sentry-mode – OpenClaw Skill

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name: sentry-mode description: Webcam surveillance with AI analysis. Two modes: (1) One-shot analysis - answer specific questions about your space, (2) BOLO watch mode - continuous monitoring with motion detection and custom watchlists for people/objects. Use cases: "Is anyone in the room?", "What's on my desk?", or keep watch for "guy with black hat", "little blond girl", etc. Motion-triggered alerts with 3-min cooldown.

Sentry Mode

Webcam-based surveillance with AI-powered analysis. Ask a question, get a visual answer.

Quick Start

Activate Sentry Mode

sentry-mode activate --query "Is anyone in the room?"

Output:

📹 Sentry Mode Activated
🎥 Recording video (3 seconds)...
🔍 Extracting frames (ffmpeg)...
🤖 Analyzing with vision AI...

📊 REPORT:
Query: Is anyone in the room?
Status: ✅ Yes
Details: One person visible at desk, facing monitor
Confidence: High
Timestamp: 2026-01-27 11:15:00 MST

Supported Queries

People Detection:

• "Is anyone in the room?"
• "How many people are visible?"
• "Is my person in frame?"

Object Detection:

• "What's on my desk?"
• "Any open windows or doors?"
• "What's the room status?"

Movement:

• "Any movement detected?"
• "Is anything changed since last check?"
• "Any activity in the frame?"

Text Recognition:

• "Read any visible text"
• "What's on the screen?"
• "Any readable text visible?"

General Status:

• "Take a snapshot and describe"
• "What do you see?"
• "Analyze the current view"

How It Works

Step 1: Capture Video

• Access webcam via ffmpeg or system tool
• Record 3-5 seconds of video
• Save to temp file

Step 2: Extract Frames

• Use ffmpeg to extract 3-5 key frames from video
• Convert to images
• Select most relevant frames

Step 3: Analyze with Vision AI

• Send frames to Claude vision model
• Include your query in the prompt
• Get detailed analysis

Step 4: Report Findings

• Summarize results
• Note confidence level
• Provide timestamp
• Suggest actions if needed

Examples

Example 1: Check Room Occupancy

sentry-mode activate --query "Is anyone in the room?"

Response:

✅ YES - One person visible
- Person at desk, facing left
- Seated position
- No visible movement
- Confidence: High

Example 2: Monitor Desk

sentry-mode activate --query "What's on my desk and is it organized?"

Response:

📊 DESK STATUS:
Items visible:
- Laptop (open, screen active)
- Coffee cup (left side)
- Papers (scattered)
- Keyboard and mouse (centered)
- Phone (right side)

Organization: Fair
Notes: Some papers could be filed
Confidence: High

Example 3: Detect Motion

sentry-mode activate --query "Any movement or activity?"

Response:

🎬 MOTION ANALYSIS:
Primary frames: 5 extracted
Movement detected: Yes
Type: Person typing/working
Duration: Continuous across frames
Intensity: Light (sitting activity)
Confidence: High

Configuration

Default Settings

• Duration: 3 seconds video
• Frames: Extract 5 key frames
• Format: JPEG images
• Analysis: Claude vision AI (latest)
• Confidence threshold: Medium+

Adjustable Options

sentry-mode activate \
  --query "Is anyone in the room?" \
  --duration 5 \  # seconds
  --frames 8 \    # number to extract
  --confidence high  # high/medium/low

Technical Details

Dependencies

• ffmpeg (video capture + frame extraction)
• Claude vision API (analysis)
• Node.js or similar (orchestration)

Supported Cameras

• Built-in webcam (default)
• USB cameras
• IP cameras (if accessible locally)

Output Formats

• Text report (default)
• JSON (with --format json)
• Detailed analysis (with --verbose)

Privacy & Storage

• Videos deleted immediately after frame extraction
• Frames deleted after analysis
• No persistent storage by default
• Analysis results retained in conversation only

Use Cases

Workspace Monitoring:

• Verify you're at your desk
• Check desk organization
• Monitor for interruptions

Security Checks:

• Confirm room is empty
• Verify doors/windows status
• Detect unauthorized access

Activity Logging:

• Track work sessions
• Monitor room activity
• Verify presence for time tracking

Visual Tasks:

• Read text from screen
• Confirm object placement
• Check visual status

Remote Management:

• Monitor remote workspace
• Check equipment status
• Verify installations/setups

