Lightcone — Computer-Use for OpenClaw

Give your OpenClaw agent cloud computers powered by Lightcone. Northstar sees the screen, decides what to click, type, or scroll — and acts. No local Chrome, Playwright, or Docker required.

Why Lightcone?

| Scenario | Built-in browser | Lightcone | |----------|-----------------|-----------| | Headless/Docker deployments | Needs Chrome installed | Zero local dependencies | | Parallel sessions | Single local browser | Unlimited cloud computers | | Vision-based automation | Not supported | Northstar computer-use model | | Desktop + browser | Browser only | Full desktop or browser environments |

Install

openclaw plugins install @tzafon/openclaw-lightcone
openclaw plugins enable lightcone

Configuration

Add your Lightcone API key (get one at lightcone.ai):

// ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
{
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      lightcone: {
        enabled: true,
        config: {
          apiKey: "sk_..."  // or set TZAFON_API_KEY env var
        }
      }
    }
  },
  // Allow the tools for your agent:
  tools: {
    allow: ["lightcone_browse", "lightcone_session_create", "lightcone_session_action", "lightcone_session_close"]
  }
}

Or via CLI:

openclaw config set env.TZAFON_API_KEY "sk_..."
openclaw config set tools.allow '["lightcone_browse", "lightcone_session_create", "lightcone_session_action", "lightcone_session_close"]'

Tools

lightcone_browse — Delegate a task to Northstar

The main tool. Describe what you want done in plain language and Northstar operates a cloud computer to complete it. Returns page content + screenshot.

| Parameter | Required | Description | |-----------|:--------:|-------------| | instruction | Yes | What to do (e.g., "Find the price of MacBook Air M4 on Amazon") | | url | No | Starting URL | | maxSteps | No | Max steps before stopping (default: 50) |

lightcone_session_create — Create a cloud computer

Spin up a cloud computer (browser or desktop). Returns a session ID + initial screenshot.

| Parameter | Required | Description | |-----------|:--------:|-------------| | url | No | Navigate to this URL immediately | | kind | No | "browser" (default) or "desktop" |

lightcone_session_action — Send actions

Execute individual actions: click, type, scroll, navigate, screenshot, and more.

| Parameter | Required | Description | |-----------|:--------:|-------------| | sessionId | Yes | Session ID from create | | action | Yes | screenshot, navigate, click, doubleClick, rightClick, type, hotkey, scroll, html, wait, debug | | url | For navigate | Target URL | | x, y | For click/scroll | Pixel coordinates | | text | For type | Text to enter | | keys | For hotkey | Comma-separated keys (e.g., "Control,c") | | dx, dy | For scroll | Scroll deltas | | seconds | For wait | Seconds to pause | | command | For debug | Shell command |

lightcone_session_close — Terminate a computer

Shuts down the cloud computer and frees resources.

| Parameter | Required | Description | |-----------|:--------:|-------------| | sessionId | Yes | Session ID to terminate |

Usage Examples

High-level: "Go check something for me"

"Use lightcone to go to news.ycombinator.com and tell me the top 3 stories"

The agent calls lightcone_browse, which creates a cloud computer, has Northstar navigate to HN, read the page, and return the content + screenshot.

Step-by-step: Login and extract data

1. lightcone_session_create { url: "https://app.example.com/login" }
2. lightcone_session_action { action: "click", x: 640, y: 300 }
3. lightcone_session_action { action: "type", text: "[email protected]" }
4. lightcone_session_action { action: "hotkey", keys: "Tab" }
5. lightcone_session_action { action: "type", text: "mypassword" }
6. lightcone_session_action { action: "hotkey", keys: "Return" }
7. lightcone_session_action { action: "wait", seconds: 3 }
8. lightcone_session_action { action: "html" }  // extract page content
9. lightcone_session_close { sessionId: "lc-..." }

Cron: Monitor a page

Set up a cron job that checks stock availability every 30 minutes:

"Every 30 minutes, use lightcone_browse to check if the PS5 Pro is in stock at amazon.com/dp/B0DFD5M324. Message me if it is."

Troubleshooting

"Tool not found" / agent doesn't see lightcone tools

• Ensure the plugin is enabled: openclaw plugins list | grep lightcone
• Add tools to the allowlist: openclaw config set tools.allow '["lightcone_browse", ...]'
• Restart the gateway after config changes

Timeout errors

• Increase defaultMaxSteps in plugin config for complex tasks
• Or pass maxSteps: 100 in the tool call

Authentication errors

• Verify your API key: echo $TZAFON_API_KEY
• Or set it in config: openclaw config set plugins.entries.lightcone.config.apiKey "sk_..."

Links

• Lightcone docs
• API reference
• Get an API key