | | --fps | Target frames per second | 15 | | --enable-hls | Enable HLS output (adaptive bitrate, mobile-friendly) | off | | --enable-rtsp | Enable RTSP re-stream output | off | | --rtsp-port | RTSP server port (when --enable-rtsp is used) | 8554 |

Endpoints:

| URL | Description | |-----|-------------| | http://<ip>:8090/ | MJPEG stream (works in <img> tags and browsers) | | http://<ip>:8090/snap | Single JPEG snapshot | | http://<ip>:8090/hls | HLS live page (requires --enable-hls) | | http://<ip>:8090/hls/stream.m3u8 | HLS playlist for VLC or mobile players | | rtsp://<ip>:8554/live | RTSP stream (requires --enable-rtsp) | | http://<ip>:8090/status | JSON status (frame age, size, active outputs) |

Examples

# List cameras
uv run python scripts/camera_list.py

# Snapshot from default webcam
uv run python scripts/camera_snap.py

# Snapshot from a specific camera
uv run python scripts/camera_snap.py --device /dev/video2 --output /tmp/photo.jpg

# Snapshot from an IP camera
uv run python scripts/camera_snap.py --rtsp rtsp://user:[email protected]:554/stream1

# Record 10 seconds of video
uv run python scripts/camera_clip.py --duration 10

# MJPEG stream (low-latency, view in browser)
uv run python scripts/camera_stream.py --port 8090

# MJPEG + HLS stream (adaptive bitrate for mobile / remote)
uv run python scripts/camera_stream.py --port 8090 --enable-hls

# Full streaming: MJPEG + HLS + RTSP re-stream
uv run python scripts/camera_stream.py --port 8090 --enable-hls --enable-rtsp

# Stream from an IP camera as input
uv run python scripts/camera_stream.py --rtsp rtsp://user:[email protected]:554/stream1 --enable-hls

# High-res stream at 30fps
uv run python scripts/camera_stream.py --width 1280 --height 720 --fps 30

Multiple cameras

If you have multiple cameras (e.g. /dev/video0 and /dev/video2), specify the device:

# List all cameras
uv run python scripts/camera_list.py

# Snap from camera 0
uv run python scripts/camera_snap.py --device /dev/video0 --output /tmp/cam0.jpg

# Snap from camera 2
uv run python scripts/camera_snap.py --device /dev/video2 --output /tmp/cam2.jpg

# Stream camera 0 on port 8090, camera 2 on port 8091
uv run python scripts/camera_stream.py --device /dev/video0 --port 8090
uv run python scripts/camera_stream.py --device /dev/video2 --port 8091

Coordinate with robot arm

Combine with the [soarm-control](https://clawhub.ai/yuyoujiang/soarm-control) skill to look at something and take a photo:

# Move arm to look at the desktop
uv run python ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/soarm-control/scripts/soarm_set_joints.py \
    --shoulder-pan 1.626 --shoulder-lift -42.110 --elbow-flex 32.088 \
    --wrist-flex 78.242 --wrist-roll -95.077

# Capture what the camera sees
uv run python scripts/camera_snap.py --output /tmp/desktop.jpg