Limitations

• Lighting: Works best in good lighting
• Angles: Fixed to webcam position
• Privacy: Captures everything in view (use responsibly)
• Detail: Cannot identify specific individuals
• Depth: No 3D information (2D analysis only)

Security & Privacy Notes

⚠️ Important:

• This records video from your workspace
• Ensure privacy compliance in shared spaces
• Consider consent from others in frame
• Data is processed via Claude API (follows Anthropic privacy policy)
• Local storage: None by default

Troubleshooting

Camera won't activate

• Check system permissions (macOS may require camera access)
• Verify camera is not in use by other app
• Try specifying camera explicitly: --camera 0

Low-quality frames

• Improve lighting
• Move closer to camera
• Increase extraction frame count
• Check camera lens for dirt

Analysis too generic

• Be more specific in query
• Try multiple queries
• Use --verbose for detailed output
• Specify what to focus on

Scripts

• sentry-mode.js - Main orchestrator (capture → extract → analyze → report)
• webcam-capture.js - ffmpeg wrapper for video capture
• frame-extractor.js - Extract key frames from video
• vision-analyzer.js - Send frames to Claude + parse response

References

• SETUP.md - Camera permissions and device setup
• EXAMPLES.md - Real-world usage scenarios
• BOLO.md - Be On The Lookout mode (continuous monitoring with watchlists)

Sentry Mode

Webcam surveillance with AI analysis. Ask what you want to know about your physical space, get a detailed visual report.

Quick Start

# Basic query
node scripts/sentry-mode.js activate --query "Is anyone in the room?"

# With details
node scripts/sentry-mode.js activate --query "What's on my desk?" --verbose

# Longer recording, more frames
node scripts/sentry-mode.js activate --query "Any movement?" --duration 5 --frames 8

Features

✅ Video Capture - Records 3-5 seconds from webcam ✅ Frame Extraction - Uses ffmpeg to pull key frames ✅ Vision Analysis - Claude AI analyzes what it sees ✅ Flexible Queries - Ask anything about your workspace ✅ Confidence Reporting - High/Medium/Low confidence levels ✅ Privacy - All temp files deleted after analysis

Example Queries

# People Detection
"Is anyone in the room?"
"How many people visible?"

# Desk/Office Status
"What's on my desk?"
"Is my workspace organized?"

# Motion Detection
"Any movement or activity?"
"Is anything different than before?"

# Text Recognition
"Read any visible text"
"What's on the screen?"

# General Status
"Take a snapshot and describe"
"What do you see?"

Output

════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
📊 SENTRY MODE REPORT
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

🔍 Query: "Is anyone in the room?"
⏰ Timestamp: 1/27/2026, 12:21:01 PM
📹 Frames Analyzed: 5

FINDINGS:
- Summary: ✅ Detection: Person present
- Details: One person visible in frame at desk
- Activity: Seated, appears to be working
- Confidence: High

✓ Status: COMPLETE
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Options

--query <text>       Your question (required)
--duration <seconds> Recording length (default: 3)
--frames <number>    Key frames to extract (default: 5)
--verbose            Show detailed frame info
--confidence <level> High/Medium/Low (default: medium)

System Requirements

• ffmpeg (for video capture + frame extraction)
• Webcam access (system permissions required)
• Node.js 14+

Installation

# Install ffmpeg if needed
brew install ffmpeg  # macOS
apt-get install ffmpeg  # Linux
choco install ffmpeg  # Windows

# Run sentry-mode
node scripts/sentry-mode.js activate --query "Your question"

How It Works

1. Capture → Records video from webcam (ffmpeg)
2. Extract → Pulls 3-5 key frames from video
3. Analyze → Sends frames to Claude vision API
4. Report → Provides findings with confidence level

Privacy Notes

⚠️ Remember:

• This records your physical environment
• System permissions needed for camera access
• Be mindful in shared spaces
• All temp files are deleted after analysis
• Analysis goes through Claude API (follows Anthropic privacy policy)

Integration with Clawdbot

Use in your daily workflow:

• Check workspace before video calls
• Monitor desk during work sessions
• Verify room status for security
• Read information from displays
• Quick visual checks without manual inspection

Use Cases

• Workspace Verification: Confirm you're at your desk
• Security Checks: Verify room is empty/locked
• Activity Monitoring: Detect motion/activity
• Visual Tasks: Read screen text, check object placement
• Remote Work: Monitor your home office setup

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See SKILL.md for detailed documentation.