Peekaboo

Active·★ 5.1k·MIT·Updated 2026-09-08

★ Trending

Peekaboo is a macOS native CLI and menu-bar application designed for screen capture, accessibility inspection, and UI automation. It allows users to programmatically observe the screen, interact with UI elements, and automate multi-step workflows, either directly via CLI or through an agent and MCP clients.

Peekaboo is currently grouped under Workflow Automation, which makes it easier to evaluate through workflow fit instead of isolated features alone. Based on the available data, it leans most heavily toward Native macOS UI automation (click, type, press, scroll) and Automating repetitive tasks within macOS applications. The listed license is MIT, which is useful when adoption constraints matter. It also shows measurable community traction with 5.1k GitHub stars.

#macOS Automation#UI Automation#Screen Capture#Accessibility#CLI Tool#Menu Bar App#Node.js#Swift

Features

01Native macOS UI automation (click, type, press, scroll)

02Screen capture and accessibility inspection for structured UI maps

03Agent-driven natural language workflows for multi-step tasks

04Integration with various MCP clients (Codex, Claude Code, Cursor)

05Command-line interface (CLI) and menu-bar application for direct use

Why choose it

+Native macOS UI automation (click, type, press, scroll)

+Automating repetitive tasks within macOS applications

+Covers 4 supported environments or platforms, which is helpful for broader deployment needs.

+Ships with a public repository and a MIT license, which makes adoption and review easier.

Trade-offs

!There are at least 8 related tools in the same category, so the best choice is easier to make after side-by-side comparison.

Compatibility

macOS

Runtime

Verified via docs

Swift

Language

Verified via docs

Node.js

Runtime

Verified via docs

Homebrew

Package Manager

Verified via docs

Quick start

$ brew install steipete/tap/peekaboo

Use cases

↳Automating repetitive tasks within macOS applications

↳Inspecting and interacting with UI elements for scripting

↳Building intelligent agents that 'see' the screen and perform actions

↳Programmatically controlling macOS system elements (apps, windows, menus)

↳Extending LLM-based clients with macOS UI interaction capabilities

How it compares

≈Peekaboo sits in the Workflow Automation category, so it makes more sense to evaluate it alongside tools like Gemini CLI instead of in isolation.

≈If your main need is closer to "Automating repetitive tasks within macOS applications", that use case is a better lens for comparison than broad feature checklists alone.

≈Peekaboo uses a MIT license, and community traction are both easier to judge in category context.

Alternatives

Gemini CLI★ 106.9k

An open-source AI agent that brings the power of Gemini directly into your terminal. Supports native MCP.

Features

Why choose it

Trade-offs

Compatibility

Quick start

Use cases

How it compares

Alternatives

Related searches

Comments

Features

Why choose it

Trade-offs

Compatibility

Quick start

Use cases

How it compares

Alternatives

Related searches

Comments