Question 1

What is Cua Driver?

Accepted Answer

Cua Driver is an open-source desktop control driver. Agents connect through MCP or the CLI and send input to a chosen window.

Question 2

Will it move my cursor or bring another window forward?

Accepted Answer

Background input does not move the system cursor. A separate Cua cursor shows where the agent is acting. Some software requires focus; the driver reports that constraint and lets the caller decide whether to allow foreground input.

Question 3

Which operating systems does it support?

Accepted Answer

Cua Driver runs on macOS Sequoia and Tahoe, Windows 11 and Windows Server 2025, and Linux through X11 or XWayland. Native Wayland remains an opt-in preview.

Question 4

Which desktop software can it control?

Accepted Answer

Software that exposes an accessibility tree works best. Cua Driver can also use window screenshots and pixel coordinates for canvas-based or custom interfaces. Some controls only accept input while focused.

Question 5

Which agents can connect to it?

Accepted Answer

Any client that can spawn an MCP stdio server can connect. The same binary also works through the CLI for scripts and custom agent runtimes.

Question 6

How does the agent know where to click?

Accepted Answer

get_window_state returns the window’s accessibility tree and a screenshot. The agent can target an element or use coordinates, then request another snapshot to verify the result.

Question 7

What permissions does it need?

Accepted Answer

macOS requires Accessibility and Screen Recording access. Windows needs an interactive desktop session. Linux needs access to the desktop session’s display server and accessibility bus. cua-driver doctor checks the local setup.

Question 8

What happens when background input does not work?

Accepted Answer

The driver reports the failed delivery path and recommends the next action. The caller can retry with pixel input or explicitly allow foreground input.

Question 9

How is Cua Driver different from Cua Sandbox?

Accepted Answer

Cua Driver controls a chosen window in an existing desktop session. Cua Sandbox creates isolated GUI environments using Docker, QEMU, or Apple VZ locally.

Question 10

Is Cua Driver open source?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The driver is MIT licensed and developed in trycua/cua.

Question 11

Can it run in a headless environment?

Accepted Answer

A headless host still needs a graphical desktop session. On Linux, run the driver inside an X11, XWayland, or VNC desktop with the accessibility bus available.

Question 12

What telemetry does it send?

Accepted Answer

Cua Driver sends the driver version, OS name and version, CPU architecture, a CI flag, and a stable install ID. It does not send usernames, file paths, command arguments, tool arguments, or typed content. Rust usage telemetry can be disabled with CUA_DRIVER_RS_TELEMETRY_ENABLED=false; the one-time installation event is sent even when later usage telemetry is disabled.

Background hands for any agent.

Keep your cursor while the agent works.

Connect your MCP client over stdio.

MIT licensed, powering computer-use in Hermes, Clicky, H Company, and Factory Droid.

Common questions about Cua Driver.

Send your first background click.